REFLECTOR: Main gear leg problems
Dave Philipsen
velocity at davebiz.com
Fri Jun 20 11:38:34 CDT 2008
I just talked with the factory yesterday and I was told that I cannot
buy any parts unless I am a "customer". Since I am not the original kit
builder the only way I can become a "customer" is to pay the $400. I
can definitely understand the fee for support but I'm not really in
agreement with "parts" end of it. And, I'm sure there's a little bit of
grey area between the two categories. Since I am a DIY sort of person,
it is unlikely that I'll pay the fee unless I get into a real bind as
far as needing a specific part that I cannot find elsewhere. I have an
A&P friend who is building a Cozy and he has been a real help as far as
maintenance is concerned. The Cozy people have to build and source
everything from scratch since it's a plans built airplane. The Cozy is
similar enough to the Velocity that, in many cases, I can source or
fabricate a part in the same manner as they do.
The Reflector has also been very helpful. I enjoy reading the
discussions and I learn a lot from them. Now I just gotta decide what
I'm gonna do with this gear leg. I believe that I may be able to fix it
myself and fabricate some extra support for the leg when I'm done. So
far, the idea of some sort of sandwich seems pretty good. I could use
some thick aluminum or steel on each side of the leg which would be
bonded or fastened (or a combination of the two) to the leg to prevent
further sagging. I also believe that if the original builder had
installed a good heat shield I wouldn't be having this problem now.
Dave
Brainard, Jerry wrote:
> That's a bit harsh. I have not found them to be the money-grubbing sort
> that you seem to be intimating. They have been very fair and helpful
> with me.
>
> I must say that I am a bit surprised that one must pay $400 to buy a
> part. It was my impression that the fee was for support of anyone but
> the original buyer.
>
> But hey, your mileage may vary
>
> Jerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
> Behalf Of Milton Mersky
> Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 8:23 PM
> To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Main gear leg problems
>
> Dave Philpsen:
>
> We also had to have a metal boot on our 173 RG. It worked fine. No more
> extra heat to the legs.
> As far as extra bounty to the factory, this is the attitude and
> character of
> those in charge. Get used to it or buy some other kit
>
> milt
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dave Philipsen" <velocity at davebiz.com>
> To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 6:10 PM
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Main gear leg problems
>
>
>
>> Yeah, only problem is that the factory tells me that the booties are
>> technically made for the RG although some have modified them to fit on
>> the FG. A complete new fiberglass ger leg (bow) costs about the same
>>
> as
>
>> a pair of booties. In addition to all of that, I will have to pay a
>> $400 premium because I have not "registered" with the factory as the
>>
> new
>
>> owner (bought it 2 yrs. ago from the builder).
>>
>>
>> Lou Stedman wrote:
>>
>>> I am here to tell you that it is not pleasant when this situation
>>>
> causes
>
>>> the
>>> leg to fracture on landing. Mine did and by the time I replaced the
>>>
> prop
>
>>> and
>>> removed the engine for inspection, I have spent well over $5000. If
>>>
> you
>
>>> want
>>> my two cents, it is buy the booties and fix it now. When the leg
>>>
> heats up
>
>>> enough to bend, the epoxy that was in the heated area will wick down,
>>> leaving dry fiberglass. That is exactly what happened to me. You know
>>>
> the
>
>>> old saying, "you can pay me now or pay me later" pay it now and save
>>> yourself a lot of time and money.
>>>
>>> Lou Stedman
>>> Velocity N7044Q
>>> Olean, NY
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Dave Philipsen" <velocity at davebiz.com>
>>> To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:56 PM
>>> Subject: REFLECTOR: Main gear leg problems
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Recently I noticed that at least one of my wheels (haven't looked
>>>> closely at the other one yet) is cambered out slightly at the
>>>>
> bottom. I
>
>>>> believe this is due to excessive heat from the brakes causing the
>>>>
> gear
>
>>>> leg to soften a bit. From the heat and the weight of the airplane
>>>>
> the
>
>>>> gear leg has splayed out slightly at the bottom. I'm not so sure
>>>>
> that
>
>>>> grinding off part of the axle mating surface on the leg will help
>>>>
> that
>
>>>> much because I believe that the bolt holes are angled.
>>>>
>>>> I have an idea and I just thought I'd throw it out to the group to
>>>>
> see
>
>>>> what kind of response I get. What if I were to take the wheel off,
>>>> remove the axle shaft and re-mount it on the opposite side of the
>>>>
> gear
>
>>>> leg (pointing inward)? Then I would allow the full weight of the
>>>> airplane to rest on the axle shaft which would rest on a block of
>>>>
> wood
>
>>>> on the floor. Perhaps I could use a heat gun to heat the bottom of
>>>>
> the
>
>>>> gear leg and allow it to bend back in the right direction.
>>>>
>>>> Is this feasible or would it be more work than it's worth? I
>>>>
> suppose
>
>>>> the other alternative would be to buy some aluminum feet as I have
>>>>
> heard
>
>>>> the factory sells these.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Dave Philipsen
>>>> Velocity STD-FG
>>>> N83DP
>>>>
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>
>>>
>>>
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>
>> --
>> Dave Philipsen
>> Velocity STD-FG
>> N83DP
>>
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>> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
>> Check old archives:
>>
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>
>>
>
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--
Dave Philipsen
Velocity STD-FG
N83DP
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