RC Plane Landing Gear Guide: Fixed, Tailwheel and Retracts

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Landing gear is the part of an RC plane that everybody ignores until the day the plane pulls hard left on the takeoff roll and stands on its nose. It is also the part where the catalog has changed the most: several retract units that older guides recommend are discontinued, and some warbirds they point to have left the shelves.

This page is built from manufacturer manuals, product pages and the FAA's flying handbook, checked in October 2026. It is not based on our own flying or building, so there are no field anecdotes. Where only forum lore exists for a claim, it was left out.

Three Gear Layouts, One Big Difference

Tricycle (nose gear). Two main wheels and a nose wheel, with the nose wheel steerable on most models. Most trainers use it, because the layout keeps the plane pointed forward on the roll.

Taildragger (tailwheel). Two main wheels forward and a small wheel at the tail. Scale warbirds and vintage designs often use it, and it is the layout that needs rudder attention on the ground.

Retractable. Either of the above, with the wheels folding into the wing or fuselage after takeoff. This is a scale feature that adds weight, wiring and failure points.

The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook explains the physics for full-scale airplanes, and the same geometry applies to models by analogy. In tailwheel airplanes the main gear sits slightly ahead of the center of gravity (CG), so the plane rests nose-high on the tailwheel. The FAA says that placement makes tailwheel aircraft inherently unstable on the ground. Once a turn starts, the airplane pivots on one main wheel, and with the CG behind that pivot, forward momentum continues and even tightens the turn. Releasing the rudder does not stop it; the pilot has to apply opposing input.

The handbook defines a ground loop as an uncontrolled turn during taxi, takeoff or the after-landing roll. It usually begins with a swerve that goes uncorrected for too long. Listed causes include side-load on landing, a taxi turn started with too much groundspeed, overcorrection, and uneven ground or a soft spot that retards one main wheel. It also notes that tailwheel airplanes weathervane into the wind more than nosewheel types, because they have more side area behind the main gear.

For a model, that translates into a plain rule of thumb: taildraggers reward early, small rudder corrections and a steerable tailwheel. Anyone new to flying should read the beginner's flying guide first, because ground handling is one of the quickest ways to learn rudder timing.

Fixed Gear Hardware

Landing gear legs

For sport and scale airplanes in the .35 to .60 class, or equivalent electrics, the Du-Bro Super Strength Landing Gear is a one-piece, glass-reinforced composite leg. Du-Bro says it absorbs landings without bending out of shape, weighs less than aluminum and can be painted. It measures approximately 14.5 in (368 mm) wide and 4.5 in (114 mm) high, and Horizon lists it in stock.

Search for the Du-Bro Super Strength Landing Gear on Amazon

For wire gear, Du-Bro makes nylon straps sized for 1/8 in (3 mm), 5/32 in (4 mm) and 3/16 in (4.7 mm) wire. A package holds 4 straps and 8 slotted sheet metal screws. If you form wire yourself, K&S sells a music wire assortment of 16 sizes from .015 to .281 in, in 3-ft lengths of spring-tempered, phosphate-coated wire with ASTM A228 certification.

Search for a K&S music wire assortment on Amazon

The gauge you need depends on the plane's weight and landing style. No maker publishes a universal chart, so the practical approach is to match the kit's own gear specification, or to ask the kit maker, rather than guess from a forum table.

Wire benders

Du-Bro's E/Z Bender forms Z-bends, L-bends and gear bends from 0 to 90 degrees with hardened steel dies. The #481 version covers wire from .062 to .093 in with two forming dies (.062-.072 in and .072-.093 in), and the #480 version covers .015 to .047 in. Du-Bro says it works with spring wire and music wire, but not with hardened wire above .062 in. Horizon lists the #481 in stock. For a deeper build workflow, see the build from scratch guide.

Search for the Du-Bro E/Z Bender on Amazon

Wheels

Du-Bro's Super Lite wheels use a closed-cell treaded foam tire on a nylon hub. The maker says they will not absorb water or go flat. They come in 1-3/4 in to 3 in diameters for electric aircraft, park flyers, foamies, slow flyers and lightweight gas models. The Super Lite XL line covers 4.0 in to 6.0 in. For narrow ARF axles, the Super Slim Lite wheels have a 3.0 mm (0.118 in) axle hole and are 16.4 mm (0.645 in) wide, at 8.8 grams each in the 2.75 in size and 10.2 grams each in the 3.00 in size.

Search for Du-Bro Super Lite wheels on Amazon

Match the axle diameter to the strut or retract before ordering. The foam versus rubber debate lives mostly on forums, so this guide leaves it at the maker's own descriptions.

Wheel pants

Wheel pants are mostly a scale detail. Hangar 9 sells them per model, for example a fiberglass set for the Ultra Stick 30cc (10.5 in long, 3 in high, 2 in wide) and a set for the J-3 Cub 10cc 82.5 in, both listed in stock. Hangar 9's Cub manual builds the pants onto brackets with a wheel collar, and tells the builder which steps to skip if pants are not fitted. If a plane operates from grass, check that the pant leaves room around the wheel.

