FliteTest Storch Articulating Landing Gear

thingiverse

I've been putting off uploading this for a long time now. At this point, I feel confident enough in its durability that I'm comfortable sharing it with others. However, I want to make sure people don't have a bad experience with something I created. Keep in mind that it's far from perfect. If you're building this, everything aligns with the Storch plans. The parts that attach to the fuselage fit along the line where the wire would normally be attached. You'll need to cut out a piece for each part, making sure to match the wire bends at corresponding angles. For the wire, leave about 30mm before each bend to accommodate the plastic parts on the fuselage. The tail wheel design is based on my Storch build from plans. I adjusted it by cutting off the bottom fuselage piece where the thin foam slivers would normally be. If built directly from the kit, it might seem too small, but you can modify it by cutting slits in the foam to make it work. The "gear guide" part is the only thing I've managed to break so far. I recommend printing this out of PETG or a stronger material than PLA. Keep some spare parts on hand, just in case. I included the FreeCAD files if anyone wants to make changes, but be warned: they're a total mess. As an update, I've been flying this plane more frequently and haven't broken anything except for the guide clip. A friend of mine learning to fly managed to crash his model twice, breaking both bottom fuselage pieces. However, these crashes would have likely torn the gear out of the fuselage if it were glued in place. To improve the guide piece, I upscaled it by 105% and noticed that with the rod clipped in, the area prone to breakage is under less stress. If this change works as expected, I'll update the file once I've had a chance to test it out.