Has anyone put a conventional two wheel gear on a Flight Streak ARF in place of the single wheel gear that comes in the kit? If so, how did you go about it? I have heard that the ARF fuselage is hollow. Is there enough wood to use plastic gear clips and run small bolts through? Any info will be appreciated.

Holt

I have done that to almost all my Flite Streaks. I used a single wire and forced it through an enlarged hole, filled it with balsa, or installed it before inserting the wing. In three of them, I used aluminum gear, bolted through the fuselage, but had hardwood inserts in place first. Landings are much more graceful:@ :5

The CG is moved forward.

Flite streaks take off gracefully and grease landings with the single gear, but many prefer a two wheel gear.

Mine seem to take a graceful bow as they come to a stop on grass. :-(

George

Cliff,

I have an "unconventional" solution to the problem.

It sort of makes me think of the front gear on a 737 :



I fly using a stooge on rough grass.

Rex

I used the monowheel but added 5/8 dia tip "bogies", ala U-2 or B-52 They're fixed, don't drop off. Prevents the dreaded staring at the crankshaft on takeoff problem.



don Burke
Menifee, CA
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, WOO HOO, What a Ride!

Don,

I'm usually staring at the crankshaft only if the lines catch on
a dandelion that I didn't notice.

Rex

> I'm usually staring at the crankshaft only if the lines
>catch on
>a dandelion that I didn't notice.

That's the second step of the three step process. Step one is the single-wheel gear allows the airplane to tip over on the inboard tip as soon as you apply any line tension. The second step is a ground loop from the wingtip or lines catching in the grass. The third step is the airplane taking off anyway - which you would expect to be random, but isn't. It always takes off aimed straight at the pilot. Either it hits the pilot, or more likely, the pilot ducks, the airplane flies to the other side of the circle, and yanks the wingtip off, pulls the handle out of the pilot's hand, or breaks the lines.

Brett

I did what "JCP" did.

I bent up two pieces of wire. For the through hole I think I put in a piece of brass whose inside diameter matched the OD of the wire. Each half goes appropriately enough halfway into the brass tube.

The I use the same holes as the single gear used to put on a double sided landing gear plastic mounting clips.

Works well.

I do like JCP's needle/spraybar protector. I remember when I was learning, many time my engine would quit while inverted, and losing the needle and sometimes the spraybar can really ruin your day!

Deleted.

As said, I've never had any problem with the single wheel Flite Streak gear. It is strange that both fast and slow rat racers almost universally have single wheel gears and have no problem greasing off or on. I will concede that they usually fly off a hard surface. When I was flying my Flite Streaks off grass using a stooge, I laid a towel on the outboard wing, which both kept the outboard wing down and kept the airplane from turning in. Flying off hardtop, no towel needed.