REFLECTOR: Accident/Incident

[davedent at comcast.net]

I have to agree with you 100%.  The time spent on the RG system on my XL/RG has cost me over 90% of the work done on this plane.  The gear system has so many problems with it that it's not worth it.  I just flew my plane back from being grounded out in the middle of  nowhere with gear problems that I even flew it home with the main gear down for 3.1 hrs just to get it home. It would have taken me 2.5 hrs to get there with the gear up.   Fixing it in the field is no fun.  Of course that was with, now a fix pitch prop as well.  Ka-ching.  

I have over $5000 spent related to the landing gear in just getting it home.  Counting airfares, tooling, parts, hotels, fuel, hangars,shipping props,etc.  No the retract is not worth it.  Yes it looks cool but it is not worth it.  There I think I have said that enough.

I love the way the plane flies.  With a gear up or gear down and locked, it makes no difference.  Just a little slower with them down.  Looking with hindsight down and locked with pants is much better. 

First related to the gear system, I think the quality of the parts is so different you can't count on them fitting the same as the part you removed.  So doing makes it a major task and usually a major modification to the structure.  Once I get through these gear issues, I hope I will have my problems behind related to my plane.  But for those still thinking on which plane to build, I would recommend the fixed gear model now.  At least till they get the RG problems resolved.  

By the way I just found  a crack in one of the welds on the new nose gear I installed last year.  Once again there is a quality control issue here.  No hard landings on the nose at all since it was installed.  May have been side loading related to the failed main gear.  I don't know.  Just to let every one out there know.  For safety sake let's cover these issues.  I'm not just trying to vent, I'm just want those working these issues, they are not alone. 

Dave


-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "velocityxlfg" <velocityxl at fastmail.fm> 

> > I love the RG, but the faster arrival times can never make up for the 
> > time spent building and adjusting the RG system 
> 
> Not to mention the repairs after wheels 
> up landing,Gear stuck landing ,hours of discussion on the 
> reflector on how to fix there retract problems. 
> 
> Sorry guys just a little needling from a guy 
> who is still building XLFG 
> 
> Ron 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dave Black" 
> To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" 
> Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 6:55 PM 
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Accident/Incident 
> 
> 
> > Robin Ream wrote: 
> > 
> >> Maybe the factory will just come out with a modification kit to 
> >> change the 
> >> retracts back to fixed gear models :-) ---------- There, the 
> >> problem's 
> >> solved. So easy wasn't it? :-) 
> > 
> > That would take away all the fun, wouldn't it? 
> > 
> > That said, if I had it to do over I'd build a FG model. My retract 
> > works magnificently, but it added hundreds of hours to my build time. 
> > I love the RG, but the faster arrival times can never make up for the 
> > time spent building and adjusting the RG system. 
> > 
> > 
> > dave black 
> > 
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