Tailwheel Hardware

A steerable tailwheel linked to the rudder gives positive control on the ground. Three maker options:

The Sullivan bracket is on backorder at Horizon as of this check, which makes the Du-Bro semi-scale systems the easier option to buy right now. For scale retractable tailwheels, Robart's #121 (.60 size) and #122 (.40 size) are listed in stock. Horizon describes the #121 as a small unit for 5 to 10 lb airplanes, with spring centering, a steering mechanism, self-locking down and operation from a conventional servo or an air cylinder.

Search for the Du-Bro Semi-Scale Tailwheel System on Amazon

Electric Retracts: What the Manuals Specify

Electric retracts are self-contained: they run from the receiver and need no separate servos, air tank or linkage. E-flite's manuals are the best primary source, because they publish current draw, voltage and timing.

Details worth knowing from the manuals:

• Single channel. The 10-15 manual describes a 3-into-1 wire harness for the tricycle set and a 2-into-1 harness for mains, which plugs into the gear channel (or an auxiliary channel if the gear channel is occupied).
• Timing. All of these units cycle in about a second. At 6.0V the 10-15 unit takes 1 sec, and at 7.4V it takes 0.8 sec. Running the retract at a lower voltage slows it.
• Reversing. If the switch direction is wrong, use the transmitter's reversing function, and rebind a 2.4GHz system after setting the direction.
• Threadlock. The manual calls for threadlock on the axle setscrews and wheel collars, because vibration loosens them.
• Check the wheel wells. Before first operation, the manual says to confirm nothing obstructs the wheel wells.
• Steerable nose. The nose gear unit has a slot in the sliding steering arm to prevent the steering cable binding when retracted.

The weight classes are the maker's limits, not goals. A plane near the top of a class leaves less margin than one in the middle. The EFLG510's page and manual disagree on the kilogram conversion, so the pound range is the number to rely on.

Search for the E-flite 60-120 85-degree electric retracts on Amazon

The nose gear as the weak link

Forum threads blame nose gear retracts for most failures, and the logic is easy to follow: the nose unit sees steering and landing loads in several directions at once. This guide did not find a maker statement that quantifies that, so treat it as a reasonable caution rather than a published failure rate. Practical habits that follow from the manuals include checking the wheel wells, using threadlock on the axles, and keeping to the maker's voltage range.

Pneumatic Retracts: Mostly a Parts-and-Systems Story Now

Pneumatic retracts use compressed air from a small onboard tank. Here the catalog has changed the most. Horizon lists the Robart 615 pneumatic retracts, designed for .60 size aircraft up to 10 pounds, as discontinued, along with two larger Robart rotating retracts. At Robart's own site, nearly every retract unit page shows out of stock, and several are marked discontinued and "up for research purposes" only.

What is in stock at Robart are the system components:

All the tanks are aluminum with a steel cap and rated safe to 110 psi. The Large Variable Rate kit (#157VR) includes red and purple air line, retaining nuts, fittings, a variable-rate valve, a fill valve, a fill fitting and the large tank. Robart notes the operating valve needs about 1/4 in of pushrod travel and works with standard or mini servos. Its valves use double O-rings for what Robart calls lifetime lubrication, and the pages link a guide for troubleshooting air leaks.

So the practical position for 2026 is simple. If a kit or ARF you already own uses pneumatic retracts, parts and air systems are still available. If you are choosing a new airframe, electric retracts are what the catalogs actually stock. Other pneumatic retract makers exist, so check each maker's current listing for availability before you buy.

Search for a Robart pneumatic air kit on Amazon

Gear Doors and Sequencers

Scale gear doors need timing so the door opens before the strut moves and closes after it deploys. Horizon lists an E-flite Retract Gear Door Sequencer for the P-51D 1.5m Mustang in stock, and FMS 3-second and 6-second door sequencers on backorder. The E-flite pages carry no description, so check the instructions for what each unit supports before buying. Robart sells gear door hinges (#350) and a gear door valve (#174) for pneumatic systems, both in stock.

Models That Come With Retracts

Starting with a factory-installed system takes the integration risk out of a first retract experience. Horizon's current options, as of this check:

The older E-flite T-28 Trojan 1.2m, P-51D Mustang 1.2m and 1.5m Smart, Spitfire Mk XIV 1.2m and F4U-4 Corsair 1.2m listings are discontinued. A new P-51D 1.5m "Big Beautiful Doll" appears as preorder. For help choosing and flying a warbird, the WW2 scale warbird guide goes through the options.

Search for the E-flite Carbon-Z T-28 Trojan 2.0m on Amazon

Choosing a Gear Type

A few cautions follow from the sources. Do not retrofit retracts into an airframe that was not designed for a retract bay, because the sets above specify strut diameters, mounting hardware and a weight class. Do not run a retract below the manual's voltage range. Check the CG with the gear in its normal position, since Hangar 9's Cub manual has the pilot move the gear up with the radio before balancing. And remember that if a stabilization system manages your control channels, the flight controller guide explains how gear channels fit alongside it.

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