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Geoffery de Havilland goes modern . . . sort of: Ben Cox and his DH.80A by Budd Davisson Photos by Phil High
Anne-Marie Liszczyk and Ben Cox
“So, what’s the really long lever by my right knee?” “It rotates the main landing gear strut lengthwise so it’s 90 degrees to the wind.” “Really?! Why would I want that?” “When Geoffery de Havilland flew the prototype, he found it
was so clean, he couldn’t get it into the field next to his parents’ house. All of his other designs were biplanes, but this one just wouldn’t slow down in flare as quickly. So, the rotated strut acts like a drag brake.” “Does it work?” “Yeah, it works great!” www.vintageaircraft.org
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