Help! Where to buy FT Tiny Trainer landing gear?

Hyperdrive

Member
Hello, I'm new to the hobby and finishing building an FT Tiny Trainer and was wondering where to buy landing gear for the FT Tiny Trainer. I would like it to be light as it's easier for a noob to fly with a lighter plane.
 

RossFPV

Well-known member
Hello, I'm new to the hobby and finishing building an FT Tiny Trainer and was wondering where to buy landing gear for the FT Tiny Trainer. I would like it to be light as it's easier for a noob to fly with a lighter plane.
The tiny trainer doesn’t have landing gear, it is meant to be hand launched and just land on its belly. If you really want landing gear you can buy the thin landing gear wire from the store and some 2 inch wheels.
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
Hello, I'm new to the hobby and finishing building an FT Tiny Trainer and was wondering where to buy landing gear for the FT Tiny Trainer. I would like it to be light as it's easier for a noob to fly with a lighter plane.
I'm not sure the TT needs landing gear.

If I were going to put gear on the TT, I would use the wire from the thickest coat hanger I could find. Then bend the wire to resemble something like the picture below. There are 2 ways to attach this gear. The first is to stick the U shape from the bottom of the fuse upwards into the fuse. FT uses this method on some planes. I prefer the second way. Bend the U shape 90 degrees, then use zip ties to attach it to the bottom of the fuse. I always glue some tongue depressor type hobby sticks to the fuse as mounting points, I put 2 inside & 2 outside the fuse. Run the sticks lengthwise, with the fuse, not across. You will want the wheals to be slightly forward of the leading edge of the wing. A large dab of hot glue is all that is needed to keep the wheals from coming off. You will also want some toe in on the wheals, make them point to an imagery spot 5 to 10 feet in front of the fuse. This will help the plane taxi straight. When you have a rough landing, the gear will bend, saving damage to the plane. This gear is easily bent back into shape. On heaver planes a stiffer wire will be needed, you will jus have to see what you have locally. I have had great results with a music wire, which is a hardened spring steel type if wire. It has nothing to do with music, no idea why it is called music wire. Old political signs & the wire around an old mattress are a good source for music wire.


31DOk5xfTxL._AC_.jpg
 
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Hyperdrive

Member
The tiny trainer doesn’t have landing gear, it is meant to be hand launched and just land on its belly. If you really want landing gear you can buy the thin landing gear wire from the store and some 2 inch wheels.
I'm not sure the TT needs landing gear.

If I were going to put gear on the TT, I would use the wire from the thickest coat hanger I could find. Then bend the wire to resemble something like the picture below. There are 2 ways to attach this gear. The first is to stick the U shape from the bottom of the fuse upwards into the fuse. FT uses this method on some planes. I prefer the second way. Bend the U shape 90 degrees, then use zip ties to attach it to the bottom of the fuse. I always glue some tongue depressor type hobby sticks to the fuse as mounting points, I put 2 inside & 2 outside the fuse. Run the sticks lengthwise, with the fuse, not across. You will want the wheals to be slightly forward of the leading edge of the wing. A large dab of hot glue is all that is needed to keep the wheals from coming off. You will also want some toe in on the wheals, make them point to an imagery spot 5 to 10 feet in front of the fuse. This will help the plane taxi straight. When you have a rough landing, the gear will bend, saving damage to the plane. This gear is easily bent back into shape. On heaver planes a stiffer wire will be needed, you will jus have to see what you have locally. I have had great results with a music wire, which is a hardened spring steel type if wire. It has nothing to do with music, no idea why it is called music wire. Old political signs & the wire around an old mattress are a good source for music wire.


31DOk5xfTxL._AC_.jpg
I wont add landing gear on the Tiny Trainer but thanks for the advice sine I could use it on another build in the future!
 

Foamforce

Well-known member
I would recommend you copy the landing gear from the Nutball. It’s a simple design where the only change to the fuselage would be adding two skewers. The Nutball landing gear design is suitable for light planes and it holds up to rough landings well.