Retro Rocket - 3D Printed Hatch w/Integrated Steerable Nose Wheel 2

[johnbecker31]

johnbecker31 submitted a new resource:

Retro Rocket - 3D Printed Hatch w/Integrated Steerable Nose Wheel - Steerable nose wheel for the FT Retro Rocket

This is still very much beta. I have not tested this other than taxi test.

This hatch is pretty much a drop in replacement for the Retro Rocket hatch. I found that not being able to steer on the ground was going to limit my desire to fly this amazing little jet. The FT Retro Rocket, with EDF Thrust Vectoring, and Steerable nose wheel, makes this jet the perfect setup!

The only piece that requires support is the hinge. Print using the orientation shown below. I printed 1 piece at...

Read more about this resource...

 

[e2designs]

Worked wonderfully! I would suggest adding a bit more back support for the servo mounts. Mine were a bit tight and one of them snapped during installation. No modifications were needed to get it to fit

 

[johnbecker31]

johnbecker31 updated Retro Rocket - 3D Printed Hatch w/Integrated Steerable Nose Wheel with a new update entry:

Retro Rocket - 3D Printed Hatch w/Integrated Steerable Nose Wheel

Updated servo mount.
1. Simplified them to strengthen them, and make them easier to print.
2. Moved them apart by .8mm to accommodate a variety of brands.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[johnbecker31]

Worked wonderfully! I would suggest adding a bit more back support for the servo mounts. Mine were a bit tight and one of them snapped during installation. No modifications were needed to get it to fit View attachment 243301

let me know how it works out once you get a chance to fly it! Ground testing is all I have managed to do so far.

 

[johnbecker31]

I flew mine with this nose wheel on it and it performed flawlessly. No video but I will use this on all of my retro rockets!

 

[Refrik99]

I could not get my ducted fan Retro Rocket airborne using the non-steering wheels. It would veer wildly off course as soon as it got a little speed. I got a friend to hand launch it for me. I had 2 successful flights out of 6 launch attempts. Couldn't get enough speed to fly. One of the successful flights ended in a crash.
I got the stl files printed at my local library in 2 hours. The next day I had three successful ground takeoffs and landings.
Thank you for providing this resource!

 

[johnbecker31]

I could not get my ducted fan Retro Rocket airborne using the non-steering wheels. It would veer wildly off course as soon as it got a little speed. I got a friend to hand launch it for me. I had 2 successful flights out of 6 launch attempts. Couldn't get enough speed to fly. One of the successful flights ended in a crash.
I got the stl files printed at my local library in 2 hours. The next day I had three successful ground takeoffs and landings.
Thank you for providing this resource!

I had the same problem, which is why I decided to design this. Glad you were successful and happy flying!

 

[B17wingnut]

I too had this problem, as did a few of my flying buddies - we did this as a club "winter build."
Definitely going to print a set! Thanks.
A question: did you source a new gear and wheel or just use your old one?

On other problem that affected my EDF Rocket's flight ability was the tail cone length. One of my club fliers trimed a bit off the cone (basically just leaving a little bit sticking out of the tail hole) and it flew great (hand launch). Something to do with back pressure/exhaust flow.