Page 4 N-Tech Jets F-9F Panther Assembly Guide
Nose Gear and Gear Door Installation
Nose Gear Installation
-The nose strut rotates in the gear. Use the two set
screws to hold it as tightly as possible without bind-
ing. Apply oil to the rotating shaft. Then use blue
thread-lock to hold the set screws in place. Be careful
to NOT get any into the moving parts!
Note the wire spring holds the strut centered.
-Install the horns on the strut, file off any excess
-Install lengths of air line onto the retract before in-
stallation.
-The nose gear is positioned 1 /38” back from the
opening. Just like the main gear, make 3/32” pilot
holes and then use the cap head wood screws to
mount the gear.
-Adjust the beams to fit the horns. They are wider
than the opening between the mounting beams so
some beam material will need to be removed.
-Install wheel on axle with spacers and e-clips
Gear Door Installation
-The gear doors have 2 hinges each. The hinges are
positioned into the blocks in the fuselage. The fuse-
lage and doors will need to be notched to clear the
hinge. Leave a 1/16” gap between the doors when
they are closed.
-Install small “stops” in the center of the geardoor
opening. This is a stopper to give the gear door “mid-
dle” something to rest against when closed. Use 1/4”
square scrap balsa or similar. The stopper is recessed
below the surface of the fuselage, matching the thick-
ness of the door.
-The gear doors are actuated by a wood arm that is
pressed into position by the nose gear. From the arm,
there is a wire form that is connected to horns you
glue onto the gear door. The wire is connected to the
horns with adjustable connectors, thus allowing the
wire length to be adjusted.
-The wood arm actuator is attached to the cen-
ter bulkhead with a metal flat hinge. The hinge is
screwed to the wood arm and glued into a slot in the
bulkhead.
-Once in position, trial fit the movement by manual
pulling the landing gear closed. The wheel hits the
wood arm and should pull the gear doors closed
against the stoppers. Adjust the wire with the adjust-
able connectors until the gear doors close properly
and cut off any excess wire.
