Model Airplane Landing Gear: Straight Tracking Made Easy

Model Airplane Landing Gear: Straight Tracking Made Easy

If you want your plane to track straight, simply put an alignment rod, (two brass tubes with a steel rod inserted for extended reach), in place of the axles.

Poof! You now have perfect alignment of your main landing gear’s axles.

tracking2

All you have to do is lock the landing gear into place, (or the lower axle support hubs), and install your axles and wheels.

tracking 4Straight alignment is very important for taming your airplane’s ground handling especially during takeoff runs and landings. You’ll have far less ground loops if your axles are aligned with each other.

It is important to get the axles straight and then use thread locker to make sure the set screws holding the axles or lower end of the gear don’t come loose…

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2 Comments

  1. You can only do this if the gear legs are perpendicular to the ground and there is no toe-in, which is often the case with warbirds.

  2. Re: Wheel alignment——
    Your solution to wheel alignment is simple and should produce straight alignment of the wheels,BUT———-I have been told by other flyers,and have also read ,that the wheels should be set to slightly toe-in to help produce straight tracking . Would you care to comment ?

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