RC Plane Suspension: the results are shocking

[@steamguy101]

It's called a "trailing link suspension". The US Navy loves them (see an FA-18 carrier landing) and it's used on many private aircraft such as the Wilga.

[@SammSheperd]

steamguy101 Oh cool thanks!

[@Renatodonadio]

It is also used in the Vespa front suspension, after WW2, Piaggio converted "pony" starter motors and gears from planes they made as an aircraft factory, to the front wheel and the engine of the Vespa ;-D

[@sammvoyager]

steamguy101 - -Yep. My Boeing Engineer/Lead mentioned the US Navy & maker of the F18 wound up doing ALOT of testing with different Landing gear designs suitable for demanding carrier landings! All that weight suddenly slamming down & @full throttle.

[@xpeterson]

YellowBlue RC ? The idea behind a trailing link suspension is that when compressed the wheel moves not only up but back as well. Say for instance a wheel like this were to hit a road side curb too big for the wheel itself to go over - a regular suspension would come to an abrupt stop. A trailing link suspension would absorb the forward shock while the force pushing the wheel back would also lift it over the curb.

[@toolbaggers]

@@Renatodonadio I didn't know Vespa made dirt bikes. Oh ya, they don't. They make little runabouts perfect for getting a morning cappuccino.

[@suncitybooks5542]

It is called trailing link suspension the same as the air cooled VWs one of the reasons they were popular for beach buggys.

[@honeydew5022]

Suncity Books .

[@stephencarlson3523]

Also on the Pilatus PC-12.

[@Renatodonadio]

Do you know where the Vespa front suspension came from? ;-D

[@bulwinkle]

You can see it on some motorcycles in both trailing and leading link designs?

[@MajDuty]

The trailing link suspension we have now is not oil dampened and that's what he is showing

[@demochannel4727]

This is my favorite video of yours. RIP

[@MrNavyman53]

Now make them retract too

[@Hellsong89]

Pretty easy actually, just make hinge mechanism and put servo to operate lever system

[@SammSheperd]

the hard part is making it lock in a rigid down posision

[@ZicajosProductions]

And finding space where the gear would go so as to not drastically affect the CofG in relation to the CofL.

[@wildwolf_0G]

create something like a car handbrake mechanism

[@eastonjoyner5971]

Sml132 uu

[@Eagles_Eye]

The suspense is killing me

[@onemantwohands5224]

Eagles_Eye LOL

[@Montis.]

Not sure whether to like or dislike this comment.

[@bgoth1435]

You're damping down the mood with this joke

[@redacted3520]

I love you

[@TheAidanPodcast]

😑😑😑 .... fine , that was pretty good 😞😞🙂

[@alanstanley2847]

Rest in peace Samm. You will be missed.

[@3cHoStat]

@AwfulTromboneCovers Yes me too I don't even know the guy and when I found out I just started crying.R.I.P may your soul wander the infinite cosmos and see the universe expand and change.

[@adamfacey5555]

What happened???

[@sharpnesstherapy502]

@@adamfacey5555 motorcycle accident

[@FlyViews737]

1:44 Ryan Air

[@scaryshrok7055]

Andrew Joyce lol

[@schumbo8324]

Andrew Joyce lmao

[@FlyViews737]

Izagon Plays lol

[@FlyViews737]

I AM TOM lol

[@FlyViews737]

All of you lol

[@BeezerWashingbeard]

A good tip: The shocks should depress with 15-20% under only the weight of the plane itself. That way it helps with holes AND bumps.

[@alisioardiona727]

You better not because with the weight transfer when they depress makes that side depress even more so it goes from tilting one side to tilting the other side all the time. It works if you put a torsion bar like in car suspension but it becomes very complex.

[@camerond2534]

I am with the comedy cops and we will be sending you a ticket for your title joke.

[@phillswift8035]

Cameron D omg you saw it too😂 (basically he puts shock absorbers on a plane and says that the results are shocking😂)

[@parkertinsley2315]

Lol I thought the same exact thing

[@scellyyt]

Like if you enjoy the sounds of frequency modulation from a brush less motor

[@flavortown3781]

see if you can find a stiffer spring they look under sprung, but damper looks great

[@T1Oracle]

Jacob Westphal I was about to say that. They looked great on take off but bottomed out on landing.

[@PeakTorque]

Disagree. They look almost perfect. Most full scale oleostruts fully bottom on a hard landing.

[@harlyquin]

Cycgnr i agree, they look pretty good, no need to be stiffer, they bottomed out only from the much to hard landing.

[@ROTAXD]

Jacob Westphal maybe just add a simple 1/8" preload spacer. Springs look a tiny bit short for the shock but the spring rate seems about right.

[@zuestoots5176]

@@ROTAXD spring is to strong and not enough dampening. Needs different valving and oil

[@TrentonPalmer]

Awesome! This makes me want to dust off my carbon Z cub and make some new landing gear for it and go land it on hills

[@isamarchambers]

You've basically made an rc bush plane lol

[@willmercier2852]

Pretty good idea! I like the "giant scale" plane at the end...

[@YensR]

Trailing arm suspension :) Larger tires will make it even smoother on rough terrain. But the tires act like a spring with very little damping, so if your tires are too bouncy, the dampers (shocks) cannot work ideally. Maybe some rubber foam tires would work better than the air-filled ones. Not meant as a criticism, your set-up works really well! Just as some ideas if you want to do further projects for other applications.

[@sammvoyager]

YensR - -on our grass runway @Marymoore Park in Wash state we saw foam tires on new kits & they're too small for the Grass & didnt spin freely on its axle. Maybe ok on pavement, but as we see in this vid the pilot wants to land off-road too, so the existing DuBro tires seem perfect.

[@kf4293]

@@sammvoyager Interesting information.

[@Beefmagigins]

I randomly came across this video after a while of not watching Samm's videos. Man... it hits hard that we won't have this dude making video for us anymore.. RIP Samm. You are a legend.

[@Millie_oo0]

What happened to him

[@revkenordquist]

NICE! I always wondered why more folks didn't at least try to customize some springs. Great job on yours

[@nicholasbates1502]

Trailing link suspension. One of the more desirable suspension setups. Great job! That works very well scaled down the way you did it!

[@jrgenramdahl123]

3:55 I was thinking that was the biggest rc plane I have ever seen.....

[@hunterjohnson7393]

Sad to know that Samm is no longer with us :( Interesting that as a pilot, the "most fun" is doing touch and go's!!! Re this solution, the issue is the knee bend suspension moves the mounting points of the damper (aka "shock absorber") in an arc, rather than in a linear motion which I'm sure is its intended use (the Triumph TR6 used radial shock absorbers!!). As a result, we're seeing a lot of pushrod deflection because the piston is being torqued back and forth.There are other linkages that allow for more linear rather than radial displacement, so I'll leave that to those viewers who want to investigate further. Also, note that the starboard wheel doesn't stop spinning, while the port wheel does -- better check the bearing surfaces. Generally, nuts and bolts are not designed for use as axles/pivots, so there's a lot of flex from them, as well, so there are better and more expensive solutions. On a budget, all-in-all, a rather good day's work. Well done, Samm!

[@franken0702]

hobbes

[@jeffbeck6501]

That was so cool. All of it. I love that camera position and the take offs and landings, especially with the new landing gear. It inspirational engineering.

[@welshpete12]

Just had an idea , why not make a big one and use as a crop duster ?

[@toolbaggers]

because people already came up with that idea and they invented crop duster airplanes. An RC plane is way too small to carry any significant amount of payload for crop dusting anything larger than your own personal garden.

[@blablip4712]

RIP. You are so awesome!

[@ntrmxo]

Its SATISFYING how suspension works

[@rtonesrem]

Nice... Off airport approved.

[@SammSheperd]

Thanks! I take great pride in this certificate of approval.

[@fooman2108]

Legend has it that the OV-10 Bronco was supposed to be able to take off ACROSS the furrows of a plowed field. and it uses the same trailing link.

[@FlinFlonSk8ers]

Probably my favourite video on the Internet. It's just so cool. Well done Samm

[@FFND16N]

Nice documentation! I actually designed a set of these some years back--specifically to put on an R/C scratch-build Pilatus PC-21 I was designing[..they would retract as well.]. Never got to build it, but its still intend to. Part of the fun of NOT buying everything from the store is finding out 'IF' ones ideas will really work, aside from saving money. Thanks for sharing!

[@clxxxvii.]

Rest in Peace my friend

[@leviathan2385]

That was so cool and so needed. Good suspension would help any RC. Good job.

[@fricky172]

As others have said, this is basically trailing link landing gear, found on military F-18s and civilian PC-12s among many others. Neat video and project, thanks for sharing!

[@vannaseang2980]

Great stuff Buddy. Looks like so much fun.

[@divyajnana]

Great video showing the stresses on the gear! WOW. Thank you, Looks like northern CA.

[@idontneednostinkingchannel6848]

Once again.. perfect bullseye on this. Also like your "attack angle" gauge via FPV. There are more applications for dynamic flight envelope feedback and you are the only one using it!

[@nitrothunderbird6740]

My favourite video. Rest In Peace. He died too soon. This channel definitely had loads of potential...

[@toolbaggers]

have you ever comment that somebody lived too long? (except to me?)

[@TheFrenchPug]

I gotta give you "props"! Although that might be the most beater plane I've ever seen. Lol. Nice job.

[@interweeb5289]

I respect you for owning a VW.

[@SammSheperd]

Well thanks I guess. It's an adventure of self repair

[@Seb1203-y8h]

VW squad bro i own one too

[@kidpog3d101]

germans dont like volkswagen weil they are diesel and overwall bad performimg cars for the price

[@Maverickx89]

Slastraf vw makes more gasoline then diesel, but diesel was wery popular in Germany until the scandal for anyone driving long distance on a regular basis - it's cheaper and less co2 footprint on long range. I own a seat based on vw's mqb and it's a great car.

[@crosscroissant5478]

Seby1203Gaming -and more since when? I'm loving my VW Bora, 250.000km with no big repairs yet...

[@mun_man]

hey Samm I've been checking your videos out over the last few weeks and it seems to have rekindled my interest in making an rc plane. I love the kind of planes you have from what I can tell you fabricate almost every part of them yourself which is exactly how I want to do it. one problem I have no idea what I'm doing. if you see this please help me with some tips for beginners like what kind of motors and controllers and foam you use, or just a link to somewhere I could get some information. thanks in advance keep up the videos they're a good watch for a nerd like me

[@nhz013]

check out "flite test" and "peter sripol" you can also look at "darkdragonwings" (channels) tc

[@mun_man]

ok ill check those out thanks!

[@FullMetal372]

Man on the Moon Iron giant. Like the profile pic.

[@1compaqedr8]

Reminds me of the RC BAJA trucks with long travel suspension. Nice execution.

[@getahanddown]

The stability component is because you've built in lots of Caster. Looks cool!

[@jimmyscudder3978]

new landing gear seems to be doing awesome man grats

[@mikegaughan1068]

Huge difference. Well done.

[@whatnextjoe]

Really enjoyed your videos like your ideas and the fact that you show them in action, Thanks for sharing looking forward to more of your work

[@SammSheperd]

whatnextjoe Thank you! I was just watching your slat plane this morning! Cool Idea! Maybe I'll try some compound wing design also

[@whatnextjoe]

Cool thanks for checking out my videos I also have a high wing conventional plane with a slat wing made up from 6 slats 2 by 20 each wing half spaced up 1/4 or 1/2 inch from each other. Looking at it from the top looks like a solid wing, looking at it through the leading edge you can see right between the slats and it files great cant really tell the difference I will try to post it

[@erikpaaske1069]

Been dreaming of this since i was a kid. Cheers and well done!

[@YuriGorokhov]

Saw the Santa Cruz sticker on the car :) wondering where you are flying this, is it hwy 1??

[@bepowerification]

He wont reply :( RIP

[@Patiboke]

Nice that you've been able to do this and keep the weight acceptable!

[@SammSheperd]

+Patrick Thibaut these foam planes have a huge room for error. CG is still critical but you can get away with a lot of extra weight.

[@jhyland87]

Wow..... Suuuper smooth... Very nice

[@gailraby1722]

landing and take off the highlight of every flight.

[@gailraby1722]

+Ian Mangham I'm still starting out, every take off is an experience, I still think myself lucky with a no damage landing, but I love that feeling, it's like a drug.

[@herbderbler1585]

In the interests of saving weight, you could craft the exact same suspension parts from polycarbonate (Lexan) sheet. It cuts and machines very similar to aluminum, can be bent with a heat gun or torch, and it'll be plenty strong enough for any structural components of an RC plane for less weight than aluminum. You could use plexiglass too, but it tends to be more brittle than polycarbonate, so it might be more prone to cracking under hard landings. Lexan would likely flex a bit more than aluminum, but I doubt it would be significantly different. You can clearly see even the aluminum control arms flexing pretty heavily at 1:55 in the frame-by-frame, so obviously a little bit of give isn't causing any major problems.

[@GeovaniNogueira]

Best landing gears I've ever seen!! If they were retractable would be perfect... though is seems quite tough to accomplish this one right?!

[@sut2910]

Great birds eye view of the gear action. Look at the OV-10 gear for another variation of spring/shock dynamics. I think there are or were some produced for RC.

[@ivanbosyuk4175]

Of course they r shocking, u got shocks on that thing lol

[@ZicajosProductions]

0:59 Hold on a second; where from/how did you build those metal pieces used to complete the strut? Is there a brief video (or could you provide a brief description) regarding how to build these? Thanks. :) This was a great video.

[@marcelw82]

would indeed love to see that!

[@ZicajosProductions]

Marcel Wey Yeah! It is an ingenious R/C strut design.

[@hackettrc603]

He used a band saw and a grinder wheel to shape the pieces but you could achieve the same effect with a vise/clamp, hacksaw and some files. Aluminum alloy is surprisingly soft and easy to work with compared to most steels. I usually just draw out the outline and use the hacksaw to cut off larger bits of the clamped aluminum strip and gradually work my way down to the drawn outline with the files. You can just use needle files for tight corners. Drilling the holes is self-explanatory, again you just clamp it down, mark your holes, use a hammer and nail to indent the metal so the drill bit doesn't 'wander' and your done. The hard part is figuring out how long the pieces are and where the holes go.

[@Choice777]

Just get square or round metal pipes, use hammer to flatten ends, use a bunch of polyester bushings and bolt together flattened ends to form joints and connect shock absorbers to free end and upper joint. No need to machine cut complicated aluminium parts.

[@3100620842]

Myself, i’d just 3-ply some aluminum from a pop can. No fancy tools required, just super glue, scissors, and a drill for the holes. Maybe a file if i want the cutting to be super simple.

[@ladedk]

Those things are great! Good job.

[@spectrexfpv]

can u make a retractable landing gear with suspensions

[@marksullivan4180]

Paul Tsang yes they make them for jets

[@shiveshp.3271]

Paul Tsang yes my Mustang P51 has two

[@broogz]

You will need another servo.

[@Lewy756]

What on-board camera are you using. Smooth and clear pictures

[@Voculus]

Outstanding work!

[@randolphtorres4172]

Dam Sam this experiment is magnificent. I am also in need of suspension for a different purpose. This will be a good start to continue experimenting. THANKS4GIVING

[@terryboehler5752]

it's actually called knee type. ercoupe, P22, aero commander 112, lots of airplanes use them. this doesn't detract from your design. it just demonstrates brilliant minds think alike. very good job

[@paulbizard3493]

I love all your experiments. Keep up the good work. :)

[@SierraLimaSL]

We need more people like you

[@discokossan]

this video was really suspenseful

[@tayderrooster]

Awesome. Great job. I've always wanted to make an f18 that slams onto the runway like they do on an aircraft carrier

[@bigjohn4118]

This is called Trailing Link Suspension. A lot of RC and Real Aircraft have this kind of suspension. If Mimickery is the Sincerest form of flattery; You Win the Prize. Great Job of making Home Made ones.

[@sammvoyager]

Awesome thinking mate! Well done. What thickness of aluminum metal from big orange? Had to install largest wheels on the high wing fixed gear for our thick grass runway.

[@zuestoots5176]

Recommended picking a spring with a rate that allows some static compression.

[@leemilica]

1:49 lol mouse cursor

[@thejay8963]

*L o L o L o L o L*

[@whydoesanyoneelserespondto7693]

X D X D X D X D

[@forbiddentictactoe1734]

Why does no one respond to my comments? Why does no one respond to my comments?

[@leemilica]

Trifoi Damian well I just did.

[@viewmodel]

Trifoi Damian I wonder the same thing.

[@snowcoalRC]

cool concept. you should try using progressive or dual rate springs. basically this means there are different spring rates at different stages during the compression so both hard and soft landings can be absorbed well.

[@spzrro]

Wow man a vespa suspension, congratulations

[@JD-7792]

GOOD ON YA! A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE AND A LITTLE ENGINUITY AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. WELL DONE!

[@theclintified]

Did you have plans for this plane or did you just wing it? I tortured a high wing until I could finally fly it but it's toast and this one you built is right up my alley.

[@SammSheperd]

Nope it’s literally winged haha. I used these wings on 2 other planes before they got put on this fuselage haha

[@oldNavyJZ]

Very cool. Do you think you could take some more weight out without compromising structure by removing some of the inside material from the brackets?

[@SammSheperd]

Yea probably. You’d be surprised how light it is though and how underpowered this airplane already is

[@F105Thundr]

very nice. what camera do you have hooked up

[@param888]

Cool man, liked your proof of concept.

[@jirapatthaenphromrat2910]

Your plane is very aerodynamic...

[@kwhp1507]

Watching the suspension work makes me think of a gyro working the control surfaces

[@panther105]

Well done. Kind of like a Wilga's gear?

[@vancewanless4525]

What if you double up the aluminum part so piece on either side of the shock and drill holes in the aluminum for weight and air to pass through. May make it like more stable but that's a cool as heck setup! I'm same way i could do touch and goes back to back all day. Way fun!

[@TK42138]

Nice work - does the job. This got me thinking. As aircraft undercarriage is usually enclosed oleo shock tubes with wheel stub axles bolted on, maybe RC motorbike front suspension (not coil-over type) could also be adapted to fit?

[@SammSheperd]

Oo good idea I’ll look into it. They also do make scale oleo strut RC plane landing gear, but they aren’t as crazy functional as these

[@Supercublppilot182]

Very nice suspension

[@RonnieBeck]

Nice work! Really cool!

[@petersellers9219]

Great ideas. Does the knee need to be thicker, and the rest of the leg thinner?

[@savage101.]

You're asking questions to someone who passed away in 2018

[@robieosborne7369]

I would love for this to be an industry standard 😎

[@patchouli_s75]

"RC Plane Suspension: the results are shocking" nice shock absorber pun there

[@phasA100]

thats a great idea... got some rc shocks laying around laying around...

[@Ampersandrascott]

Now that it’s been a couple of years, I wonder how well they held up. There was a whole lotta flexing going on!

[@devonmccloud528]

gear like this has been around for yrs. I came up with a very cool system back in 1998. it's a long the lines of yours but I went even further and customized everything. It's tkn me a few yrs to get all the ones out and speak with distributors etc. Hopefully by the end of summer everything will be in place to begin the first assembly line in China then will be for sale for all RC craft.

[@handblitz4408]

What do I look up to find it?

[@marcodijkman100]

verry cool idea indeed how much does the plane weight with landing gear attached? and what motor and what mah lipo u use with it i guess a 2200 mah 3s and by the sound a 1400 kv motor?

[@SammSheperd]

I never weighed the plane. But the whole suspension set up was 160g. 1800kv motor usually on a 3s but everything in this video was shot using a 2s 2200mah

[@Koffee2112]

Is that a camera that don't shake(I don't know what they are called)I've always wanted one for my rc truck.

[@davescopes249]

Great video. Looks good to me and works a treat 👍

[@Woody-777]

Impressive, well done.

[@Xynthesis_san]

Even though someone probably already brought this up, If you can you may be able to replace the springs/shocks with small air ones in terms it may be lighter and function better since you can prevent it from bottoming out? Just a suggestion.

[@alext9067]

And oddly enough, there is no shock absorber mechanism in those hobby "shocks". A shame, but maybe not needed. I personally would like to see a real damper in action.

[@Harrison_dell]

The suspension is amazing

[@griffindilks7176]

Some form of bumpstop would be great for preventing the shocks bottoming out. Possible a limiting strap aswell to protect against over extending them.

[@SammSheperd]

They are meant to be thrashed on an RC truck setup. Bump stops are built into the struts already

[@NUWEST00520041]

Nice! Great design

[@Deism4life]

DUDE THIS IS INCREDIBLE THANK YOU YOU SAVED MY LIFE

[@weirdkid8256]

R.I.P Sam

[@grancanariaaeromodelismo3880]

Great vídeo, good job, Samm!!

[@johnrichardson8048]

Nice 👍🏻, they look like the coil overs on my hpi savage 1/8 scale monster truck?

[@billyproctor9714]

Thanks for sharing the idea with us Samm. In the video it appears that the shocks are starting to bend or is that just the camera lens? Billy in Canada

[@SammSheperd]

I think it was the rolling shutter effect on the camera. Aluminum deforms when it bends that much.