Clip on landing gear extenders?

[mikeydaddio]

Does no one make simple plastic clip-on landing gear extenders? All you'd need are 4 little T's that have a c-clip on them and maybe a thin plastic post that goes from left to right to keep them from spinning. 10 seconds, 4 clicks, and you've got an extra inch on your landing gear. Seriously, no one has thought of that? I looked up the SimenSays landing gear and they are $43 for 4 pieces of plastic. They don't even come with the rods: you have to order those off Ebay. Really?

Mike

 

[mediaguru]

I got these on ebay...

http://www.ambientflight.com/2014/01/15/counting-every-gram-knocked-off-a-quarter-pound/

 

[mikeydaddio]

I got these on ebay...

http://www.ambientflight.com/2014/01/15/counting-every-gram-knocked-off-a-quarter-pound/

Thank you. Those are a step in the right direction. I don't like the big side profile though. Catches a lot of wind from the side.

mike

 

[mediaguru]

I've thought of carving these down a bit. They don't need to be that long. That would reduce their profile as well.

 

[syotr]

I made these.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6461
They weren't perfect but did the trick. I can rotate them up out of the way to get the Phantom in my case.
I have since gotten a shorter mount for the gimbal so I don't need these anymore.

 

[mikeydaddio]

OK, so I made my own:

Just cut some 1 inch PVC into thin (~1/8 inch) slices and slit each once so they open. They have amazing grip! They clip onto the landing gear no problem. Total added weight: 10g. Small footprint so the wind doesn't catch them like the foam I've seen some people using.

Mike

 

[skeyephantom]

You guys never cease to amaze me......well done. I've been trying to come up with my own idea since I bought my phantom.

 

[F6Rider]

This is great, just made some from a piece of pvc laying around, works great and if you lose one, oh well, make another in 5 minutes. I made a few spare just in case.

 

[syotr]

OK, so I made my own:

Just cut some 1 inch PVC into thin (~1/8 inch) slices and slit each once so they open. They have amazing grip! They clip onto the landing gear no problem. Total added weight: 10g. Small footprint so the wind doesn't catch them like the foam I've seen some people using.

Mike

Great idea, simple and cheap!

 

[mikeydaddio]

Thanks guys. I've since moved the clips outboard a little more so that they are over the stock landing pads for more stability. Just put a tiny piece of foam (double stick) tape just outside the clips so they don't slip toward the outside edge and flip up. One of the pieces of foam tape is visible in this shot on the back leg.

Mike

 

[mikeydaddio]

Just wanted to say these clip on PVC clips are working really well! They seem to be even more stable than the stock landing gear which I didn't expect. I thought they might be a little more wobbly on landing because they aren't quite at the edge of the landing gear but it turns out they are more stable. They tend to "reach down" to the ground when landing in grass instead of "rocking" on the grass like the stock gear so I'm seeing more stable landings. We have St. Augustine grass here which is very thick and spongy and the clips really help the gear get to stable ground.

But the one thing I hadn't considered is that they show in the video when I tilt my gimbal straight down in flight. I've programmed the gimbal for a max of 60 degrees down which is the max I can do without the front left clip showing in the frame. This wouldn't happen if the camera lens was centered under the Phantom but it's off to the left, close to the front left clip. 60 degrees down looks almost straight down in videos so I'm not really concerned with fixing it.

Mike

 

[len750]

I'm still looking for someone to make clip on prop guards. Would be great for travel. My case fits my Phantom but not with the prop guards. Any takers?

 

[mikeydaddio]

I'm still looking for someone to make clip on prop guards. Would be great for travel. My case fits my Phantom but not with the prop guards. Any takers?

My guess is you won't find that because due to the torque and wind they are subjected to, they need a very tight connection else they could twist and hit a prop. Landing gear extenders: worst case they just fall off and brush someone's hair.

Mike

 

[Big Ben]

If prop guards are easy to attach they most likely will be easy to detach too... like when you bump into something... which is exactly when you don't want them detached but firmly attached to your bird.