Glasair RG Inspection Alert: Landing Gear

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Two items have come to my attention, which I would like to relate to all Glasair RG aircraft builders and flyers.

Item 1: During an annual condition inspection of a Glasair II the builder/pilot noticed that the threaded side brace studs on the main landing gear were slightly loose. This was noticed only because the aircraft was on jacks. When setting on the ground the looseness was not apparent. This situation will be applicable in only for Glasair III and retract double versions of the Glasair I and II having main landing gear equipped with the replaceable side brace studs.

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The builder believes that these side brace studs, when installed in the painted gear leg, had eventually worked against the paint sufficiently to erode the paint and allow the side brace stud to become loose. The builder suggests that the side brace studs be checked each time the aircraft is on jacks. Loosening the safety wire and retightening this stud will correct this looseness in the side brace stud.

Item 2: The second item that has come to my attention was relayed to me by the mechanic inspecting a Glasair II RG. This mechanic was doing the annual condition inspection for the aircraft owner when he discovered cracking on the scissor attach lugs of the main landing gear half forks. The half fork, on the Glasair II is aluminum and in this case, had the scissor pin bushing install as per Service Bulletin 141. The crack he had noted in this lug of the half fork was in the very center of the rounded aft edge of the lug. It could not be determined whether the landing gear manufacturer or the aircraft builder had installed the bushing. The aircraft owner corrected this situation by installing a new set of half forks on the aircraft.

After speaking with the landing gear manufacturer it was also determined that the thickness of the material used to manufacture the half fork had been increased sometime after the release of Service Bulletin 141 to allow more material around the perimeter of the bushing used in the half fork scissor attach point.

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Cliff Faber
Cliff worked for Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft Inc. (the prior company that developed and produced the Glasair design) from almost its inception and was instrumental in getting the Glasair and GlaStar product lines up and running again as a key employee of Glasair Aviation. He was hired shortly after Stoddard-Hamilton moved to Arlington, Wa. in 1982 and was a key player in the development of each of the Glasair designs.

1 COMMENT

  1. How about some help? My Glassair II RG landing gear will not come down in flight. After many times putting the switch up and down it will come down finally. Sometimes it will come down better with full throttle applied. Sometimes it will not make a difference. When gear won’t work there is no change in voltage or hydraulic pressure with the switch down or up until it decides to work.

    On the ground on jacks it always works fine, no problem. How do you figure?