REFLECTOR: FG vs. RG thing

[len.baxter at gm.com]

Andy

Thanks for your input and thanks to all the others who took time to
comment.

Conclusions???   The response was particulaly lively from the FG crowd.....
I would have hoped to hear more from the RG crowd ( particularly those
flying for a while).    When you take everything into account , it is truly
a personal preference.    I will stay with my kit as ordered..... XLRG.  To
me, the added complexity is not overwellming ( at least not yet ) as I am
very comfortable with mechanical things.  The added build time and cost is
signifigant , but so is the whole project.


Len Baxter



__________________


Len,

I saw your earlier post.  I was wondering if you had come to any
conclusions.

Please, read this with a grin, and stop me if you've heard this one before.
Hehehehehe

Pretty much everything you hear on both sides is true.  I'm sure mileage
has
varied but by-and-large there is a grain of truth in each point; good and
bad.

There are RGs that have flown for years without ANY problems.  There are
others that have ground off their prop three times in the first year (and
run over a camera or two at OSH -- hehehehe)

I am not an expert or even a novice on retractable gear systems.  I am not
qualified to comment on the Velocity's RG system.  I know they are good
people and they try hard to make a good kit.  My sensibility tells me that
even when an RG system is designed as the epitome of elegance and
simplicity
it will still be a complex system.

Because you are the builder the reliability of your aircraft falls upon
you.
Many of the responses to this issue deal with making the guides the right
height and making sure the thing doesn't get hung up on the lip of the
thing.  (sorry, I'm an FG guy)  Nothing new here as you are responsible for
making the whole aircraft safe; nose-to-spinner.

I'm not sure that I subscribe to the "there are those that have and those
that will."  There have been pilots with very long careers that have flown
thousands of hours in complex aircraft and never landed gear up.  Others
that have repeatedly tested the true durability of the bottom skin of the
fuselage.  Just because you can doesn't mean you will, it just means that
you can.  Still grinning.

This subject is like the seasons, it seems to come around with some
regularity.  It is not unique to Velocity.  We do not see RG related
incidents every day, week, or even month.  We do see a couple every year
though.  It seems that when we do this topic has a real chance of coming
up.

FWIW, here are some thoughts:

The retractable gear on a Velocity will:

 Lower the drag of the aircraft making it more efficient, faster and
smoother in flight
 Cost more
 Weigh more
 Take longer to build
 Will add considerably to the complexity of the aircraft
(construction and later maintenance)
 Open new failure modes for the aircraft
 Add the possibility of landing with the gear up (either mechanical
problem or pilot error)
 Cost more to insure
 Look totally cool in cruise
 It could be very satisfying to build and operate IF that is your
thing

The fixed gear list is almost the exact opposite

 Higher drag in flight making it slower and not as smooth in flight
 Cost less
 Weigh less
 Shorter build time
 Simpler aircraft
 Can't land gear up (gear down and cured)
 Easier to insure
 Easier to maintain
 Not as fast as RG, but with proper pants and fairings you can close
the gap
 Won't look as cool in cruise
 It could be very satisfying to build and operate IF that is your
thing

You get to prioritize the list.

Getting down to nuts and bolts you don't need an aircraft.  No one needs RG
and no one needs FG (but we do need G if we have an aircraft ... <g>).
What
do you want?

For my money, I'll not only take a ride in ANY Velocity no matter what type
of gear it has, I'll beg for one.  ;)

Happy building,

Andy

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