Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Jim your a mess,I needed a good chuckle today. Skeet, 3 birds with short Gear in KVIS, we all learned to fly on em, no troubles either..........Dan

Just to make things clear .. I've flown several short gear thorps .. They're all great. But in the end the extended gear makes a difference.

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Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

Shazam! That's what I was looking for Lee "All Thorps are Great!" ya hit that rivet square on the head.....Dan

Production run cost?

I've always been told that the reason for the longer gear was the length of the tubing. Seems the tube comes in lengths that when cut into four pieces they were about 2" longer eliminating 4" of waste.

Come on Willie! That's not true ... May have been one guys reason but the reason for the longer gear is well documented in the newsletters. Remember when Ken Brock offered a choice of short or long gear?

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Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

When I first finished my t18 back in May of this year I had the long gear installed for a number of hours. I then swapped out the long gear for the short gear and I never looked back. I definitely prefer the shorter gear.

lol. I think that it takes a real man to fly the short gear. hehehe! I just thought that I would stir things up seeing that the pot was settling down....

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Dean Cuke
Visalia, California
N772DM
KVIS

I remember that Lee, Brock did a good job on the Gear. All the gear I used to build we're the long ones. Dan

The extended gear also has a little more flexibility without having to taper the tubes, although that is probably more academic than noticeable reality. Extra prop clearance is nice, and I also like the look better - it's more "perky" to my eye. My gear is 2" longer. My late best friend Dean's T-18 has the original gear, and the difference is quite noticeable as they sit side by side in our hangar. After installing one of the metal Sensenich props (70" diameter?) after having a 68" woody, he was more hesitant to do wheel landings because of the reduced ground clearance.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

What is the difference between the long and the short gear from a fabrication standpoint? Please don’t say “the length stupid”. Is the gear all the same except the lower tube is two inches longer?

Would there be any reason for anybody to build a short gear at this point?

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http://www.dixiefriedfabrication.com/

You got it, that's the difference.

Hi Lou,

As Bill said, that's the only difference. In my opinion, the longer gears are preferable. 2 or 3" seems to be good to me.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

I like my short gear, can see just fine over the nose, no S turns during taxi for me.

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Bruce Finney
N18JF T-18C #262
Yelm, WA USA

No question that that is a benefit, Bruce. However, even with my 2" longer gear, I see over the nose just fine - no S turning needed. I find that to be true with the 3" longer versions too, but someone who sits a little lower in the seat may not. There are several advantages to the longer gear... greater prop ground-clearance, being able to land a little closer to a full-stall in the 3-point attitude, and slightly greater flexibility, just to name three. Some might say the airplane looks a little "perkier" also, but that is subjective. I like 'em all, but the advantage goes to the longer ones in my humble opinion. I just mention these differences for the benefit of those who may not be really familiar with the type, and that certainly doesn't include you, Bruce. We all know they're great airplanes regardless of the length of the gear.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

Thanks for the feed back guys. One more question, just to keep ya from getting bored.
Assuming the “new standard long gear” the T and the S are the same o same o? (one piece design)

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http://www.dixiefriedfabrication.com/