Getting my first annual with my -2 and the mechanic notes that in the book (for a -3) it indicates that when you push the lever down to lower the gear, it should automatically pop to neutral when the pressure rises on the hydro system. On my previous -2 and on this one, you push down and when the pressure rises, you move the lever to the neutral position. Before we start tearing into this, I was hoping people would let me know what is right for the 14-19-2
gear down switch on 14-19-2
- Thread starter peterdeon
- Start date
alabamaflyboy
New member
From the landing gear/flap operating section of my 14-19 manual:
(All Capital Emphasis is mine.)
"The landing gear and flap operating handles are functional in design and in operation. They are located between the two front passengers on the upright portion of the front seat. To operate, simply grasp the small wheel (to indicate landing gear) or the airfoil section (to indicate flap) and move the handle up or down as you desire the counterpart to move. There will be immediate response as it requires less than two seconds for the entire operation. IT CAN BE STOPPED PARTWAY THROUGH THE CYCLE BY SIMPLY RELEASING THE HANDLE WHICH IS SPRING LOADED AND WILL RETURN TO NEUTRAL LOCKING THE FLUID IN THE LINE AT THAT POSITION. This feature is desirable at times when only part of the entire flap travel is desired. Flap operation time is increased by the installation of a strainer and restrictor in the line. Flaps should not be operated at air speeds above 90 m.p.h. Position of the flap is indicated pictorially by a small mechanical indicator located on the vertical section on the pilot’s left, directly below the instrument panel. It has a wire control connected directly to the flap cylinder. The landing gear should be operated at speeds under 125 m.p.h.
Care must be exercised to prevent inadvertent retraction of the landing gear on the ground. As a precaution against operation by personnel unfamiliar with the ship, it is recommended that the spring-loaded latch which holds the landing gear lever in the down position be engaged. It should be released before starting the engine, for the engine pump will deliver by-pass pressure and foaming of the oil may result. AN IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THIS LATCH IS TO ALLOW SINGLE HAND OPERATION FOR EXTENDING THE LANDING GEAR WHEN USING THE EMERGENCY HANDLE."
Notice that there is no indication that the gear control has a mode that locks the handle down until the gear is fully extended. In fact, there has to be a external, manually operated latch to hold the landing gear lever in the down position - it is not built into the controller.
As far as I know, the 14-19 and 14-19-2 used the same gear/flap controller. The controls are spring loaded to the neutral position and releasing them causes the hydraulic operation to stop.
The -3 may have used a different controller (the same controller as used on the Piper planes), which did have an internal latch that held the gear in the up/down position until the cycle was complete, at which point the internal pressure kicked the control lever back to neutral.
I hope this helps.
Dave
(All Capital Emphasis is mine.)
"The landing gear and flap operating handles are functional in design and in operation. They are located between the two front passengers on the upright portion of the front seat. To operate, simply grasp the small wheel (to indicate landing gear) or the airfoil section (to indicate flap) and move the handle up or down as you desire the counterpart to move. There will be immediate response as it requires less than two seconds for the entire operation. IT CAN BE STOPPED PARTWAY THROUGH THE CYCLE BY SIMPLY RELEASING THE HANDLE WHICH IS SPRING LOADED AND WILL RETURN TO NEUTRAL LOCKING THE FLUID IN THE LINE AT THAT POSITION. This feature is desirable at times when only part of the entire flap travel is desired. Flap operation time is increased by the installation of a strainer and restrictor in the line. Flaps should not be operated at air speeds above 90 m.p.h. Position of the flap is indicated pictorially by a small mechanical indicator located on the vertical section on the pilot’s left, directly below the instrument panel. It has a wire control connected directly to the flap cylinder. The landing gear should be operated at speeds under 125 m.p.h.
Care must be exercised to prevent inadvertent retraction of the landing gear on the ground. As a precaution against operation by personnel unfamiliar with the ship, it is recommended that the spring-loaded latch which holds the landing gear lever in the down position be engaged. It should be released before starting the engine, for the engine pump will deliver by-pass pressure and foaming of the oil may result. AN IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THIS LATCH IS TO ALLOW SINGLE HAND OPERATION FOR EXTENDING THE LANDING GEAR WHEN USING THE EMERGENCY HANDLE."
Notice that there is no indication that the gear control has a mode that locks the handle down until the gear is fully extended. In fact, there has to be a external, manually operated latch to hold the landing gear lever in the down position - it is not built into the controller.
