I've got a chance to get them for the 140. I've never flown an airplane with "crosswind gear", never even seen a set in fact, so I assume they were a good idea that didn't work in reality.
But, I like novelty type of things and am considering getting them just for the heck of it. Are they evil things only good for hanging on the wall? Or are they just simply no advantage to them and they are heavy and complicated, so why have them?
Any old timers out there actually flown them? I had a buddy test pilot that worked at the test activity at Ft Rucker with me that said one time he liked them, but I also know that back in the 60's, I guess it was that L-19's were considered expendable. You wouldn't get in trouble unless you bent several.
Should I get them and try them out for fun? Or should I run away and hide?

Are they similar to the Goodyear Crosswind gear? This old timer has flown those, and they were kinda weird, although I only put them to the test due to poor directional control, not necessarily a stiff crosswind. Kind of like rallying a car on a dirt road.

if they are like the goodyears they can save you from a ground loop but if you land on roads or narow strips they are really easy to go in the ditch . the real problem is they are really high matenence and parts are no longer readily available. I have a set of gooyears up stairs in my hangar that nowone seems to want there not going on my plane anyhow.if you really want a 140 to be easy to land in a crosswind trade it off on a 150 thats exactly what the cessna engineers did.

ccurrie wrote: I have a set of gooyears up stairs in my hangar that nowone seems to want

Me too. You're probably quite familiar with them

I'm not trying to make the 140 easier to land. It's the easiest to land taildragger I've flown.
My 140 is my toy airplane. It's the airplane I fly when I don't have anywhere to go, and I'm not in any hurry to get there. It's going to be my kids when he get's old enough. I've got a Maule that I fly when I need to get in and out short and access to a 210 when I'm in a hurry. It's just the thought of landing and rolling out in a crab angle like an old BUFF sounds entertaining and who knows, maybe a conversation starter at fly-ins?
I was just wondering if the things were dangerous or had some really bad quirks or something.
Do both of you have crosswind gear lying around?

..here is another way to look cool at the fly-in's. I have a set of tandem gear, that replace the single wheels. They might make the cross winds interesting, but you sure can take the bumps good. JG

patrol guy wrote:..here is another way to look cool at the fly-in's. I have a set of tandem gear, that replace the single wheels. They might make the cross winds interesting, but you sure can take the bumps good. JG

I think I've seen something like that years ago on a Cub. I don't believe it's on the little Cessna's TC though.

Zane and my gear came off the same plane they are not dangerous except the goodyears could loose the brake rotor and cause a pileup if not maintaned properly.
They are a conversation piece it scares the shit out of your pasinger when you land crabed expecially if your pasinger is a pilot.
they still use that tandum gear on the sharkwatch supercubs in australia at least they did a few years agow mabe they have bushwheels now.

Taxiing is also hugely weird with x-wind gear. I wouldnt' go there, for all the reasons noted.

MTV

"Geiss safety gear" just might be a contradiction. Don't know about landing, but I've heard about more than one taxiing mishap when the x-wind gear kicked "out" when it shoulda stayed "in". If they were a good thing, we'd all be running them.
That tandem MLG arrangement is called "whittaker gear", also used on Birddogs. Google it up.

Eric