Pool noodle landing gear tyre for Bixler 1.1 or Bixler 2

thingiverse

My local airfield's runway has been suffering due to drought, leaving the grass in a sorry state. To address this issue, I created foam tires that drew inspiration from Flitetest's innovative designs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po2P1X2OsGA I quickly threw together a model in Fusion 360 and came up with a quick solution. The original tire weighed 3.6 grams (0.12 oz), but my new design tips the scales at around 6 grams (0.211 oz). These tires are untested, but I plan to give them a thorough examination next weekend. When attaching the hub to the wheel, make sure to use plenty of hot snot (hot melt glue) to ensure it stays in place, even during rough landings. The mass increase shouldn't significantly impact the aircraft's center of gravity, especially if you're flying with a slightly nose-heavy setup. However, there is a risk that increased drag could cause pitch-down behavior. Please excuse the rough Fusion 360 model; I didn't have time to tidy up the parametrics. Here are the hub dimensions: - Diameter: 24mm - Length: 20mm - Internal thickness (from the inner bit to the inner edge): 16.5mm (width of the plastic bits on the original wheels) - Inner hole diameter: 3.5mm