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Hi Woody,

The device you are referring to is the dashpot.  If it's operating properly, it will keep the landing gear from free-falling and banging into the down-stop.  The original packing used in the dashpots was notorious for leaking and losing all of the oil.  This item is missing from a lot of planes because the owners simply took them off.  It's pretty easy to just let the retract wheel slide through your hand to damp the dropping gear. 

Even it you have a good dashpot, you must still relieve the pressure on the uplock pawl by raising the gear a little, before moving the lever to let it down.  After the gear is down, you may have to move it to the full-down position in order to line up the locking pins with the holes. 

When you're assembling the plane you'll probably get plenty of practice with the plane on jacks. 

Bill

Have you checked out your Certificate of Airworthiness?  Prior to about 1956, the FAA issued a new C of A at the annual inspection each year.  At that point they transitioned to having IA's do the inspections and made the C of A's a permanent document.  When this program was first implemented, the existing form ACA-1362 was modified by crossing out the word EXPIRE and adding the wording "REMAIN IN EFFECT AS LONG AS THE AIRCRAFT IS MAINTAINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PART 43".   This form is no longer legal.  Your FSDO will exchange it for the current form 8100-2.  I've placed an example on the Culver Cadet home page.

The problem comes when your form ACA-1362 C of A is missing.  The odds are really good that there is no evidence that the modified form ACA-1362 was ever issued.  If you can't prove that the aircraft ever had a permanent C of A issued, the FAA wil require a new Conformity Inspection and Application for Airworthiness.  Depending on the workload of your local FAA Inspector, you may have to pay to have an FAA Designee do the work.

If anyone has an issue with their C of A, give me a call and I'll relate my experiences. 

Hi Woody,  Here's a link to the Sensenich Installation List for wooden propellers: http://www.sensenich.com/files/documents/Application_Guides_Certified_Wood_Aricraft_Propeller_Application_Guide_1324495270.pdf This guide doesn't list a model for the Cadet with a 90 HP Franklin, only the 80 HP model.  I believe that the W70AF-54 would be a good cruise prop for the Cadet with a 90 Franklin. 

I've been told by a prop manufacturer that all companies don't calculate the effective pitch the same way as Sensenich.  Be alert for this if you elect to use another brand.

I once had an LFA with an Aeromatic prop.  The crankshaft has to be cut off to mount the Aeromatic on a Franklin.  This setup didn't seem to help the performance at all.