At Sun 'n Fun this past April, a misunderstanding was brought to light regarding Larry Neal's "G-Force" landing gear vs. Carter "Smart Struts". We have tried since that time to clarify the difference. The most recent effort appeared in "Letters" on page 2 of the November 2004 issue of Kitplanes magazine. It is copied below in its entirety.

Thanks for including the article and photo of Larry Neal's Monarch gyroplane in the Sun 'n Fun staff report in the August issue. The G-Force landing gear on the Monarch is Larry's design--not Carter Aviation Technologies' as stated in the article. The confusion stems from the fact that Larry's gear incorporates Carter hydraulic Smart Struts with a 16-inch stroke that Carter designed for the Monarch.

Larry's G-Force gear with Carter Smart Struts has been tested to 3600 pounds and 6 G of impact without failure. The Monarch should be able to absorb 1000-fpm vertical impacts without hurting the pilot or damaging the aircraft. During the first half-inch of stroke, a smart mechanical valve determines the total force that needs to be dissipated and then decelerates the aircraft at a constant G over the remaining stroke so that no energy remains at the bottom--thus no rebound.

The CarterCopter Technology Demonstrator has used Smart Struts with an 18-inch stroke since its first flight in September '98. Its gear is designed to absorb 1200-fpm vertical impacts and has proven itself many times during flight tests.

Both of the above designs are made to work during compression--although the same technology can be made to work equally as well in extension. Smart Struts can probably be made to work on most landing gear systems.

Rod Anderson, VP Marketing
Carter Aviation Technologies