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Gear Installation
The SU-27/30 gear is a complex piece of
craftsmanship. The main gear turns 90
degree during the extending and retracting
process. The space for the wheel is tight,
so it is necessary to place the gear carefully
and precisely into the fuselage's gear
mounts.
Since the wooden gear formers have been
installed in the mold, the alignment of
these cannot be guaranteed 100%.
So a few degree up or down, in or out,
have to be fine tuned when the actual gear
is being installed.
The easiest way to align the gear is:
- screw the gear in place with 2-3 sheet
metal screws. Cycle the gear by hand and
see if the alignment is acceptable.
Important: Have a sharp view from the
front and from the side to make sure that
the struts are symmetrical when extended.
-if the gear is not aligned 100%, use very
small, thin plywood shims to re-adjust.
Once the gear is aligned properly and
cycles without binding or hitting into the
wheel well, remove it from the airplane.
Make sure the little spacers stay in place,
secure these with a drop of CA glue.
-Put tape on the aluminium surfaces
contacting the wood formers and wax it
well. Then apply thickened resin to these
surfaces and mount the gear again with the
2-3 sheet metal screws. Let it cure
overnight. This layer of resin will create the
perfectly aligned seat for your main gear.
-Finally mark all 7 holes, drill, enlarge for
the T-nuts and permanently bolt the main
gears in place.
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