Instinct Windsports
Tandem Landing Gear, pair (Castering)
Instinct's own tandem wheels!
2022 improvements!
- Flat-black, powder-coated forks
- Brass bushing for smoother wheel castering and more durable
- CNC'd base blocks with all corners rounded...a much sleeker look!
When we don't like what we see on the market, we improve on them for ourselves....and then make more to sell! These are hundreds of dollars less than the WW/LMFP tandem wheels set and more than half the price (and weight) of the Rascal wheels (which are a snag hazard if you step-tow and over-kill for shock-absorbtion if you aero-tow and land on a grass strip)
- Lightweight design (7.5lbs each)
- Aluminum forks, powder-coated flat-black
- Solid nylon basetube blocks, CNC'd with all rounded corners
- unique, straight angled upright to rest right on the downtube instead of a bent aluminum upright
- 10", solid hub pneumatic wheels
- our Selfie camera mount can mount directly to the nylon block
Not included:
- bungee cords to affix upright to downtubes
- steering bar - can easily be added to fork if you choose
- we use 1.25" shaft collars on basetube to keep the blocks in place, especially when breaking down the glider
The wheels CAN castor. We used to use off-the-shelf industrial castors and weld on a bent upright. We found with the bearings in these castors, they swiveled TOO much in flight and often ended up angled or even sideways on landing - not smooth! So ours do not have bearings but castor easily on take-off due to the angle we have set them to, straighten out by lift-off and stay straight during flight in preparation for landing.
The price is for a PAIR of wheels
Current Inventory Levels
**if stock of zero is shown and you can still add the item to you cart, you can place the order and we will advise on a delivery time
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Ask a Question-
What is the ideal angle of the wheels?
It is a fine setting....one we think we have perfect for our tandem glider (Northwing Freedom 220) but you may need to play with your setup to get the sweet-spot.
The ideal position for effortless castoring is to have the vertical bolt absolutely vertical. However, if you have it perfectly vertical while the glider is stationary, your tail-wheel won't float up while you accelerate down the runway. This may restrict your glider from taking off. However, if you have your nose too high on take-off, your casters will be tilted too far back and would have the tendancey for them to rotate to the side while you are idle.
So work on setting them so they stay straight while idle but still allows your tailwheel to lift off the ground while still on the ground but approaching flying speeds. It may take some trial and error - a keen observer or a wing-tip camera will help you monitor this.
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Is the angle of the caster adjustable?
There are a couple of ways...
1) The length of your tail-boom and tail-boom wires can be adjusted to adjust your gliders angle-of-attack while on the ground...this would also adjust the set angle of the castering landing gear.
2) You can move your landing gear inboard or outboard slightly which would adjust the angle of the landing gear. The amount of adjustment is only a couple inches but can make a difference. The uprights are left rather long and once you get your desired position, they could be trimmed to your desired length. -
Are these certified landing gear?
We don't know of any landing gear in the world that are certified (DHV or HGMA) - this gear is no exception, they are NOT certified. Use at all your own risk. Inspect often. Don't use if at all concerned. We have used ours for many hundreds of tandem flights and they are showing ZERO wear. Sonora Wings in Utah have used two pairs of them for years and are happier with them than the other solutions out there on the market.
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Do you have tail booms to go with this landing gear?
We made our own...but don't offer it as a product. WillsWing does sell them as a finished product for their Falcon Tandems. NorthWing offers one as well. At first, we did opt for making a simple over-sleeve keel extension for our tandem but found it seemed to put a lot of strain on the keel. We switched to a 'proper' CoG mounted support and since it was shorter, it was lighter and didn't extend all that extra weight that is created by the keel-extension style aft of the glider. We found it to be a huge advantage in handling and did NOT interfere with the pilot's or passengers legs.
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Can they be used on a solo glider?
They are made for tandem gliders (all that we know have 1.25" basetubes). We do have aluminum sleeves that can adapt them for solo basetubes. Just place an order for them and ask us for the sleeves (no charge!).
They are a touch heavy for solo gliders but they would work great - ideal for flight park trainer gliders. -
What size basetubes can these go on?
They are made for tandem gliders...and all the tandem gliders we know of have 1.25" basetubes.
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What is the diameter for the basebar/stearingbar/basetube? i just got a new atos vx with aluminium basebar from icaro 2000 and it is 28,6 mm.
The basetube hole is 31.75mm (1.25") but we have aluminum sleeves that adapt it to the 28.6mm (1.125") that you need. No extra charge! Just note it on the order when you are placing the order!