At 04:35 AM 2/9/2006, you wrote: >Isn't there already one available. I think you can find it on an Ercoupe. >Daniel R. Heath
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Ercoupe gear is simply built strong enough to handle side loads because without rudder pedals the aircraft will always touch down in a crab when landing with a crosswind. Other than that there is nothing special. It does use the "trailing arm" or "trailing link" type gear like Navy carrier aircraft use to help absorb landing shock but that alone doesn't make it a crosswind gear. There is no pivot. Can you imagine trying to transition from an Ercoupe to a taildragger KR ? :-) Cessna had some crosswind gear available on the C195 as I recall that would actually pivot and allow the fuselage to touch down in a slight crab with the wheels lined up with the direction of travel on the runway. There may be some netters that have flown that type of gear or the crosswind gear on the B-52 that pivots and allows the aircraft to roll down the runway in a crab position. That gear may have been developed for the B-47, I'm not sure, as with the low slung engines they couldn't get a lot of "wing down" on landing. For takeoff and landing the pilot would compute the crosswind component and determine the "crab" angle to set the gear. I'm guessing the gear itself was supposed to handle any gust loads. Until fiberglass, resins, and all the new electronic goodies came along there really aren't that many things that haven't already been tried in aviation. Larry Flesner
