 |
Matronics Email Lists
Web Forum Interface to the Matronics Email Lists
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Nic(at)skyhi.flyer.co.uk
Guest
|
 Posted: Fri May 12, 2006 2:56 am Post subject: Tail Wheel Woes ... |
 |
|
Ron,
Same problem here with the tailwheel doing it's own merry dance, which very
very nearly spoilt my day with a strong cross-wind and severely reduced
directional control .
The woodruff key was stuck in. Just shows how a ten pence item can cause
chaos - I think with an item of this nature which has a history of going
wrong - there should be a design or parts change or perhaps just better
manufacturing QC.
I have ordered a new tailwheel from Doug Bell, and I am hopeful that this
problem will be a thing of the past, and in the meantime it is a priority
part of my pre-flight.
Rgds, Nic
| Quote: | I had an incident last week that really got my attention. Upon landing,
when I lowered my RV-8's tail wheel to the runway the tail popped back
up suddenly and when it came down again the airplane made a sudden
20-degree left turn off the runway .......
|
| | - The Matronics RV-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
dan(at)rvproject.com
Guest
|
| Posted: Fri May 12, 2006 5:36 am Post subject: Tail Wheel Woes ... |
|
|
| Quote: | The woodruff key was stuck in. Just shows how a ten pence item can cause
chaos - I think with an item of this nature which has a history of going
wrong - there should be a design or parts change or perhaps just better
manufacturing QC.
I have ordered a new tailwheel from Doug Bell, and I am hopeful that this
problem will be a thing of the past, and in the meantime it is a priority
part of my pre-flight.
|
Nic,
The problem you saw would have occurred with Doug Bell's tailwheel fork as
well -- and while Doug's tailwheel fork is very nice (I have one), it's not
a cure-all. It has the identical key/shaft design as Van's fork...in fact
you use Van's key with it.
We ought to do "regular maintenance" on our tailwheels regardless of
tailwheel/fork type. FWIW, I completely disassemble, clean, rebuild, and
lube my tailwheel/fork every 75-100 hours or so, with at least one interim
lube through the zerk fitting (more often if I've taxied through puddles or
flown through rain). The key gets particular attention and I usually do
have to smooth out the burrs that are forming, even if it hadn't caused a
problem yet. If you pay close attention you can "feel" the symptom coming
on over time and avoid it.
That said, imho all taildragger pilots need to be prepared for the scenario
where they have no tailwheel steering on landing. The plane flies just
fine, and you should have rudder authority down to a speed at which
differential braking is used (yet another reason to keep your brakes in
tip-top shape). This may sound funny, but if the key ever sticks and you
lose steering, my 2 cents is to *take advantage* of that opportunity to
practice handling it -- before you fix it. Maybe not a takeoff/landing if
you're not confident about that, but at least taxi around a bit and get the
feel for using only rudder & brakes. That way you're better prepared if and
when it bites you.
)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D (901 hours)
http://www.rvproject.com
| | - The Matronics RV-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
Get Email Distribution Too!
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
