Hey Thats great news Phil. Please post a bunch of pictures. You have worked hard for a number of years. The day is coming. You will love it. Very gentle flyer. Bob
Phil, On my original Kawasaki 440 installation I used a single spring mount per the plans and it was located near the end of the canister and within 5 hours the header had cracked. I moved the mounting point to where the exhaust pipe balanced and I haven't had a problem since. I still used a single spring with a safety cable inside. I did the same thing when I switched to the Hirth 2704 engine and have had no problems. Your Max is looking good! Dick
Dick, Got your point. Decided to make adjustment relocating mounting point and canister a bit lower at about 45 deg. angle of plane axis. Technically, it has balance advantage due to -5" arm moment with the canister's forward position and I'm happy with it. I thank you, Dick!
Bob, Bruce thanks for kind words. It would be lot of fun..for me seems an accomplishment who dreamed most of a lifetime. I hope everything will be alright..i love building..then after those years passed..now I realized and thrilled on flying this scratchbuild. It would be lot of taxiing, I've flown Sprint II, Rans S12 But not with tail draggers. Our field elevation is 16 ft. MSL 2500' concrete runway (no grass but coconuts, LOL). Most likely take-off wt. somewhere 490 lbs. gross that 28hp@6350rpm adequate for the proposed flight. Hope everything will be fine.
Hey Phil If you have no tail wheel time, I would suggest you get some with an instructor. Tail draggers have a habit of swapping front and back. If you have the stock single rod to steer the tail wheel, change it to chains and springs like the big boys. As you put weight on and off the tail, it changes the steering. You can ask skyblazer what happens. They say these plane are too squirly to fly off pavement. They handle much better than my chief. Bit not with that single rod. Me and skyblazer always flew off pavement. Skyblazer had serious problems till he changed his. I had chains and springs from the beginning and never had any handling problems. There was one fellow on here that was terrorized to fly off pavement. It took me a long time to convince him. Then when it worked he told everybody how good his idea was, LOL. At least he fixed his plane. Bob
Bob, I remember as student license holder way back 1973, that we're entitled to be trained on three types..a Piper Cub L4, C-150 & C-172. Got the C150 rating on my PPL. If only I have known...I should have taken that Cub, LOL. No way I could have tailwheel endorsement in our place but a friend retired airline pilot were trained on a Cub and plenty of DC3 time in his belt suggest with handling tips to take lessons personally I think I can handle. He offered to test fly too. Thanks for the heads up. This tailwheel assembly was my first fabricated part before other materials ordered. 3-1/2 casterwheel, hope this will work fine. In five years and hundreds of flight I never had a single ground loop on my quarter scale miniMAX. Wish me luck not to break record on full-sized, LOL.
Hey Kieth No, the rod is not on the same plane as the pivot point of the wheel. As you add weight to the tail the tail wheel spring flexes and the rod pushes the wheel to the right. You in turn push left rudder, when the tail comes up, the plane shoots the the left because you have left rudder in to steer the plane straight. As you normally taxie the plane, any changes in the elevator position changes the load on the tail wheel spring. You end constantly making corrections. This could cause some serious problems at take off or landing speed. Anyone with a single rod having problems taxiing on pavement should modify it for 2 chains and springs. This little plane will taxie as straight as can be with a standard tail wheel steering setup. They are light enough so when you put in some rudder pressure it turns right then and goes exactly where you want it to go. My chief is a lot harder to taxie compared to a minimax. It is a standard tail dragger, LOL. I know there might b some out there that will want to argue the point, so b it. Been there done that and fixed it!!! Bob
Hey Phil There was one fellow on here that was terrorized to fly off pavement. It took me a long time to convince him. Then when it worked he told everybody how good his idea was, LOL. At least he fixed his plane. Bob
Hey Bob I agree the two spring tailwheel assembly is perfect for our small tail draggers. Luckily, you've got ONLY one fellow seems being terrorized in your place..here, we have plenty of them especially during election campaign.LOL.
Learning to fly a taildragger without instruction is not that hard...I never had any. It’s a matter of developing a reaction with the rudder pedals without thinking about what to do. Always start with the wind down the runway then taxi at a slow speed while reacting to any yaw. At first you will think about any correction but will soon stop thinking about it and start reacting by what you see. After you are comfortable at slow speed increase the speed and practice at that level until you have complete control of the aircraft. This will take some time but you will be surprised at how quick you pick it up. I would not try crosswinds until you are in total control and comfortable with your skills. Of course if an instructor is available consult him.
