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Rob asked me to post this on his behalf...
Doug
Yes, I see that those who use the TK5's seem very happy with them. I have no doubt that they are a very good product. However, for me the reasons I am hoping to buy John Spry's struts are....
1. My first 10,000 hours of flying was in light aircraft, and I remember numerous times having trouble with air/oil struts, either losing air or oil. The problem is that once they are flat, it is very unwise to
operate the aircraft. Why do you think Mr Cessna put spring steel main legs on all his single engined aircraft?
2. I live in Australia, and purchased a Lancair because it has such a good range. A flat strut at Ayres Rock presents some significant logistical problems, all of which make the extra four or five hundred
dollars spent on John Spry's struts seem rather insignificant. I know the service backup on the TK5's is reported as being very good, but FEDEX or anyone else will take a significant time to
airfreight a new strut to me. Not to mention that there are no maintenance facilities at most airports in Australia. It would be much more economical and convenient if I could continue to my home
port where repairs could be carried out , all be it with a shock absorber not working, using just the spring for shock absorption,
3. The clearances on the Lancair undercarriage, whilst it is retracting, are very fine. A flat strut could create some very expensive problems during retraction, and more so during extension/landing. At least with
the external spring on John's struts, I am guaranteed that the leg will be fully extended for retraction, something I am not assured of with a flat air/oil strut.
4. Cars have used shock absorbers inside coiled springs for decades. I am sure a car shock strut in its lifetime on a car, will suffer many times more abuse than the struts on a Lancair, even with my landings!
Yet I don't see them requiring maintenance very often.
At the end of the day, we all have to make an informed choice. I am not criticising the TK5's in any way. It is just that the philosophy of the choice, for me, means I lean very heavily towards John Spry's struts.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Rob.
PS If you want to post this on the LML I would appreciate it, as I am having trouble with my email address, which causes the LML computer to reject anything I try to post.
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