Landing Gear

First setup

This is one of the first steps you do if you follow the manuals, it's all straight forward and simple.  Be sure to have the skids level before even thinking of drilling anything because if you don't you'll end up with a teetering frame that will haunt you the whole way thru.

A level floor around our place wasn't to be had so we ended up making a jig to set the ship on that had the ability to be adjusted in the four corners up or down.  This part was a pain in the arse and something we never dreamed of when we planned our little building venture.  I went to a metal supplier here in town to obtain the U channel pieces of steel and I guess he sensed my impatience to get started on our project and charged us about four times the going rate for the metal we bought but alas we were off and running with a $150 dollar erector set of parts for our jig.  Setting this thing up was no easy task and if it moved two inches it all had to be setup again. 

We used levels to do this and learned that levels aren't level at all.  We went to the store to buy a quality level and if you laid them on the floor and end over ended any one of them they would show a different reading @&@)#)@*).  Finally we succumbed and bought the best one we could come up with but even that one had to always be placed with a certain side up or it to would be off.  If I had it to do over again I would have used a transit, a conversation with a friend brought this up and it would have been a snap to do.

While we're on this subject of levels, after much tadoo we figured out that nifty little level RotorWay uses in its videos is a part of a combination square set you can get about anywhere so if this is what you want to use that should save you some time looking for one.

We didn't go with an electronic one because we were told they were sensitive to errors during different temperatures. Several builders said they were very accurate and reported no problems at any times or temps. All of them were easy to calibrate and check so if we had it to do over again judging from this information we would go that route for sure.

I bet we bought about seven levels, three swinging protractors and two of those combination square thingies,  even a laser level lol, so we definitely have a degree in bubble levels and a hell of a lot lighter wallet! You can't see it but there is 1 inch threaded rod between the metal U channel. We used them to level the 2nd section the skids actually set on. It worked out great. Doing it like this not only helped in the beginning stage but also during the body construction. One little sag in one corner has a tremendous affect on how the body parts line up.

That little unit is also for sale lol.  We'll Give you Such a deal!