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Airfoil Gear anybody?

sjhurlbut

Well Known Member
Been talking to Grove about RV8 airfoil alum gear. Really want to order a set but despite it being on homepage they are not accepting orders right now due to being busy.

So does anyone have a set to sell? or

Who wants a set so we can place bigger order and make it worth their while. No discount expected
 
I'm Interested

It was my plan to install the Grove gear on my -8 but haven't made it that far yet. Did Grove tell you how long before they start taking orders again?
 
Grove Gear

Hello Steve

I just received my gear after an 11 month wait, I put my name on the list and 7 months later they called for my deposit. Be patient its worth the wait.

Good Luck
Robert
 
I am one that want the Airfoil Gear for the RV-8 I am building. Just went to the website and I do not find the Airfoil Gear or any gear for the RV-8 listed.

It was there last year. Talked to them at AirVenture 2016 and at that time there was a 6-month lead time.

Yes I will put my money where my mouth is and am willing to put a deposit on a set if that is what it takes to make sure they stay in production.
 
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Just got my airfoil gear delivered last month - about 10 months after order. I'm hopeful they continue the offering.

Carl
 
I'll put my money where my mouth is as well and will put a deposit down if they offer that option. Looking to have gear in hand when I start the fuse
 
I am one that want the Airfoil Gear for the RV-8 I am building. Just went to the website and I do not find the Airfoil Gear or any gear for the RV-8 listed.

It was there last year. Talked to them at AirVenture 2016 and at that time there was a 6-month lead time.

Yes I will put my money where my mouth is and am willing to put a deposit on a set if that is what it takes to make sure they stay in production.

They still have some info for the 8's

http://www.groveaircraft.com/rv8.html
 
Talked to them....

Just got off the phone with Grove. They don't have anymore airfoil gear and only a few of the others left. Said they were extremely busy and when asked if they were going to produce more for the -8, were very non comittal The response that I received was....The gear legs for the -8 were very time consuming to manufacture.......followed by......we will wait until the first of the year and make a decision then.

Doesn't seem too promising to me.....my fuse is supposed to be crated in two weeks...perhaps it's time to call Vans and have the gear put back on the order!

Anyone have a set of Grove landing gear they want to sell?
 
So buy a flat basstard (intentionally mispelled) file and have at it. Think of it as carving an untwisted prop :D
 
I've had my pair sitting in the back of a closet for years, and I ain't sellin' :).
 
My question is if you have purchased the gear and are using it, what happens if you damage it and need support? Install Vans gear?
 
OK, I have a 7A, not an 8, so I have to ask (since I have buddies who have 8s)...what's the big advantage? Weight? Airspeed? Ease of construction? etc.

I'm genuinely curious, since the guys I know with 8s w/ standard Van's gear seem to have no issues and plenty of airspeed :). And...wondering if there might be an equivalent advantage for a 7, for example, if someone were to make similar gear for them...

Just curious, really...
 
Advantage - weight

OK, I have a 7A, not an 8, so I have to ask (since I have buddies who have 8s)...what's the big advantage? Weight? Airspeed? Ease of construction? etc.
The Van's RV-8 gear is a giant flat piece of steel that has been shaped into a gear leg - quite different from the other RV models. The Grove gear makes this out of aluminum saving quite a bit of weight. The airflow version eliminates the need to make a fiberglass fairing.

The airflow gear has the brake line drilled through, eliminated the need for a brake line running down the gear leg. Not sure about the non-airfoil gear.

Essentially the Grove gear is lighter and looks cool. Installation is about the same it seems.

http://www.rv8.ch/grove-landing-gear/
 
The airfoil gear is lighter than stock steel gear legs, but heavier as compared to the standard aluminum Grove gear. From a purely practical standpoint, it's better to use the flat bar Grove and fiberglass fairings. Lot easier to maintain too. The legs are 7075 alloy, so they are not very corrosion resistant. If polished, they need to be re-polished and waxed on a regular basis, and I wouldn't even think about doing it in a salt atmosphere region. If painted, they will need clear plastic chip protection on the leading edges.

Scott has it right. Polished airfoil legs are the push-up bra of the RV-8 world. There is no rational reason for them, but they look great on the right airfame.

2hhip2p.jpg
 
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They say timing is everything. I called Grove to put in an order in June as I had heard there could be long lead times. I felt I would need the gear by December or January. The Grove rep informed me they had just run a batch an had an extra one if I wanted it now, so I took it. They had the set to me in a week. They are beautiful.
Sorry to hear they are not taking orders. I would think as long as the demand is there they would continue to build them. I would also assume that they need a certain number of firm orders to manufacture a batch of them to make it economically viable for them.
 
RV8 Gear

Just called Grove to have my name added to the list for standard legs even though I haven't ordered the fuselage kit yet. Don't want to lose out on the option for their Landing Gear at all! Id be interested in the one piece option if there were enough other takers....
 
Airfoil vs lightweight

So what?s the hot setup? The airfoil or lightweight Grove gear? I didn?t even start a kit yet, but I plan on building an 8, and I hear they are going to be running a batch..
 
Note that the non-airfoil Grove gear will have larger fairings (and slightly more drag) than the airfoil Grove gear, which has smaller intersection fairings and no leg fairings.

I specifically chose the Grove non-airfoil gear for a couple of reasons:

1. Even with fiberglass fairings, they?re at least several pounds lighter.

2. I used modified F1 Rocket fairings and I believe they?re actually a little cleaner aerodynamically because I have a razor thin trailing edge vs a fairly thick trailing edge on the airfoil gear legs.

My plane with this set up has proven to be pretty clean and quick at Reno.

Skylor
 
Bruce,

Can you tell us anything about the engineering, design, testing, and weight of these gear legs?

(Ah, I see this is Ken Krueger's shop.)

Thx,

Hi Carl,

Yes, Ken Krueger, for those that don’t know;

Ken was lead designer at Van’s Aircraft for many years working on the RV-7, -8, -9, -10, 12, 14.

Before Van’s Ken also worked on the B-2 Bomber and the F-22 Design Project for Boeing.

And he has received the EAA Raspet Award for outstanding contribution to the advancement of light aircraft design, joining the likes of John Thorp, Ray Stits, Curtiss Pitts, Jim Bede, Burt Rutann
and Dick VanGrunsven.

AND; KEN KREUGER, LEAD AERONAUTICAL ENGINEER, DESIGNER OF THE NEW VASHON RANGER AIRCRAFT, Vashon is same inspired owner as Dynon.

And then, these legs are being manufactured by the same shop that produces Van’s stock legs.

Ken and I will compare weights of the stock legs and fairings as we make the swap. But Ken has the numbers and I’m sure can fill you in with design, testing and manufacture process used.

Now I have seen video of the testing of the Ranger, I hope not to drop my plane like they did it, but be assured if they can survive me...

More details and pictures to follow.

Cheers!
 
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Wish

I wish I had known Sky Designs existed 2 weeks ago. I ordered a set for my 8 from Grove 2 weeks ago, and they are expected to be delivered in July. I didn't even know alternatives existed. Bad timing I guess.
 
Why not Vans?

Van always has a good nose for business. Does anyone have any idea why Vans doesn't make a set of aluminum airfoiled legs themselves?

It seems to me like if they did, it would open up a considerable amount of revenue for those wanting to go further than that "basics". I certainly understand they couldn't (and shouldn't) do this for all the aftermarket items, but I would think this is a bit different.

I'm wondering if they thought there would be a downside to doing that.
 
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