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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Keep the articles coming!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you have a pointer to a picture of the Carbon
tubing gear I am sure I am not the only one interested.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am in total agreement that it is better to make
our planes serviceable rather than indestructible!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV>John Ferrell <BR>6241 Phillippi Rd<BR>Julian NC 27283<BR>Phone:
(336)685-9606 <BR><A
href="mailto:johnferrell@earthlink.net">johnferrell@earthlink.net</A><BR>Dixie
Competition Products<BR>NSRCA 479 AMA 4190 W8CCW<BR>"My Competition is Not
My Enemy"<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Rcmaster199@aol.com
href="mailto:Rcmaster199@aol.com">Rcmaster199@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=discussion@nsrca.org
href="mailto:discussion@nsrca.org">discussion@nsrca.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, July 16, 2003 8:39
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: fixed gear vs.
retracts</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF">The composite fixed gear designs of today are quite the
overkill in terms of strength, rigidity and weight. They could be made far
lighter, less rigid and cheaply enough where, as they break on a hard landing,
simply pull the pieces out and toss them. <BR><BR>My good friend Nat Penton is
using regular carbon tubing material for the struts, and uses a short piece of
aluminum rod epoxied in the tube, to serve as wheel axle. A quick wrapping of
kevlar thread, super glued on the carbon tube where the axle in epoxied, keeps
the tube intact.<BR><BR>He is reporting that the struts weigh in at less than
1 oz for both, with the farings installed to a fully airfoiled section,
without the wheels. The length is 10 inches.<BR><BR>Matt<BR><BR>PS- I prefer
retracts to fixed gear for pattern planes except they are too heavyat around 6
ozs sans wheels. <BR><BR>My composite gear that I make, come in at about 4 ozs
with pants, for the pair, sans wheels, but will be using Nat's technique to
reduce the weight further with little compromise in strength. I'll probably
write about it for the KF. If you have been following my writings you should
have learned that I have been keeping no
secrets.<BR><BR><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>