[Titanaircraft] Re: tail wheel pics

Hi Hugh:

I should have provided more information.... the picture of the tail wheel installation is in the photo album entitled "Larry Woods - modest Titan mods".

An added comment... Yes, one can ensure that the tail wheel does not contact the runway by carrying a bit of power, but there are obvious negatives to so doing. Added runway is required for one thing, and the touch down speed is likely to be higher than optimum. No aircraft is perfect and I really love the Titan Tornado but a slightly greater intersect angle between the boom tube and the fuselage chromoly steel frame might haver banished the tail wheel contact.

Like some others, I think the tail wheel is there for more than just dragging the Tornado around on the ground. The pictured tail wheel mount has a few interesting features. The machined base provides much greater contact area with the boom, thus spreading the load. It is also wider, to allow a wider tail wheel to be employed. The new tail wheel has a wider profile and proper bearings, which ensures that it spins up quickly, which reduces the shear forces when ground contact occurs. There have been no problems with it since it was installed.

Best,
Larry

--- In Titanaircraft@yahoogroups.com, Hugh Sontag <flying.hugh@...> wrote:
>
> Larry,
>
> If you attached pictures, they won't come through on the Yahoo list.
> You could post them to the web site. If you do, please let us know, I
> for one would like to see them.
>
> Hugh Sontag
>
> >Hi Greg:
> >
> >Re tail wheel mount.
> >
> >See pics of the tail wheel mount I machined. The weight difference
> >is negligible and it has been bulletproof. I machined it from a
> >chunk of scrap aluminum. The wheel was acquired from a local supply
> >house and was very inexpensive. It has proper bearings and is wider
> >than the standard tail wheel so it spins up quickly.
> >
> >There are times when prudence requires a slow speed approach (short
> >field), which means that the tail wheel will contact the ground.
> >
> >Best,
> >Larry
> >Best
> >Larry
> >
> >--- In
> ><mailto:Titanaircraft%40yahoogroups.com>Titanaircraft@yahoogroups.com,
> >"gregburcham18" <gregburcham18@> wrote:
> >>
> >> Could someone please give me an alternative to the tail wheel? My
> >>tail wheel is secured via 12 aluminum rivets per side which pops
> >>right off anytime it is even slightly bumped (sometimes I don't
> >>even know it is gone until I get out of the aircraft). I hate this
> >>thing!
> >>
> >> Any suggestions (mechanical, not flying skills) would be greatly
> >>appreciated.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >>
> >> Greg
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>

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