Home_Sliced
Targeted for Annihilation
Posts: 223
I agree, it looks flimsy, particularily for forward gear. Basically the entire weight of the plane is coming down on that strut when it lands. On most of the gear I've seen there's generally another strut coming off at an angle to the back or the front creating a triangle (and often there are even more struts). This can also double as the actuator to retract the gear.
One of the funniest requirement I have seen for landing gear (and forward portions of the plane in general) is the "four pound bird" test. The structure of the plane must be able to withstand impact with a four pound bird at landing speeds. Four pounds may not seem like much, but when the plane is travelling 150 mph... Let me put it this way, has anyone seen that clip of the Randy Johnson fastball hitting the bird... multiple by 10.
Anyway, it still looks cool. I like the air speed sensor just port side of the cockpit. Nice detail.
"Good Asian dubs are like Steven Segal and plot; they just dont appear in the same movie." -Spork