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(1 pic & 3 videos)
The new retractable gear version of the Radial Rocket homebuilt by New Century Aerosport is now flying! Even tho the original Radial Rocket is an awesome fixed gear taildragger (with the fabulous 360hp M-14 radial), the RG version has made the switch to tricycle landing gear. Why the change? Well, 2 reasons... one because there are a lot more people interested in an airplane of this high performance but with the reduced testosterone requirements of being a trike -- and two, because making the taildragger version into an RG would have been significantly harder to do. Getting long main gear legs that are attached forward of the main spar to actually have somewhere to go when folded would be a much bigger redesign of the existing airplane. For now, going trike is the best answer to the question.
These videos give some great insight into the RG prototype that recently began flight tests. You'll see how it looks like a lean-and-mean version of a scaled down T-28 on the ground... and then it's just pure airborne beauty in the sky. If you're in a hurry, I recommend you watch about one minute of the first video below to see this gorgeous airplane inflight with the wheels tucked up. If you've got the time, stick with it til about the 2:20 mark to see the gear cycled.
Then I suggest you watch the first minute or so of the next video (below ) showing the airplane on the ground with that music-making M-14 running. Then hop down to the video at the bottom to watch the gear being cycled several times while it's on jacks. This gear is really fast! Looks and sounds solid as well.
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