Tail Wheel Modification's

[skippydiesel]

Wow! talk about a slow wet day (NSW) 

 

My Sonex Legacy "lives" on a grass airfield field.

Rain soaked ground impacts differently on all the aircraft at the field. Some, with big tyres, hardly seem to be affected - Opps only being cancelled to reduce surface damage.

Others, with more in proportion tyres, must wait for firmer ground before venturing forth.
My little tailwheel Sonex needs to have no soft patches at all, before I can easily taxi/TO/Land

The 4" API solid tyre tailwheel cuts a furrow, on all but the hardest (dry) ground, making taxying a challenge and doing damage to the airfield surface.

I am considering changing to a 6" API solid or a  Peter Anson pneumatic wheel, in the hope that it would provide better "flotation" & less rolling resistance, enabling me to get back into the air much sooner, after rain.

I hope the Forum Brains Trust will debate the pros/cons of making the above change.

Edited May 11 by skippydiesel

[Marty_d]

Why are tailwheels solid - is it just the size?  I would have thought a pneumatic with lower tyre pressure would prevent this.

Disclaimer - I know nothing about taildraggers.

[tillmanr]

I replaced a solid rubber tail wheel on a Kitfox with a 6" pneumatic and it made a huge difference to the noise level and was a bit more comfortable.

Watch the difference in weight. They can get punctures easily if you are landing on spikey/burr laden  grass strips.

[facthunter]

When mine decided to shimmy I had to lift the tailwheel up..   Nev

[skippydiesel]

13 minutes ago, tillmanr said:

I replaced a solid rubber tail wheel on a Kitfox with a 6" pneumatic and it made a huge difference to the noise level and was a bit more comfortable.

Watch the difference in weight. They can get punctures easily if you are landing on spikey/burr laden  grass strips.

Agreed!

 

Weight - Peter Anson claims a lower weight for his pneumatic 6" compared with the API 4" and better again over the  6" API. My Sonex cruises with some up elevator (down force) so a heavier tail may reduce the need for elevator, possible small improvement in aerodynamic efficiency??

 

Noise - I don't realy notice much noise on grass, diffrent story on sealed runway.

 

Puncture - Yep! definitely not a problem for solid tyres.

[skippydiesel]

3 minutes ago, facthunter said:

When mine decided to shimmy I had to lift the tailwheel up..   Nev

Have yet to experince shimmy - I would guess more likely on sealed surface???

[facthunter]

It was at Corryong. I think it's sealed. Involved with the castor setting. . (On the Citabria I had). Wrecked the tyre in no time.   Nev

[LoonyBob]

2 seat Thrusters have been fitted with a wide range of tailwheels, over the years (from factory and otherwise!). Larger diameter helps hop over tussocks, pneumatic helps a lot with soft surfaces, getting carried away and reducing the ground angle makes for less pleasant landings (& often faster/longer, too).

 

I only use solid tailwheels if the aircraft needs the ballast...