Fournier Forums | Thread - RF5B main gear jammed in up position

Important notice

Please remember that people from all over the world read and post on this forum, and that every country has its own rules, regulations and standards. This forum is based in the USA and so much of the information posted here is for the benefit of people who operate aircraft in the experimental/exhibition or experimental/racing categories. Advice given on this forum may be region specific. A person from Europe, for example, may make suggestions perfectly appropriate for a U.S reader, although not acceptable in his home country!

Please take this into account and carefully consult the authorities, standards and approved documentation where you fly.

Fournier Forums

\|- Fournier Aircraft > Maintenance	Post New Topic Post A Reply
RF5B main gear jammed in up position	printer friendly version next newest post \| next oldest post

Author	Messages
Sinko Private Gender: Unspecified Location: Gold Hill, Oregon Registered: Jul 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 1	Posted Monday, August 2, 2010 @ 07:43 PM I recently had to make a gear up landing in my RF5B because the gear jammed just before it was fully retracted. The main retraction handle went almost all the way to the retracted position, but the small release lever did not spring forward as it normally does. When the aircraft was lifted after the gear up landing the gear went down without a problem. After jacking the aircraft up in the hanger the gear worked just fine. I had no idea what went wrong, but after about an hour my mechanic came up with an answer. The Goodyear tire currently on the aircraft is apparently about a quarter inch bigger than the original tire (I think it was a Continental) and rolls over a small baffle in the gear compartment. There used to be a radio in the aircraft that protruded into the wheel well so the standard procedure was to apply the brake before retracting the gear. Unfortunately, the brake pivot had developed a lot of friction and the brake was not releasing as it should have. This caused the tire to jam on the baffel. When jacked up in the hanger I had not applied the brake and the tire just rolled over the baffle. Since I knew I was landing gear up the prop was feathered and horizontal and the only damage was about an inch worn off the skids (landing was on a smooth paved runway), a couple of 6 inch rips in the cowling, and the gear door hinges are pretty much worn down. The airplane stopped in about 150 feet versus the normal 600 or 800 in a zero wind condition.
JamesB First Sergeant Gender: Male Location: Near Seattle, WA; USA Registered: Oct 2006 Status: Offline Posts: 257	Posted Monday, August 2, 2010 @ 08:02 PM Welcome to the forum. I'm glad that the landing wasn't more serious. When I replaced the main tire on my RF5B, the A&P and I had some concerns about making sure the new tire wasn't too big. I've never had to nor heard of anyone having to apply the brake to raise the main gear. That seems to be a real issue to get right, even if it means getting a different radio, a different tire or reorganizing your panel. I have a Michelin 600-6 6ply (part # 070-314-0 from Desser) that retracts and extends without problem. I bet Collin & Eugenio can help with replacement parts. I hope we see you at some of the fly-ins.

Post New Topic Post A Reply

Jump to:

All times are GMT -4 Hours.

Welcome to The Fournier Forum, Guest!

Username	:
Password	:

In order to fully utilize the abilities of this board, you are required to register as a member. Registration is free, and allows you to do lots of things including turning on or off certain features of this board. Register now!

Forum Rules & Description

Who Can Read The Forum? Any registered user or guest
Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered user
Who Can Post Replies? Any registered user
Who Can Edit Posts? Any original author

Tips for maintaining Fournier Motor gliders

Currently Active Users: 136

There are currently 0 members and 136 guests on the boards. | Most users ever online was 822 on 08-01-2020 10:15 PM

Search This Forum

Search Keywords:	Search From: