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Bike racks at strut attach points

skukum12

MEMBER
The Last Frontier
I figured I would start this thread separate so as to not hijack another.

Cubs and 12s with bikes inside and a passenger don't mix. I saw the Murphy Radical at Osh a few years ago with bike racks under the wings. Anybody done this with a Cub/12? Living and flying in Alaska so not concerned too much about external load legality. I am more interested in aerodynamic loads and control issues.

Or is the lumber rack the more viable option?
 
Like this?

Z

61cd3c5791b65f5d98db7fcd.jpg

https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a20009151/cycling-inventions/
 
I have a book on Cubs, there's a picture in there of a J-3 with bikes attached to the struts. The caption says the owner got approval to carry them. Maybe someone else can share additional information.
 
Yup skywagon, that's it.

supercub, in your book, are the bikes slung under the struts or the attach points?
 
This reminds me of what I was told in Greenville Maine. They had lashed a bed spring on the float struts to take to a cabin somewhere. The exposed springs and wires created so much drag that it was very hazardous to fly it. I don't recall it there was an accident involved or not.

What about those bicycle spokes? Perhaps some sort of wheel cover would be appropriate to reduce drag?
 
This reminds me of what I was told in Greenville Maine. They had lashed a bed spring on the float struts to take to a cabin somewhere. The exposed springs and wires created so much drag that it was very hazardous to fly it. I don't recall it there was an accident involved or not.

What about those bicycle spokes? Perhaps some sort of wheel cover would be appropriate to reduce drag?
One bedspring or two, Ask MTV about his experience.
 
This reminds me of what I was told in Greenville Maine. They had lashed a bed spring on the float struts to take to a cabin somewhere. The exposed springs and wires created so much drag that it was very hazardous to fly it. I don't recall it there was an accident involved or not.

What about those bicycle spokes? Perhaps some sort of wheel cover would be appropriate to reduce drag?
I know a fellow who tried the bed spring on the spreader bars of 1320's. He put it right back on the water. Said is fell like it had no elevators. No accident in that case.
 
Cub Bike 1.jpg

Here's the pic, sorry it's on it's side, I'm not the best when it comes to these computers. The pic is from the book Piper Cubs by Peter M. Bowers
 

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I remember in about 88, when I was working in Bellingham, WA, a Supercub came through with a bike strapped to the struts. Just so happened that the feds were doing a 135 inspection on us that day too.... they swarmed him when he shut it off at the fuel pumps, but he had paperwork and they looked like kids that had their ball taken away when they walked back.
John
 
I remember in about 88, when I was working in Bellingham, WA, a Supercub came through with a bike strapped to the struts. Just so happened that the feds were doing a 135 inspection on us that day too.... they swarmed him when he shut it off at the fuel pumps, but he had paperwork and they looked like kids that had their ball taken away when they walked back.
John

Obviously your 135 inspection went well cause they couldn't find anything to write up that day. Not even a lowly airplane pilot going somewhere for a bike ride.
 
Obviously your 135 inspection went well cause they couldn't find anything to write up that day. Not even a lowly airplane pilot going somewhere for a bike ride.

Yeah, we were just fine. They were actually pretty easy to get along with, and for the years I was there, any gripes they had were mostly legit. I'm still personal friends with my old PMI from there.
John
 
Yeah, we were just fine. They were actually pretty easy to get along with, and for the years I was there, any gripes they had were mostly legit. I'm still personal friends with my old PMI from there.
John

Which is the way it should be, nice.
 
I intend to build in hardpoints for carrying things under the wing. Being my plane has a single strut I feel it best to mount to the spars.
For my own bicycles I think I need to make the front bracket to hold the handlebars with the bike upright. This mostly due to the hydraulic discs which do not like being upside down with any motion involved.
 
