Kristoffon
Well-Known Member
For a while I've been thinking of ways to modify the partially enclosing gear doors of the Osprey-II I'm building as seen here: Photos: Pereira Osprey II Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net into fully enclosing doors without having to resort to modifying the airframe and adding another door flap.
I came across this picture of the Bugatti 100: Photos: Bugatti 100 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net which is the very thing I wanted. The flap appears to be angled such that the incoming air keeps it on the open position.
The picture isn't that large but my first guess at the mechanism was a spring keeping the flap in the open position as seen with the gear extended and when it is retracted it would have something to catch on inside the wheel well that forced it closed. Problem is, on the picture none can be seen either on the wheel or the well.
Another way I suppose would be to have a wire fixed to the fuselage and running to an arm on the flap but attached a bit off the retracting gear's articulation so as to tighten when the gear went up that pulled the flap into the closing position and slacken when going down allowing the flap's spring to open it. It would require a second spring on that wire so things wouldn't break but I fear getting the spring rate and wire length and attaching point right might require too much trial and error.
So this is where I ask if anybody has other ideas or saw an actual implementation of a system like that?
I came across this picture of the Bugatti 100: Photos: Bugatti 100 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net which is the very thing I wanted. The flap appears to be angled such that the incoming air keeps it on the open position.
The picture isn't that large but my first guess at the mechanism was a spring keeping the flap in the open position as seen with the gear extended and when it is retracted it would have something to catch on inside the wheel well that forced it closed. Problem is, on the picture none can be seen either on the wheel or the well.
Another way I suppose would be to have a wire fixed to the fuselage and running to an arm on the flap but attached a bit off the retracting gear's articulation so as to tighten when the gear went up that pulled the flap into the closing position and slacken when going down allowing the flap's spring to open it. It would require a second spring on that wire so things wouldn't break but I fear getting the spring rate and wire length and attaching point right might require too much trial and error.
So this is where I ask if anybody has other ideas or saw an actual implementation of a system like that?
