Brodak Shark 402 Kit Leadouts Below Centerline Rib???????

[Dave Rigotti]

For those that have built a Brodak Shark 402 kit.....The cut outs for the leadouts are "below" center line of the rib.  WTF!
How did those that actually built this kit deal with it?

[Leonard Bourel]

Hey Dave The bellcrank floor is mounted low in the wing to the bottom spar of the wing and that makes the pushrod exit the wing from the bottom of the wing not the top as in most profiles So yes the leadouts travel lower than the center line of the wing Also the tips of the wing are a real pain to build but they come out real nice and light My wife and I built a 402 for her last year and it is an Awesome flying machine The best non flapped plane I have ever flown 26 OZ with a Dixon LA 25 You will love it LEN

[Colin McRae]

Don't know if you are planning to go with the stock single center wheel landing gear on the Shark.

I am not a fan of any model /w a single center wheel. I built my Shark w/ Brodak's universal profile mount aluminum landing gear. Other than that, it is a great flying model. I have an OS 25LA on mine and use a 9-4 APC prop.

[bob whitney]

SINGLE WHEEL GEAR RULES

[Dennis Adamisin]

SINGLE WHEEL GEAR RULES

+1!!!

[Fred Quedenfeld jr]

Open up the holes in the last 2 ribs
with the wing tips  and adjustable lead outs they get to the center
the one wheel works great  easy take off in thick grass
Fred Quedenfeld

[Perry Rose]

If you think the 402 is nice try the Shark 560 or 610.

[Leonard Bourel]

Single wheel gear is great for racing where you have a pit man but sucks for stunt especially if you use a stooge

[Gordon Tarbell]

Who draws the 560 or 610 version ?

[Dennis Toth]

If the low leadout position bothers you just flip over the inboard ribs and put it on the top, move bellcrank mount to match.

Best,   DennisT

[Teodorico Terry]

Dave,

I built one last year for fun and opted to make a few changes along the way.  Made the fuselage a little deeper, added flaps and added a 2.5" stretch to the tail; I moved the stab and elevator rearward by that amount. I also lengthened the nose to make room for the motor and battery.   The stretch was meant to help balance the weight of the 4S pack.  The airplane is a good flyer: 10x4 Xoar wood prop at 12K RPM, Castle 35 lite (in governor mode), timer from Brodak and a 1800 mah 4S pack.  This gives it about 335 watts for 33 oz of weight ready to fly.  I use n 58' foot, 012 lines, eyelet to eyelet. From my head to the fuselage center line it is probably 61.5 ft.  The plane flies the whole sequence reasonably well (it is a small model).

I have enclosed a picture of my wing halfway through the build.  As you can see I opted to use a suspended bell crank but kept relatively low relative to the rib centerline.  In the photo you can also see that I had to enlarge the holes which go through the ribs as well as having to cut slot through the spar webbing.

Good luck,

Teo

[Teodorico Terry]

A couple more photos, the system would not allow me load all 6 at the same time...

[Jim Svitko]

Although the vertical CG is rarely an issue for us, it can cause problems if the vertical CG and the leadout exit point are not aligned closely enough.  If off by too much, the aircraft will always be banked one way or the other.

From what I can see on the side view of the fuselage and plans, there is quite a bit of mass above the wing chord line, and the single wheel landing gear might not be enough to offset that.

[Pat Johnston]

Gordon. Pat here I’ve drawn all the Shark series from the 1/2A 202 and up. All great flyers. Feel free to catch me.
Pat Johnston
Idaho Skunk Works

[Steve Helmick]

Single wheel gear is great for racing where you have a pit man but sucks for stunt especially if you use a stooge

Easily solved when using a stooge by placing a folded towel on the rear half of the outboard wingtip. Release the stooge and the model pulls out from under the towel. Too easy?  Steve

[Pat Johnston]

I forgot to mention that the original design for the Shark 402 has two wheels. In recent years, I’ve been cutting the landing gear blocks from lite-ply to be laminated as a composite assembly. The slots for the two legs are separated so a 4-40 socket head screw and washer holds both gear in place. Simple and easy. The landing gear is removable so finishing is easy.
Pat Johnston
Idaho Skunk Works