As far as I know, the 14-19 and 14-19-2 used the same gear/flap controller. The controls are spring loaded to the neutral position and releasing them causes the hydraulic operation to stop.
The -3 may have used a different controller (the same controller as used on the Piper planes), which did have an internal latch that held the gear in the up/down position until the cycle was complete, at which point the internal pressure kicked the control lever back to neutral.
I hope this helps.
Dave
lwford
New member
Whats the problem here? Refer to Bellanca Service Letter No. 9 May 21,1959. It is in Cruisemaster Service Letters B20-111 from the club. I use this procedure on my-2. ALWAYS making sure the handle is in the neutral latch. Remember there is no Squat switch so be dame careful with that gear handle. Lynn N98128B :roll:
My 14-19-2 has a latch to hold the gear actuator lever in neutral position. It does not have a latch to hold it down (as my 14-19 had-a simple clip) but somehow it seems to stick in the down position unless a very light touch has it pop back to neutral. I just want to be sure that no one with a -2 has the lever pop back to neutral by itself(a the -3 books might indicate. Sounds like the 14-19 book gives a good description and the -3 book gives a good description, but the -2 is very vague about the lever's operation.
redskyaviation
New member
Mine pops back to neutral when the pressure comes up (gear down, up ). It has a clip to keep the handle in the down position.
Bob N9823B
Bob N9823B
The gear lever on my 14-19-2 will spring back to neutral after the gear goes down.
When I bought it, the previous owner said that it had to be brought back manually, however, with one exception, my gear lever has sprung to neutral every time.
That only works going down. Going up, the handle will stay put until I move it to neutral. If I were to forget to return it to neutral (I have never done that; that's my story and I'm sticking to it) I would catch the omission later by noting the high pressure on the hydraulic gauge. If I were ever to do that.
The flap handle has a mind of its own, but it will always return to neutral after the pressure builds for a while.
Chuck
When I bought it, the previous owner said that it had to be brought back manually, however, with one exception, my gear lever has sprung to neutral every time.
That only works going down. Going up, the handle will stay put until I move it to neutral. If I were to forget to return it to neutral (I have never done that; that's my story and I'm sticking to it) I would catch the omission later by noting the high pressure on the hydraulic gauge. If I were ever to do that.
The flap handle has a mind of its own, but it will always return to neutral after the pressure builds for a while.
Chuck
Jonathan Baron
New member
Okay, let's get to the heart of this. 14-19s have the Electrol 750B power pack. 14-19-2s have the Electrol 750N power pack.
The latter will return to neutral on its own. The former will but you have to hold it down until it achieves it's objective. Both will create untold grief if you're not paying attention, as others have noted. Both had safety clips to prevent unwanted upward motion on the gear up side of things.
If you are hearing or seeing anything different between flaps and gear actuation, you have a problem. The pack is unhappy. It may not bite you soon but it will bite you. You all know how I know.
Neither of these power packs can stand up to contemporary scrutiny. Thus I always put the gear lever down and use my hand pump prior to starting the engine. If the gear lever is up, for even a moment, while folks board, it may continue that instruction after you've started the engine. Add this to your checklist for BOTH models. Pump the gear down by hand.
Jonathan
The latter will return to neutral on its own. The former will but you have to hold it down until it achieves it's objective. Both will create untold grief if you're not paying attention, as others have noted. Both had safety clips to prevent unwanted upward motion on the gear up side of things.
If you are hearing or seeing anything different between flaps and gear actuation, you have a problem. The pack is unhappy. It may not bite you soon but it will bite you. You all know how I know.
Neither of these power packs can stand up to contemporary scrutiny. Thus I always put the gear lever down and use my hand pump prior to starting the engine. If the gear lever is up, for even a moment, while folks board, it may continue that instruction after you've started the engine. Add this to your checklist for BOTH models. Pump the gear down by hand.
Jonathan
Jonathan Baron
New member
And those manual flaps on the Cruisair, Kevin, are pretty cool too.
Thanks for all the help, the service bulletin refers to models above 4106 which doesn't apply to the -2's but the reference to different powerpacks on the 14-19 vs the -2 is quite helpful. Thanks to all who described what their plane does in the real world. Now to figure out what is wrong with my powerpack that it doesn't automatically pop into neutral when the gear is fully down. It works fine otherwise and I could have no problem living with it as is.