Whats the Luscombe Silflex Landing gear and how does it differ from the regular gear?
A14: The Silflex gear is a later innovation after SN 4400, heavier, has a larger cross section, and has no guide wires. Is this a desirable feature? Generally yes. The track is a few inches wider, and the landings a bit smoother. However, the conventional 08311 standard gear with the ski strut option (18322) installed to replace the landing wires is nearly equivalent structurally. It is also lighter, and will shear without fuselage damage. An accident in a silflex gear airplane usually rips out the gearbox first because the gear legs are stronger than the airplane. The opposite is true with the earlier Luscombe gear.
