Do you realize that airplanes originally were made of wood and fabric. World War 1 fighters pulled many G’s with wood and fabric wings. You should audition as a wood “pecker”. I really don’t care what the gear struts are made of as long as the hold up over time. It would appear that Cirrus and the FAA have every reason to think that they will. Thanks for giving the lawyers one more thing to get worked up about. By the way, your not a lawyer are you?
Wow! Really wood? Hmm, And many composites have foam cores. That’s styrofoam! Wood sounds good in comparison, and so what? They are designed to meet or exceed certain FAA mandated criteria, not the irrational, knee-jerk emotionalism found in the media or sometimes on this board.
What IS your point?
Marty
I’d like to know where you got your charts from.
From the Cirrus SR20 Training Manual which says if you don’t have the figures for your plane (which I don’t) use an empty weight of 2100 and a moment of 289.15. Using those figures it is easy to get the CG out of limits. If I use the figures provided by some others on this board I don’t have the problem. I will have to wait and see what our SR20 comes to.
I recall reading recently in the aviation press (sorry I don’t remember specifically where) that the gear struts on the SR2x are the same design that was used in the Grumman Tiger during it’s production. If that’s correct, there should be a substantial body of experience on that design. I don’t recall ever hearing about a Tiger with a landing strut failure.
What were the specifics of the training accident involving a Cirrus where the CFI pulled the power just after takeoff? What happened to the gear struts then (as opposed to any collision with something on the surface)?
While I hate to give credence to anonymous and cranky sounding posts, I am curious what the wood landing gear structure is all about. 1) Is wood indeed part of a critical element? 2) Specifically which parts are wood? 3) Is anyone concerned about how it will hold up over time, particularly for a plane parked on the ramp and exposed to moisture? 4) Is replacement eventually inevitable, and how much trouble would that entail?
I am considering buying a Cirrus, and we do not have hangers at my airport. My brother, who has owned boats instead of planes, has experienced wood rot, etc when wood is used beneath fiber glass, eg in the main keel. I would be concerned about that in a plane parked outside. Thoughts anyone?
What I saw on about an hour and a half tour of the factory a few weeks ago were COMPOSITE LANDING GEAR STRUTS for the main wheels and tubular steel for the nose wheel. Those main struts were clearly made from many layers of composite. Also on the tour was the rig used to drop the Cirrus for the controlled tests simulating a landing under CAPS. I asked what had happened to the plane in the test and was told specifically that the landing gear had flexed all the way up to the wings and back. The landing gear remained in tact but some of the composite layers were damaged as you would expect.
Page 33 of the training manual states “It is virtually impossible to break the composite gear on even the hardest landings”.
ask a lot of questions before buying this aircraft. there has been a lot of problems with this aircraft.A LOT.
Who are we supposed to believe? You and your first hand observation or some sh_t-stirring anonymous poster?
mike,please i emplore you . ASK QUESTIONS ,dont come from an immature emotional space. believe in facts not the anonymous or those with a vested interest predicated upon corporate greed.
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Am I concerned about wood? NO. First, I don’t even know if there is wood in the landing gear, and I have a tendency to doubt it. I have been to the factory and saw the landing gear being manufactured. If there is, I doubt it is more than a core upon which to lay the composites. All materials deteriorate under certain circumstances (moisture, heat, light UV, age, etc.) and no mater what the material the LG is made out of over a few centuries, I bet it’ll be unairworthy. However, over the next 20 or so, I’m not worried.
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It is FAA certified to the highest standards of any GA aircraft anywhere. None are certified to more stringent standards. The gear is designed to support the normal weight of the airplane (with a margin) under normal and relatively hard landings and repeated use. Then it is also designed to cushion the AC if the parachute is deployed.
That is all I am concerned about.
Watch out everyone… there is metal in this plane. Do you all realize that metal fatigues, corrodes or rusts. Yikes. Run for the hills!
Marty
Hey Anonymous,
The guy is asking you the question! What part of the landing gear is wood? I.E. Part #'s etc., don’t respond to his question about YOUR posting by saying…YEA, YEA ask alot of questions about this plane. Hey goof, your the one who said it.
With that response you just confirmed that you either have something to lose with the sale of each Cirrus, or you are just an idiot. Or wait…maybe both. Nice try moron!
My father taught me at a young age that it is hard to lie in detail. You’d better keep it pretty simple or you are going to make a fool out of yourself…oh wait. it’s too late
The mains on the Cirrus are composite not wood. Get a life