What do all you guys think of converting my RV4 to tricycle gear?
I have been told to wheel land it at 80 MPH.
That is a field length penalty and a much worse crash if you screw
up.
As I understand it they are dangerous in cross wind landings. I have
a friend with one that refuses to fly under sever cross wind
conditions.
Paul Lamar
It's not the beginning of April already is it ?
JohnNo john I am serious. I have already spent $1000 with some jerk up
in Oregon trying to teach me to wheel land at 80 MPH.
Actually most of the time was spent doing 360's just under the
overcast and just above the trees like I needed to do that :)
When a tail wheel airplane first touches a paved runway with any
cross wind component at all the side force is ahead of the CG and by
any definition that is severe instability.
Tails wheels were designed back in the days when dirt air fields were
2 miles square and you could always land into the wind. Also the
coefficient of friction of rubber tires on dirt or grass is much
less than on pavement.
I don't want to be put in position of either running out of gas or
landing in a cross wind with a tail wheel.
Paul Lamar
Hi, you might want to look at my take on tail draggers:
http://www.eaa.org/experimenter/articles/2010-11_bass.asp
Murry I. RozanskyMurry is talking about taxiing here. Not touching
down with a tail
dragger.
Apples and oranges.
Paul Lamar
If the main wheels are free to caster on touch down there is no side
force in front of the cg to cause a ground loop. Land in a crab, wing down
if you like. Probably better to three point rather than wheel land. A
fixed tail wheel acts like the vertical fin behind the cg to give
directional stability on the ground just like a car or motorcycle.
Steering the castering main wheels is for control while taxiing, I'm not
sure dif braking would give enough control on sloped ground.
Murry I.Rozansky
I am not going to caster the main wheels. Sounds heavy :)
Paul Lamar
Spring main gear are not really suitable to my idea as they are dependent
on side to side scrubbing for spring dampening. Telescopic main gear legs
would be ideal, like a pair of nose gear legs from a Cessna. I'd like to
build a little cart to try the different configurations. What do you think
of Beringer's tail wheel? It would help quite a bit.
Murry I. Rozansky
I don't see it as any different than any other locking tail wheel like
the Raven.
What would be nice is a device that would allow a full lock
or a steerable tail wheel like the stock RV4.
Paul Lamar
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