Tundra undercarriage

[Guest david lewis]

Hi members,

 

I am interested in opinions on the difference b/n tundra tyres and the standard tyres on airborne trikes.

 

I mostly operate from our farm. Would the tundra tyres soak up the bumps better? Also, would mud etc get thrown onto the pod or wing?

 

At present i have an edge x classic 582 but when i can sell it i intend to buy a XT 912 cruze.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Hi David,

 

I have seen a couple of full dress Edge X Classics adapted to the Tundra undercarriage with good results. I have also seen one of them get mud on his wing sprayed up from his tyres when landing on a wet grass runway, but it's much easier to hose off a bit of mud spray than having a nose wheel dig in.

 

The other advantange of course is greater confidence with beach landings, of which I've done a few with the standard Edge X undercarriage, being very careful to stay on damp sand and try to minimise weight on the nose wheel.

 

If you use a Wizard wing then the bigger tyres are well suited to get you in & out of virtually anywhere, naturally the Streak wings require greater care on short fields or short ocean/river/lake beaches.

 

Though always remember the rules about minimum separation from the general public (100m) if possible. Other rules on this are a bit grey, landing below high tide mark at low tide I think is ok.

 

Rgds,

 

Glen

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

TBH I'm not convinced that the tundra tyres would make a lot of difference on a bumpy surface. The suspension on the XT is pretty good and a lot better than the old Edge.

 

Just to clarify - I thought the 100m rule only applies when flying below 500" over your own property ? Elsewhere 500" is the minimum unless landing or taking off.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

John

 

 

[eastmeg2]

I should have been clearer by saying 100m horizontal separation from the public when taking off & landing.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

According to CAO 95.32 its only a legal requirement if low flying over your own property. I can't find any reference to a minimum distance from a person when taking off or landing ?

 

Most weekends the gliders at YCAB setup their caravan right by the threshold & well withing 100m of the rwy. If your interpretation is correct every plane that lands would be in violation !

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[Guest david lewis]

Hi, Thanks for the comments, maybe l should try the standard tyres first if l can sell my classic.

 

Do you think the tundra tyres would cause much extra drag or alter the cruise speed?

 

Also, do you think my classic is reasonably priced. It is advertised in this months RAA and pacific flying.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Yes theres more drag with the tundra tyres which I suspect will cost a few knots cruise speed - you don't get something for nothing !

 

Don't have either mag in front of at the moment - which is your trike ? There seem to be quite a few Edge Classics for sale at the moment which I suspect is putting pressure on the price.

 

John

 

 

[bushpilot]

Definitely try the standard set up first; I was also going to order the Tundra pack - but decided to try standard (it came that way when I bought it second-hand), and on taking possession I found I could land just about anywhere with the standard wheels/tyres...

 

 

[Guest david lewis]

Hi John, in regards to my trike for sale, it is in, anything aviation for sale, on this web site. I have it for sale in the magazines to come out this month, they may not be out yet.

 

Cheers Dave.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

It sounds a reasonable price to me - high hours but comes with everything a new triker might need. I'm not in the market though so what really counts is the number of enquiries you get !

 

As I wrote earlier, there seem to be quite a few Classics for sale - I guess owners (like yourself) are upgrading to XT.

 

Good luck

 

John

 

 

[XC-Buzzard]

Hi Dave, Buzzard here. Mate , trying the standard undercariage first for you , but the one draw back that I can see, is that if , in the future you do decide to upgrade to tundra Kit, it want be as easy as just changing the tyres. Rear OK , but front will require a complete change of Forks and rim and guard, and brake, because of the this expence youd better make the decicions now Dave . OK mate CHEERS LANCE.....

 

 

[Guest david lewis]

Thanks Lance, Last time l spoke with airborne they would only supply the standard undercariage with the XT as it is only cetified with this set up. If l wan't the tundra set up l would have to buy it and fit it myself. I tend to think the tundra would be good but l would need some spats or mudguards of some sort. Anyway it seems l won't have a choice.

 

Cheers Dave.

 

 

[Kev]

Dave,

 

A small point seems to have been missed by everybody here.

 

Changing the wheels to a different type would constitute a Major Modification, which must be authorised by the manufacturer. You haven't actually said whether Airborne have endorsed the Mod, just that it is not certified.

 

Without their authorisation, the Mod would be deemed illegal, which would presumably render your trike illegal and any insurance that you have, would almost certainly be null & void.

 

I would contact Airborne if I were you, for their views, before going any further.

 

Best of luck

 

Kev

 

 

[eastmeg2]

I would have thought that since Airborne are now selling the Outback XT with Tundra undercarriage that the XT base is now certified for the Tundra undercarriage.

 

Would not think it to be suitable witht eh Streak-III wing though, only suitable with the Cruze, come to think of it Airborne did mention the Tundra undercarriage could onyl be used with the Cruze wing as the Streak-III does not have enough yaw stability when the finned wheel spats are removed.

 

Rgds,

 

Glen

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

The Airborne website & price list both show the Outback XT 912 available with the S3 wing

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[Guest Jacc]

David,

 

I fly an Airborne Outback and I ordered it with the Tundra option.

 

A lot of my flying is from sheep paddocks and I have flown trikes with standard undercarriage and with the tundra setup from the same location.

 

I do feel the tundra wheels flatten out a lot of the bumps, but, on wet grass, you have to be aware the bigger wheels can be a bit of a handful when landing. You have to keep as straight as possible and keep off the brakes. They can skid easily. Cross wind landings can be interesting to say the least.

 

Not long after getting my Outback a rear wheel developed a slow leak and resulted in the pressure getting too low. I landed and the tire moved on the rim tearing the valve out of the tube and ruining a day's flying. I don't know if this would have happened on standard wheels or if it was because of the bigger setup. So if you do run tundra wheels keep an eye on the pressure.

 

I do not have any problems with mud on my wing but can on occasion get pretty wet in the groin area!!

 

Don't Know if it costs me in performance or not. I fly a Streak 2B wing and this wing while not being as quick as a full streak still cruises around 48-50 knots. The big front wheel is handy though as by turning it, it acts like a small rudder.

 

In spite of a couple of drawbacks I am very pleased with the wheels and would not change to a standard undercarriage.

 

Hope this helps Dave.

 

John Canaway

 

All in all though

 

 

[eastmeg2]

A while back a caravaning friend told me of some "transponder" devices he fitted to the tyre valves on his caravan which transmit a signal to beeper in his car when the tyre pressure drops to a set value.

 

These might come in handy on aircraft too, not sure about how low the threshold pressure can be set to, to be suitable for the Tundra tyres.

 

 

[crusty]

G'day all, I fly an Airborne Outback with tundra kit and streak 2B wing. Most of my landings are on grass even when bitumen is available and I find it a top set up. With regards flat tyres when landing, this happened last W/E on a grass strip. The left rear tyre had gone flat in flight but I still managed an uneventfull smooth landing without damaging the tyre or rim while flying two up. Luck or good management? I like to feed my ego and think it was the latter.