Yeah, it's Bill. I think the quality of PMI's has gone down everywhere. I attribute a lot of that to the fact that the older ones were also actual mechanics that had worked in the field. Seems most of the ones now have an A&P and not much to back it up with. I enjoyed the times I could call and get good advice or opinions.
John
 
I think its nation wide. My PMI told me that if I had a customer that didnt want to fix their airplane and not give me the logs to call him and he would give them a stern talking to. Yeah like that would not cause me to lose every customer I have... he never worked for customers, only an Air Force Aero Club and Air Force time... never worked with actual paying customers who wanted everything for nothing. Finding balance with customers and complying with the regs is a dance that I find is hard to do with some of the cheap customers I have had.
 
Speaking of bikes: I lost a crane float on a 3 hour drive to a job the other day (the steel attach transport bracket broke near a past weld, the metal appeared to have crystallized) and as the float costs $1500.00, I thought it'd be worth spending a day looking for it. I took the fat E bike also, as I wanted to access a site I had hit a rock with my tailwheel a few days prior. Airborne, all tires off the ground, on a close looksee, saw it too late and I was too low, and it pretty much took out my Matco tailwheel and tweaked some attach bolts. Not a "normal" impact, not up, but sideways, and as I had gotten 2600 hours on that tailwheel, rather then replace the parts (most of them) I bought new, also as a lesson to myself to look harder.

I thought I could access the area on the fat bike pretty easily, not so, too tall of brush and too steep, the dirt road I thought I could use didn't go there. I wanted to find the rock (pretty sure it took a beating and would have been findable) and take it home for my wall of shame. Never did make it up there, I'll have to land to find that rock, hopefully after I land not during. But the bike was a real handy mode of transport all in all.
 
I saw this the other day as I was traveling. The tires were taken off the bike and tied to the struts one on each side same position. Talked to the guy about how it handled. Owner said that he didn’t see or feel any differently flying. Put the frame inside cabin with the back of rear seat out.
90EA836E-9C0A-4A06-9EF3-2F6FDB8F7FBC.jpg0E94A979-BAFE-4E86-BF76-99C80A68F0EC.jpg
 

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Did the pilot also say his uncovered gear (if he had any, don't know) didn't make any difference?! Looks doable for sure, just draggy, also for sure. But dealing with the chain and derailleur on that rear tire would be a PITA. Nothing I'd want to do multiple times a day anyway. I am of course predisposed to be picky about how others are "carrying", as my Montague is totally inside and is rideable in less then 3 minutes, even with the added complexities of it being an E bike. But those pics does make me think about hauling my E fattie occasionally as it is really my preferred major trail ride bike.

Yesterdays ride, 22 miles in total, in sequence. I never did find my crane float, but had fun anyway. Way too windy to fly, makes bike riding more fun too.
 
However one manages it....carrying a bike with a plane is a good thing.
 

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He says that the landing Gear is uncovered, the complete bike can fit inside the cabin with the tires off, the chain to the derailleur is easy to assemble with out much work, just slides right into place.
But if he needs extra space for inside the plane he could always mount the tires on the struts. FOR the rest that seems to need to go inside, Ill talk to him about the possibility of going outside, somewhere.
 
I’m thinking about one of these. Might almost fit in the back. 37lbs. Not sure I want to haul a big lithium battery around.
601D730F-0E51-447C-9EA6-FE6A000A4A33.jpg Folded size 26x15.6x23.6 PS I know nothing about this bike. It was just a random google search.
 

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For a QUALITY small folding ebike, with Panasonic or Samsung cells and a proper BMS, and all other things E bike, Luna Cycle has been my go to place for years now. Cheap no name crap like the bike you show, is what can give E bikes a bad name! I wouldn't fly with that.....
 
For a QUALITY small folding ebike, with Panasonic or Samsung cells and a proper BMS, and all other things E bike, Luna Cycle has been my go to place for years now. Cheap no name crap like the bike you show, is what can give E bikes a bad name! I wouldn't fly with that.....
I’m going to edit my post with a disclaimer that this was just a random search for ebike and not an endorsement.
 
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