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Hangar 9 P-51 Mustang (20cc) Retracts/Gear Doors


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Hi guys,

I'm installing the retracts on my H9 20cc Mustang. I have the e-flite retracts which is what is recommended in the manual etc.

Anyway I fit the retracts with zero issues (very simple to be honest) & they work great, but the issue is with the gear doors that use hinges! I've fit the doors, and it does seem to work, but while trying to fit them I had an issue with the door jamming preventing the retract working properly, luckily the eflite retracts have surge protection whereby power is killed should there be a jam during operation, or I'm pretty sure the eflite retract motor would have been fried!

 

Anyway like I say after a good few attempts the door seems to be ok & the retracts go up & down freely (if a little tight). But I'm still concerned as last thing I want is the gear jam when landing/take off etc.

 

I think the way the door fixes to the retract is a poor design that uses a hinge, if the fix point of the door to the strut is + or -  1mm out then it will cause issues with binding. My other option is to fix the doors to the strut like on the P-47 which seems a much better design, as this hinge design on the P-51 seems flawed?

I've looked at a few videos on youtube & it seems a lot seem to leave the gear doors off altogether! Is this a known issue with the gear doors on this particular H9 model using the retracts?

 

What you guys think, anyone here with experience fitting the gear doors to this particular model have the same issue or any tips etc?

Cheers!

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u/c gear doors on small models like this are a complete pain in the backside. I have gear doors fitted on two of my 80'' warbirds and while they do now work reliably most of the time they are very maintenance intensive. I would not loose too much sleep if i had to leave them off. 

 

As for gear up landings, its gonna happen so there is no point in worrying about it. When it does happen just engage the plan you already decided upon before you took off. That plan being, normal landing approach, full flap, kill engine when 1 foot in the air, land on the belly and flick the flaps up just before touchdown to prevent damage. 

 

so many people panic when gear up landings are on the cards and end up stalling the model into the deck..dont do that, its bad for the health of the model. 

Edited by Jon - Laser Engines
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First flight of my Warbirds Ju88 was wheels up due to the port wheel catching in the flap lead. I went round again pulled the wheels up and landed as Jon has described, no damage. This may not be the case on a tarmac runway. The offending lead has now been rerouted. I tend to leave gear doors off for normal flying as they can be troublesome, and you don't get a lot of time to admire them when flying, they do look good however hanging down on a slow pass and landing.

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