C210 Gear Extension

[jon.pierre]

Just thought I'd cast this into the pool of knowledge...

Someone recently said to me that, for mechanical reasoning, extending the gear in a 210 should be limited to straight and level flight and I am trying to work out what the rational for this would be.

I would have thought that provided the aircraft was flown coordinated, the direction of gravitational forces and airflow would act on the gear system the same as in S&L flight. (Although obviously the amount g loading would vary).

... As the old professor would say, "Why is it so?"
:confused:

[sprocket]

jon.pierre: I can only guess here, but if there is a mechanical reason then it may be if you are in a turn then one side will be higher. If the turn is balanced there will still be a downward force acting on the U/C but at different angles than if the A/C is level.

Because of this (have not been near a 210 for a while) one side may be suseptible to hanging up if a side loading is present?

[Nopax,thanx]

The gear on the Centurion is the same layout as the 337; both legs swivel on a central fixture, rather than having actuators on each leg - so I'm guessing it would also apply to a 337. From my days on an old 337 at Cambridge, I seem to remember that the gear unlocks, then swings down under its' own weight to a certain point where it is locked down safe - or does my memory fail me? I think that would be the reason for the restriction, as you would want both legs to come down together to avoid stressing the central pivot.

But it was a long time since I worked on the old girl.....