Snorbitz Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Having flown my Boomerang Trainer for a couple of months now i'm very happy with the performance and durability of the model. That is apart from the undercarriage.....despite its 4mm thinkness the front and main legs all bend on even the lightest of landings and its a real pain having to straighten them out before nearly every flight. Trying to do this in-situ puts too much stress on the main body but taking it off all the time is a real pain. Does anyone have any suggestions as to a replacment wire or U/carriage set that would stop me frowning at my model after every landing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myron Beaumont Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 This has been a subject before .The problem is piano wire that isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Hasell Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 i sympathise i have one to your right it is a right pain to say the least vering to the left a little bend then to the right and so on and so on!!! Have found two options convert to tail dragger or stay as trike but beef it up only the larter is harder to do because the nose wheel then involes new mounting plates etc all i can say have a look for a replacement online Galaxy Models have some worth a look. Very good service to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inspector9566 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I still have my arising star which is the same as the boomarang and got fed up with the nose wheel bending even though i now fly mainly petrol i love to fly the trainer so i converted it to a tail dragger it was the best thing i ever did to it a very simple conversion that will cost you a steerable tail wheel a snake and a bit of time to move the main undercarriage 7 inches forward dont forgat to re-enforce the main undercarriage mounting i have not had any problems since and well worth the time on a rainy day when eastenders and corrie is on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snorbitz Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 Cheers for the advice chaps....i'm lucky enough to have access to various metals at work, stainless/silver steel and even some titanium rod but people tell me that they would all be too brittle and if bent would not bend back with snapping but i might try a few different metals and see if i can't find something suitable. I'll post any good results. I might go up a wheel size and also change to a rubber wheel to see if that helps take some of the strain away... The grass strips i fly from i would say were good/average in terms of smoothness so perhaps the bigger wheels will ride the bumps better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Hasell Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 3 and 1/2 inch is what i put on much better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myron Beaumont Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 (sorry -Couldn't resist it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Jordan Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Hi Paul, as Myron says ,your problem seems to be poor quality material. Get yourself some decent quality "PIANO WIRE" What you have sounds like coat hanger wire. I always buy mine from SLEC . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Jordan Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Eric, believe it or not, I did on one occasion make a coathanger from piano wire !! My wife complained that her coat hangers were too bendy and lost shape rather too quickly... one made from piano wire is still in use to-day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanner Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 I put a carbon fibre u/c on my boomerang, it worked great until I caught it in the top of a pine tree!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Jordan Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Could it be that pine trees have an affinity with carbon fibre ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanner Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 irrisistable attraction??? that could explain so much about my flying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aero120 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Has any one had any experience annealling piano wire to soften it to work on, then re tempering to an appropiate hardness? Many moons ago I was taught how to do this, but I can't rememeber the details of what temperatures/colours to heat to etc. However I can all too vividly remember the shower of sparks and pain when a home made piano wire undercarriage spring I was winding slipped out of my pliers and took my thumb nail with it! Never tried it again for years, but now I want to make a better U/C for my H9 Mustang that will fit into the bays when retracted. Daren't try working the stiff wire again, so want to soften it first! Anyone got any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Tee Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 I have tried it but could not get it back to original strength, hardness, flexibility so ended up with an undercarriage that bends on most landings. A little research on the net revealed mixed views, some suggest it can be returned to its original state, others say its not possible so don't even try. Now i've bought a heavy bender/winder and will shortly make a new undercarriage. If anyone wants/needs one bent up i'm sure we can come to some arrangement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aero120 Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Thanks Rick, I have fague memories of undercarriage snapping and others bending as you say as the tempering had gone astray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Jordan Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Hi Paul & Rick, Any attempt at "tempering" piano wire is doomed to failure... IT JUST DOESN'T LIKE IT !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Converted my Boomer to a tail dragger tonight Now for some practice for the A test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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