My initial ideas for the undercarriage was for a single leg per side, but once assembled, and looking at the undercarriage on the DH Beavers I regularly worked on, I realised that braking loads would probably bend the legs backwards, so a compressive drag link was needed. While I could have set a jig to align the rear pivot with the front pivot and just weld in a bush tube, it was quicker to weld a nut near where the pivot would be, and screw in a rod end.
Two pieces of
T section were then riveted to the skin across an internal bulkhead, and bolt in the rod end.
The wheels and brakes used were Azusa 8" complete kits from Spruce;
(they were cheaper when I bought them, and they are actually more expensive than shown now!)
AZUSA 8 INCH ALUMINUM WHEELS AND BRAKE KIT AZUSA 8 ALUMINUM WHEEL Complete with 5/8 I.D. sealed bearings.
www.aircraftspruce.com
I never took any photos of the lower axle setup, but a unit was made that fit into the end of the leg and had the axle slide into it. A tang was welded at the bottom of the unit to attach the brakes.
One bolt held the unit in place on the leg, and another bolt held the axle in place. A machined aluminium block was held by both of these bolts, that formed the adjustable end for the brake cable.
Looking back on this project now, I see that of all the 'progress' photos I took, many don't really explain very well of how I got to where I was, or detail many of the important little details that people tend to look for...
'Sorry about that Chief!'
No details of the control stick, no details of the rudder system, no detail of the trim system, no much on the tailwheel...
Only detail I have of the tailwheel is this;
Which I shall describe as, 'a modified tailwheel from the earlier mentioned LightWing, fitted with a remote unlocking cable, the unit pivoting on a fixed vertical bolt and bush.'
The rudder cables ran from the pedals into the cabin floor through fairleads, and back to an 'idle swing-arm' under the rear floor. This 'swing-arm' was a fabricated sheet aluminium beam with a central pivot (an aileron belcrank bearing), which would carry all braking loads from the rudder pedals, and not impose these loads onto the lower rudder hinge bolt. From this swing-arm under the rear floor, the two rudder cables ran under a pair of fibre pulleys, where they then headed towards the top of the fuselage at about a forty five degree angle. These cables terminated at a D shackle each, whereupon
four cables continued upwards towards four fibre pulleys, then two of the cables continuing to the rudder, and the other two cable going back down to exit at the lower rear of the fuselage and connect, via springs, to the tail wheel.
(Pictures always make more sense)
The shot, while a little non-descript, shows the rear cabin/baggage area floor, and the two access holes to where the rudder cable are bolted to the 'swing-arm'.
The hole at left of shot is one of the holes the aileron telemorse cables comes up from beneath the floor and crosses over at the roof-line into each wing.
These allow the wings to be folded without disconnecting anything.
I might mention here the prototype flap handle that was fitted to the floor next to the seat.
It worked, was a little awkward, and was only used for the first half-dozen or so flights before some interesting modifications began.
Enough for now, next we'll try to get the wings on...
