Cruisair vs Cruisemaster wings
- Thread starter gfhawker
- Start date
shipchief
New member
I've enver had a Cruisair, but I did have a Cruisemaster for a while.
I do know that the Cruisemaster has hydraulic retract landing gear, the Cruisair has manually cranked up landing gear. The alerons are actuated by a diferent systems using bellcranks that keep the mechanism entirely whithin the wing on the Cruisemaster, where the Cruisair has cables comming out the top & bottom of the wings to operate arms on the alerons.
That's a start....
I do know that the Cruisemaster has hydraulic retract landing gear, the Cruisair has manually cranked up landing gear. The alerons are actuated by a diferent systems using bellcranks that keep the mechanism entirely whithin the wing on the Cruisemaster, where the Cruisair has cables comming out the top & bottom of the wings to operate arms on the alerons.
That's a start....
Can be done, but dont ever expect to get it approved. The Cruismaster wings are heavy compared to the Cruisair and the ailerons are smaller, so all you would end up with is a poorer flying Cruisair. The wing bolts are different sizes, and other small details make it impractical. Fix your Cruisair wings and cannibalize the hydraulic gear from the Master and have a great plane. Thats my 2 cents worth.____Grant. On second thought , Fix the Cruisair wings,sell the Master wings for a chunk of money and buy a set of Cruisair hydraulic gear from me.___Grant.
I actually already have hydraulic gear in the Cruisair. But based on the other items I think you are on the right page in saying it would be impractical. The Cruisair wings aren't that bad but the Cruisemaster wings are closer to flying. Once I finish the Cruisair fuselage I will be putting the Cruisair wings on racks and starting the work on those. As I start that process I will almost certainly have more questions.
Thanks all.
RT
Thanks all.
RT
RT , I would recommend putting an hydraulic pressure gauge into your system. A faulty over pressure relief valve and lack of a gauge almost cost me my plane. Not knowing what pressure I was using, I always gave it a good stiff push ,and ended up ripping the bracket that holds the cylinder to the rear spar clear off. The over center spring saved my bacon, but it could have been a real mess.I have come to the conclusion that too much pressure is worse than too little. My gear drops and locks with no pressure, as it is supposed to. I think that 400 or 500 hundred PSI is plenty to hold the gear down.____Just another 2cents worth.____Grant.
Grant, thank you for the input. I actually acquired the airplane with the hydraulic system about half installed. As it turns out whoever was installing the system had already installed the pressure gauge. In doing so they displaced the EGT gauge but I will find another place for that as all of the hydraulic lines to the hydraulic gauge are all made and installed. Much easier for me to re-route wires than aluminum lines. I may need a drag link for the right gear though. I notice that the hydraulic gear system has different drag links (beefed up). The left wing has its already installed but the right wing drag link was damaged a bit in storage. Does anyone out there happen to have one available?
Thanks again Grant. I have a feeling that I will be asking you a number of questions about this hydraulic gear install as I continue.
RT
Thanks again Grant. I have a feeling that I will be asking you a number of questions about this hydraulic gear install as I continue.
RT
RT, depending on which STC you are using, you will have 14-19-2 drag links or modified 14-13-2 drag links. The 14-19-2 drag links are hard to locate and can be pricey and the modified 14-13-2 drag links are almost impossible to find. We have a club member who is reported to do very good landing gear repairs at a fair price. Call Bob at the club and ask for a contact for Al Pontious. Do your drag links in the Cruisair look identical to the ones in your Master, or is the hinge point where the long piece joins the short piece different? That will tell you which STC you have. Also, when you run the rigid piping in the pump/valve area, make sure you get it low enough to allow for sagging of the seat straps so that you are not pushing on the pipes when you sit. I had to change mine.____Grant.
Grant, not yet sure which conversion kit I have. It seems that based on the drawings I can remember they are modified 14-13 drag links. I will make sure that I route the hydraulic lines appropriately. Thanks for the head up.
I have been diverted a bit from the Bellancas as I just bought a replacement engine for my Twin Bonanza and will be installing it over the coming weeks. That doesn't mean I will be neglecting the Bellancas entirely though. I am hoping to have the engine reinstalled in the Cruisair late next week as I have repaired the bent engine mount. Once the engine is in I will concentrate on fitting the boot cowl and engine cowl as both were damaged in an off airport landing(gear up at that). The plan is to have the fuselage repairs complete by the end of Feb and start getting the wings repaired, hoping to fly by late spring, early summer. All this and a full time job flying make it a challenge but sure is fun.
RT
I have been diverted a bit from the Bellancas as I just bought a replacement engine for my Twin Bonanza and will be installing it over the coming weeks. That doesn't mean I will be neglecting the Bellancas entirely though. I am hoping to have the engine reinstalled in the Cruisair late next week as I have repaired the bent engine mount. Once the engine is in I will concentrate on fitting the boot cowl and engine cowl as both were damaged in an off airport landing(gear up at that). The plan is to have the fuselage repairs complete by the end of Feb and start getting the wings repaired, hoping to fly by late spring, early summer. All this and a full time job flying make it a challenge but sure is fun.
RT