Mike: Glad you asked, we are within 3 weeks of having the plane done and ready to test fly. Then we have to schedule a meeting with the three principles (Builder, Test pilot #1, and Test pilot #2). Then she's "in the air". I talked to the owners of Carden within the last week. If the prototype is the final version, then Carden will go into a phase that involves redrawing the plans to match the prototype's contruction (original plans do not match the prototype as of today due to changes made mid-stream). This drawing change will take an additional 3 weeks or so. Then we can start to produce kits. For the most part, things are in the hands of the TOC and Masters test pilots in a few weeks. Their approval or non-approval will dictate what we are working on this summer.

Hope this helps,
Dan Baker
Team Carden

is there going to be a PT plane at the Nall for us to look at ???

Originally Posted by flying skunks

is there going to be a PT plane at the Nall for us to look at ???

Please see post #63, this thread. We are in the same state for the Nall as we were for Toledo.

Dan Baker
Team Carden

Originally Posted by Danny Baker

Mike: Glad you asked, we are within 3 weeks of having the plane done and ready to test fly.

Hope this helps,
Dan Baker
Team Carden

When you say we does that mean your helping Dick Held build it ? Will you be covering or painting it ?

Thanks
Albert

Originally Posted by Danny Baker

The gear is something the design team is still working on. The gear on the plane in the pics is not a true Ultimate gear. Yes, the full scale sweeps back. However, this promotes tear-offs during bouncy landings since the angle is favoring unwanted pressure (during bouncy landings) on the forward two gear hold down bolts. The best gear design for a sport plane angles 90 degrees (or actually swept forward to allow to land into a bump) to the runway at the moment the wheels touch down. Our plane should be in a slight flare at that time so the static stance should actually be swept forward to keep unwanted pressure off the gear bolts. Good gear designers want all the pressure to be transferred to the elbows of the gear (outward force from hitting the ground to hard, not backward force promoting tear-offs). This is done with forward swept designs. But still the full scale sweeps back, and a swept back gear looks cool, so we are still working on the bottom of this plane.

Good catch on that, good eyes.

Dan Baker,
Team Carden

Say what

Originally Posted by Drysdale

Say what

What hes saying is, rearward swept gear is a weak point (leverage wise), people that arent excellent at landingor have less than perfect runways will have tendancies to rip out the LG, the other angles are much stronger because the LG is 90 degrees to the fuse, plus the AOA at touchdown pushes straight against fuse, instead of wanting to rip it off as in Ultimate (swept) gear.

Originally Posted by Danny Baker

Mike: Glad you asked, we are within 3 weeks of having the plane done and ready to test fly. Then we have to schedule a meeting with the three principles (Builder, Test pilot #1, and Test pilot #2). Then she's "in the air". I talked to the owners of Carden within the last week. If the prototype is the final version, then Carden will go into a phase that involves redrawing the plans to match the prototype's contruction (original plans do not match the prototype as of today due to changes made mid-stream). This drawing change will take an additional 3 weeks or so. Then we can start to produce kits. For the most part, things are in the hands of the TOC and Masters test pilots in a few weeks. Their approval or non-approval will dictate what we are working on this summer.

Hope this helps,
Dan Baker
Team Carden

Thank you....patiently waiting.

Originally Posted by MikeC3D

What hes saying is, rearward swept gear is a weak point (leverage wise), people that arent excellent at landingor have less than perfect runways will have tendancies to rip out the LG, the other angles are much stronger because the LG is 90 degrees to the fuse, plus the AOA at touchdown pushes straight against fuse, instead of wanting to rip it off as in Ultimate (swept) gear.

Hmmmm, I've been making gear for 16 years now for all differant manufactures and never heard of any complaints to that.
Tom Kroggel
TnT Landing Gear Products

Why would someone complain to you when they rip out the LG on a bad landing? Ive ripped out landing gear on Ultimates in my beginning years of flying, until I really learned how to land one. Are you saying you cant see that a rear swept gear has more pulling/pushing leverage than standard (straight) gear?

Originally Posted by MikeC3D

Why would someone complain to you when they rip out the LG on a bad landing? Ive ripped out landing gear on Ultimates in my beginning years of flying, until I really learned how to land one. Are you saying you cant see that a rear swept gear has more pulling/pushing leverage than standard (straight) gear?

No, not saying that at all. And people do call when their landing gear have problems. The gear foot needs to be over the leading edge of the wing. Although I have seen many things done over the years. imo I think the rear sweep of the gear is what makes some of the fine looks of the ultimate.

I have had multiple Ultimate Bipes of all sizes (from .40 to 35%). I can't say in one case, did I ever have a landing gear failure because the landing gear were swept back...

He/we arent saying the gear itself could fail, simply being pulled out is what we where refering too. I have pulled a few out, and ive seen alot of AW & H9 gears pulled out from flopped landings, but just as any plane when slammed on the ground....lol

Originally Posted by MikeC3D

He/we arent saying the gear itself could fail, simply being pulled out is what we where refering too. I have pulled a few out, and ive seen alot of AW & H9 gears pulled out from flopped landings, but just as any plane when slammed on the ground....lol

haha, exactly. Its not usually the airplane's issue... its the guy behind the sticks that can't land! LOL!

The exact gear type has not been decided for the plane yet. The prototype will fly with the gear that is on the Carden site. It's freshman physics to say that a swept back gear puts more stress on the forward two gear bolts than normal or swept forward gear during a bouncy landing. I also agree that the swept back gear looks to cool, and is a trademark of the Ultimate.

Dan Baker
Team Carden

Hi Dan!probably have the option of two gear types?as this is a kit and some people wish to have the swept back version then its up to them to beef up the UC mounting plate