F4F restoration progress.

[Rjel]

 

[Rjel]

FM-2 but you get the drift....

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

Operating the FM-2 Wildcat's Hand-cranked Landing Gear

https://youtu.be/2qlufyBmcOQ?si=UpoTsKLwGCXocBsA

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[Trooper117]

I remember having to keep tapping the keyboard to lower or raise the undercarriage in the old IL2  

Notice he said in the video, ''theoretically you could just allow the weight of the undercarriage to lower the gear'' interesting... I wonder if pilots ever did that.

[javelina]

15 hours ago, Trooper117 said:

I remember having to keep tapping the keyboard to lower or raise the undercarriage in the old IL2  

Notice he said in the video, ''theoretically you could just allow the weight of the undercarriage to lower the gear'' interesting... I wonder if pilots ever did that.

I read that somewhere, long ago.  Some of the F4F Pilots were able to leverage just that.  Going into a turn, pulling a little bit of G, and having that help with the gear drop. 

[wheelsup_cavu]

On 9/19/2023 at 2:25 AM, Trooper117 said:

I remember having to keep tapping the keyboard to lower or raise the undercarriage in the old IL2

That was part of the charm of flying that plane.

 

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[Boom]

6 hours ago, wheelsup_cavu said:

That was part of the charm of flying that plane.

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I thought it was one of the real drawbacks, thoroughly disliked by pilots. One reason, in the early days, why pilots liked the F2A so much, it had hydraulic gear.

[wheelsup_cavu]

I was speaking from a stand point of flying the F4F in a simulation @Boom. I am certain I would have hated having had to raise and lower the gear manually had I had to fly the plane on a daily basis in real life.

 

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[Boba Fett]

 

 

[Boom]

Cool vids Boba. 

I remember reading in Barrett Tillman's excellent book on the F4F Wildcat that pilots had to be very careful not to lose their grip on the handle when raising the gear after take-off. Seems the wind resistance on the legs was quite strong, and if the pilot let the handle slip from his grasp, the wind would quickly drag the gear down again. Invariably with the handle spinning madly and whacking the pilot in the hand or arm, with painful consequences.

[wheelsup_cavu]

2 hours ago, Boom said:

the wind would quickly drag the gear down again. Invariably with the handle spinning madly and whacking the pilot in the hand or arm, with painful consequences.

I remember hearing it at a Planes of Fame event where the Wildcat was featured or reading that somewhere too.

 

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