Learning to fly a taildragger without instruction is not that hard...I never had any. It’s a matter of developing a reaction with the rudder pedals without thinking about what to do. Always start with the wind down the runway then taxi at a slow speed while reacting to any yaw. At first you will think about any correction but will soon stop thinking about it and start reacting by what you see. After you are comfortable at slow speed increase the speed and practice at that level until you have complete control of the aircraft. This will take some time but you will be surprised at how quick you pick it up. I would not try crosswinds until you are in total control and comfortable with your skills. Of course if an instructor is available consult him.
Monte
Monte Good point is the downwind taxiing to start with. I was thinking the best is during calm condition. Looking at far end of the runway at one point might helped concentrate of senses needed. Until subconciously we're just like riding bicycle in straight line while kicking rudder pedals. Does it make sense? LOL. Phil
Most of the aircraft we fly have a cross wind limitation. If you are on final and do not have enough rudder authority to keep the nose aligned with the runway you will have a problem at touchdown. The wheels will touchdown at an angle to the runway and will pitch the aircraft toward the wind and will ground loop especially on asphalt. Grass is more forgiving. My limit on cross wind landings is approx 20 mph. I alway watch the weather forecast before takeoff and will abandon my flight it is questionable. I fly for fun not a flight for survival.
When you're practising taxiing in any sort of crosswind, be careful of adverse yaw if you make aileron inputs. The full-span down aileron will tend to pull you to that side, which is the opposite effect to what you wanted if you are trying to hold the into wind wing down with the aileron.
actually the adverse yaw will help you if you put the stick towards the wind. The airplane will try to weather vane into the wind the adverse yaw will help counter that.
actually the adverse yaw will help you if you put the stick towards the wind. The airplane will try to weather vane into the wind the adverse yaw will help counter that.
I don't believe the stick position has any input on the "weathervane" effect. Weathervaning is inherent in the design, and comes from there being greater vertical surface area behind the wheels than ahead, so that the plane will try to slew round into wind.
But perhaps I worded my last post poorly. What I was trying to warn against is the automatic tendency to move the stick to point in the direction you want to turn (just as you do in flight). My point is, that in doing this below flying speed, the plane will actually turn in the opposite direction to that which you pointed the stick to, because the downgoing aileron makes more drag than the upgoing one. Which of course is why you need to use the rudder to make a co-ordinated turn, but that's a separate issue. . .
I don't believe the stick position has any input on the "weathervane" effect. Weathervaning is inherent in the design, and comes from there being greater vertical surface area behind the wheels than ahead, so that the plane will try to slew round into wind.
I didn't say it had an effect on weathervaning. that force is a product of design. putting the stick or ailerons into the wind will create another force called adverse yaw that will help counter the force of weathervaning.
I don't believe the stick position has any input on the "weathervane" effect. Weathervaning is inherent in the design, and comes from there being greater vertical surface area behind the wheels than ahead, so that the plane will try to slew round into wind.
I didn't say it had an effect on weathervaning. that force is a product of design. putting the stick or ailerons into the wind will create another force called adverse yaw that will help counter the force of weathervaning.
In my understanding, a corrected weathervaning due to crosswind component with ailerons stick into the wind to keep upwind wing panel side with pressure downward. The crosswind's 'downwind' panel side with aileron adverse yaw force effect will helped directional path/track as a counterforce inherited. I think this is logical.
Receipt from Philippine Civil Aviation Authority with corresponding registration number marked that awaits inspection. So obviously decomissioning is a must. I hate to say goodbye on my previous squadron😅.
After all though years of dreaming I finally made the maiden and final flight on my beloved miniMAX. The reason that over time passed regulation here in our country made recreational flying expensive. I have no regrets or whatsoever since every moment experienced on building, longing and happiness achieved is priceless. To wit: Got personal hand-built aircraft for life. Personally flight tested made as my first taildragger Take off/ forced landing. (for me nothing to proved anymore) My statement here includes an acknowledgement to all buzzards support that lonebuzzard like me enjoyed a cyber life worth living.
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