- Joined
- Oct 29, 2013
- Messages
- 289
- Reaction score
- 213
I told Smizo that I would give him a report once I’d flown the plane enough to remember how to land it so here it is. After Eric Anderson’s headache with his spring gear I decided that it would be a good idea to convert to the Wolf gear as well. The plane was originally built with the Grove spring gear and was really well behaved, but, since I tend to hang on to things for a really long time, I figured I’d go ahead and take the plunge.
The project took six months and included installing an MGL engine monitor which ate up a lot of time. Chris has a great product and support and I’m totally happy with the result. MGL support is another story...
The Gun drilled Grove gear including axles, and all mounting hardware weighed 22 lbs. Wolf gear legs and fairings 22lbs. The only weight penalty was a result of the additional engine mount tubes which I forgot to weigh.
Airplane came out weighing 809 which is exactly what it was before. I guess I lost a pound or so getting rid of all of the individual instruments and plumbing with the monitor.
Performance, therefore, is unchanged, but gone is the g induced buffet caused by the spring gear (no cuffs.) I also seem to now have a discernible stall buffet which is really handy when landing.
As far as ground handling, it was always nice to land as long as I did my part right. If I didn’t it would turn very “Pitts” like in a hurry. Wolf gear really dampens things out when I try to mess them up. Best way to sum it up is that it’s more forgiving, but still not a Citabria. By far the best change I’ve made to the plane and highly recommended.
The project took six months and included installing an MGL engine monitor which ate up a lot of time. Chris has a great product and support and I’m totally happy with the result. MGL support is another story...
The Gun drilled Grove gear including axles, and all mounting hardware weighed 22 lbs. Wolf gear legs and fairings 22lbs. The only weight penalty was a result of the additional engine mount tubes which I forgot to weigh.
Airplane came out weighing 809 which is exactly what it was before. I guess I lost a pound or so getting rid of all of the individual instruments and plumbing with the monitor.
Performance, therefore, is unchanged, but gone is the g induced buffet caused by the spring gear (no cuffs.) I also seem to now have a discernible stall buffet which is really handy when landing.
As far as ground handling, it was always nice to land as long as I did my part right. If I didn’t it would turn very “Pitts” like in a hurry. Wolf gear really dampens things out when I try to mess them up. Best way to sum it up is that it’s more forgiving, but still not a Citabria. By far the best change I’ve made to the plane and highly recommended.
