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Suspension options for certified PA-18?

n07rosman

n07rosman

PATRON
Greeley, CO
Are AOSS the only suspension option for certified Super Cub? How do they compare to others such as Shock Monster?
 
I have AOSS on my cub. This year in Alaska a stock bungee cub SPANKED myself and every other whatever gear cub in Alaska several times!! It is not the gear it is the pilot! You can wait for years for the STC or just get the AOSS!! I love my AOSS and would buy it again because it is that night and day!!! Hands down certified cub AOSS is the KING!!!! Unless you are some dammm young stick with skills (not that I have Issues)!!!
DENNY
 
Bungees or AOSS are the only currently certified shock systems for the Super Cub. AOSS are virtually maintenance free over all the years I have been installing and maintaining Cubs. Acme is working on an STC, Tony at Shock Monster told me he would never certify. Both need periodic servicing which means the weight cannot be on the gear. Long thread with lots of info and opinions. https://www.supercub.org/forum/showthread.php?58267-TK1-vs-Acme-Aero-(SEP-2020)
 
Thanks everyone for the good information.

WRT "Good stick bad stick thing"...I did about 12 landings today. 4 were greasers...the rest were not. :)
 
I have standard bungee gear on my CubCrafters FX-3. The $3,500 it would cost me to change to Acme will likely be put towards of an LPV capable IFR GPS. I can learn to land but I can't change IMC to VMC.
 
Kevin
I am going with 3 inch gear and ACME shocks. Tempted to go 6 inch but don't want something that is a pain to load passengers and cargo in. I am still on the fence when it comes to tire size. I have a new set of 35 in Bushwheels and a set of 31 inch Desser tires on Grove 10 inch rims that I got 4 years ago and am still waiting for the STC that was due in July of that year!! Word of caution for anyone waiting for the STC to be "Done this summer" Just buy the certified stuff by the time the STC gets done it will be time to replace it anyway.
DENNY
 
After a bit of thought about the learning to land comments...I am hoping to gain a smoother ride on rough runways too. Do the AOSS help with that too...Or do the bush tires absorb most of that?
 
Yes and Yes. With AOSS the tires just seem to stick and follow the ground. Bushwheels help smooth out stuff a lot depending on pressure. A lot of it is pilot technique. The old 3 point keep the stick in your gut works but until you slow down some your wings are still creating a lot of lift and allowing the gear tires to bounce, not to mention that tailwheel getting beat up. Keeping the tail up will kill lift from the wings and help load the tires/gear. This helps with the bouncing/braking. Once the firewall go's past vertical now we are in the range that hard braking can induce a prop strike so it is indeed a balancing act. If you are just learning how to fly tailwheel aircraft Bungees are just fine and they will point out bad landings/technique, which is what you want. If the plane is just being built get the AOSS, but if you have bungees use then to improve your skills once you are smooth upgrade when they need to be changed. I will drift to a Pacer story. My first plane was a Pacer, stock gear, big wing, full dash, tired 150 hp, 26 in Good years. I bought it before I had any training and did all my training in it. Most every landing was 2-3 bounces I am sure the boys in the hanger took bets on how long before I bent it. Well after about 150 hours and 800 landings I made myself land on tar whenever possible because it forced me to be good with my feet. Still bounced a bit and worked every landing but it really helped. A bit after that I got some 29 in Bushwheel and MAN was that a game changer! Run them low and I looked smoooooth. One of my friends told me how much better I had gotten. My reply was I still kind of sucked (I could tell from the pilots seat ) but the Bushwheels made up for a lot of mistakes and looked good from the ground. So I guess what I am trying to say is the newer gear/tires will usually make a bad pilot look good. However it will not save a plane from being wrecked by a bad pilot. Learn good pilot skills first, then learn to look good. DENNY
 
Thanks for the information. My progression has been pretty much like you said above. I have about 50 hours in my Cub and about 90 hours total tailwheel. Still doing a lot of touch and gos on my home airstrip on a paved runway. The cub has stock bungees and 8.5-6 tires.
 
n07rosman said:
Thanks for the information. My progression has been pretty much like you said above. I have about 50 hours in my Cub and about 90 hours total tailwheel. Still doing a lot of touch and gos on my home airstrip on a paved runway. The cub has stock bungees and 8.5-6 tires.
Click to expand...

Learn on those bungees and tires. You will learn more and get better at directional control and approaches. I have 31s with the air pressure so low I can barely push it and AOSS shock struts and I have to relearn how to land when I fly a stock Cub.
 
One thing that helped me a lot was watching video of my landings. Makes it kind of hard to lie to yourself on how the landing went. Winter is just around the corner if you post them here we could pontificate on the snow days.
DENNY
 
Last I spoke to Acme, drop testing for the Gen III shocks was supposed to wrap up the week after Osh. That was the final part of what they had to prove and provide. After that, they told me the ball was in the FAA's court for final ppwk/approval, etc. Anyone heard anything?

My deposit is in and (somewhat) patiently waiting..
 
Tgskillskill said:
Last I spoke to Acme, drop testing for the Gen III shocks was supposed to wrap up the week after Osh. That was the final part of what they had to prove and provide. After that, they told me the ball was in the FAA's court for final ppwk/approval, etc. Anyone heard anything?

My deposit is in and (somewhat) patiently waiting..
Click to expand...

Anyone asked Acme recently what the STC status is? I last communicated with them on 6 October, where they mentioned drop testing wrapping up that following week.. Then in the FAA's hands.
 
We can do this kind of like the weight on a new build name a date and see who is closest at the time of first STC sold. I will call 1 February 2024.
DENNY
 
We can probably make that happen, let me know next time you are coming up. Mine has a few less NASCAR mods than that last one you flew up here.:lol:
DENNY
 
Acme is to AOSS what AOSS was to bungees. That being said, AOSS is maintenance free. It is polymer and I have not had an issue with it although I do know one aircraft that something was coming out of the AOSS and the shop sent them back to Burl. He told me the aircraft had been operated way over gross and the insides were wearing metal on metal. I have never had any issues. I do maintain a lot of airplanes with Acme shocks and they need the weight removed and to be serviced with nitrogen and a sealed fill valve. The nitrogen chamber is very small and just checking the pressure by conventional means will lower the pressure considerably.
 
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