Ultralight landing gear, wing assembly problems.

Ultralight Aircraft Landing gear:

1. Check the tires for wear
2. Check the wheel bearings for signs of failure.
3. Check the rim for signs of damage.
4. Check the landing gear welds or attachments area where the wheel and landing gear join together.
5. Check the landing gear for signs of bending
6. Check landing gear for signs for cracking or elongation of holes .

Tires $ 13. - $ 19.
Tubes $ 6. - $ 20.
Rims $ 20. - $ 60.
Wear bearings $ 2. - $ 15.
MX axle $ 65.
Buccaneer XA $ 79.

Ultralight Aircraft Wing Assembly:

Use a Maule tester/fabric tester to test fabric. My recommendation is not to fly on fabric that tests less than 41 lbs. on Maule tester . (Another tester available from Leaf/CPS/Airstar/Southern Mississippi uses a different kind of scale). 

Look at the fabric on top of the wing which has been exposed to UV, and the fabric on the underside of the wing. If there is any significant difference in color, then the fabric is ROTTEN. Before buying a craft run your hand along the fabric, if it comes away feeling greasy then the fabric has been coated with AP 303 or Armoural.

These products make old rotted fabric look like new! Reports done by several groups have shown that UV deterioration can happen in as little as 6 months to aircraft left unprotected in the sun.

Check baton tips for breaks or cracks. On many older designs it was necessary to safety wire the batons, directly in front of the prop, as they tended to move out during flight! OUT INTO THE PROPELLER!

If Velcro is used on the aircraft check to make sure that it is still "STICKY". Many pilots have reported the Velcro attachment points coming "unstuck", in some cases this has resulted in fuselage covering material entering the propeller .

Check the leading and trailer edge for signs of damage. Check the strut attachment points. Check the wing attachment points. Many early manufacturers used the type of bracket shown on the left in fig 71. These have failed in flight.

Fabric replacement cost:

1. MX $ 712.
   
2. MX11 $ 757.35
   
3. MXL $ 1306.
   
4. MXL11 Sport $ 1418.
   
5. Chinook $ 2,000.
   
6. Maxair $ 950.

Baton tips $ 2.50
Maule Tester $ 179.95
Quicksilver Tester $ 47.99 
UV protection $ 84.90 Stits AO-100 / gallon (average 2-3 gallons per aircraft)