Roost Air Lounge => Aviation related topics => Topic started by: Frank N. O. on November 13, 2008, 07:29:29 AM
Title: A Cardinal nose-strut costs HOW MUCH!?!?!?
Post by: Frank N. O. on November 13, 2008, 07:29:29 AM
I was looking at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoVRfGk45zs and the man tells about the Cardinal being a reply to the Mooney, slush rivets, sleeker aerodynamics than other Cessnas and with the wing off a 210 (I never knew this) and shows mirrors under the wing to show if the main gear is down/up (I don't remember seeing this feature before either on any Cardinal) and then he comes to the gear, telling that it's not the most sturdy design, and then a graphical overlay says Cessna wants 36000 dollars for a new strut!!!! Isn't that a lot??? I've looked at Trade-A-Plane a few days ago to check prices and even for the expensive ones then that's 1/4 of the complete plane used, or 1/2 for a cheap Cardinal, how come? So it's both weak and expensive? I wish there was an upgrade for the landing gear, especially since the FG Cardinal has a weaker engine than the RG.
Frank
Title: Re: A Cardinal nose-strut costs HOW MUCH!?!?!?
Post by: Rooster Cruiser on November 13, 2008, 03:57:01 PM
The C177 may share the same airfoil as the C210, but aside from the cantilever design it is a VERY different wing! The C177 wing is smaller, lighter, it has less fuel capacity, and it has smaller flaps and different ailerons.
$36K for a new strut sounds about right. You would have to order it, then Cessna or whomever still does parts support will have to get the tooling out of storage and MAKE a new strut, special order. Since there are very few C177RG's in service they do not manufacture a bunch of replacement struts and put them into an inventory. Companies have to pay inventory taxes so it is not cost effective for them. Most owners will look around boneyards for still-servicable parts before they will go to the expense of a new strut, or they will conclude it is time to sell the old airplane for parts.
Cessna made very stout fixed landing gear for their single engine airplanes, but the retractable gear on Cessnas has always been their Achilles' heel. They are complex, relatively fragile, expensive to maintain, and subject to failure from normal wear and tear. This I think is partly why Cessna no longer makes retractable gear piston airplanes.
RC
Title: Re: A Cardinal nose-strut costs HOW MUCH!?!?!?
Post by: Frank N. O. on November 18, 2008, 05:44:54 AM
Ah, well that makes more sense, just too bad there are no uprated suspension kits for planes like there are for cars.
