Broken Gear Leg

[Jeff Traxler]

Hi All,I have a ARF Pathfinder and the gear legs were made out of some cheap Chinese steel.Why they did not use spring steel I don't know.After about 200 flights and being straightened out every other flight it finally broke on the last landing and now there is the broken piece still up in the wing.I bent up a new set from music wire but I can't get the broke piece out.Is there an easy way to remove it without destroying the wing?I thought of taking a punch and driving it through the top of the wing and repairing the small hole but I thought I would check here first.Any ideas on a quick fix would be nice because I intend to fly tomorrow even if it has to be hand launched but wheels would be nice.Thanx in advance,Jeff

[Bill Hummel]

Jeff, I think I'd try to pry the wire left in the landing gear block, maybe a screwdriver or chisel. Your idea of a punch is pretty good, too!  Small hole,
quick fix. Even music wire isn't what it used to be...

[John Paris]

Jeff,
If inboard push the remaining piece out with a punch and gently shake the airplane with the leadouts down.  It should drop out at some point.  Could try the same for the outboard.  At the worst you will have to make a small hole to get the piece out.
John

[Jeff Traxler]

Extraction complete.Don't ya know the little bugger had a burr where it broke big enough to keep me from just popping it through so I chizzled a couple pockets next to it and yanked it out with some needle nose vise grips.It don't look too hacked.I stole that gear leg from my contest Pathfinder so I can fly tomorrow .I slapped a piece of packing tape over the repair for fuel proofing so here we go.I have been getting 10 to 15 good practice patterns in until about ten days ago when the weather turned crappy.Can't wait for the good weather tomorrow.Thanx for the suggestions Trax