Grove Aircraft Aluminum Gear Legs
One non-standard thing I am doing is to use a pair of Grove Aircraft gear legs. Robbie Grove is my brother's brother-in-law, and I have been serving as product tester in return for a free set of gear legs (what a deal!).
Grove Aircraft has been making gear legs and other aviation parts for many years, and they are based at Gillespie Field in San
Diego. I visited his shop several years ago and the P-51 racer Dago Red was in there getting a new cooling scoop. They do a lot of composite work, on gliders and also UAV prototypes for the military.
All the standard gear legs are designed on a CAD system, with full stress analysis, and also drop tested to FAR part 23. They are CNC machined, bent over a form, and then sent out for tempering and alodining.
The first set of legs I got were tapered in both directions, and gun-drilled for internal brake lines, but the upper end was too thick, and the brake line connection in an awkward place. Robbie changed the design, and has shipped 20 or so sets, including a set to Van's for testing.
This first pair of legs weighed 18 pounds less than the steel legs that came with my kit.
I
harassed him for a year to build a pair that had an airfoil shape, so they would not have to be faired. This gives the added advantage that the airplane can be jacked up to change a tire or brake pads by means of a simple clamp on the legs (padded of course), like the one I use on my 180, rather than
completely disassembling the fairings.
Pictured
here is the result, a pair of airfoil shaped gear legs with internal brake lines. These legs are a little heavier, and only save about 11 pounds for the pair, plus the weight of the fairings. It would be fun to see someone polish them. I am too lazy.
Robbie will build more of these gear legs if he can make them in batches of 5 or more. They will be $1495.
Gear
leg fairings
I have
been asked for pictures of the intersection fairings I made
