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installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence

Sam Hoskins
 

Looks good.

One little thing to keep in mind, as you raise the tail, the propeller gets closer to the ground.

Sam

On Mon, Jan 16, 2023, 2:29 PM Mike Steinsland <MIKESKUSTOMS@...> wrote:
So Guys,
Thanks a BIG BUNCH for your input!!
With your help in this thread and what I have found in other threads on this site, I'm feeling pretty confidant that I have set my tailwheel to give me a good ground AOA.

Just have to wrap it with glass where it meets the tail and tweek a few other things, then on to the next part.

I've added some pictures of my little journey and how I did it in my photo album

Cheers

Mike Steinsland
 

So Guys,
Thanks a BIG BUNCH for your input!!
With your help in this thread and what I have found in other threads on this site, I'm feeling pretty confidant that I have set my tailwheel to give me a good ground AOA.

Just have to wrap it with glass where it meets the tail and tweek a few other things, then on to the next part.

I've added some pictures of my little journey and how I did it in my photo album

Cheers
Jim Patillo
 

Thanks
Jay!

Jim P
Jay Scheevel
 

Jim,

 

Short answer: 7.8 degrees ground angle of attack when unloaded. My measurements were taken along the chord at BL50 on each side (left and right sides for both the wing and canard).

 

Since the tool measures the incidence angle at a number of points along the chord, the angle ends up being an average of those points (as compared to the WL on the original plans templates).

 

Your left and right canard vary by about 0.5 degree (left side has a higher angle), and together they average 6.76 degrees. Your main wing left and right are the same and average 8.8 degrees, so the average angle for the plane as a whole is 7.8 degrees, and your decalage is about +2 degrees.

 

If you have any questions, let me know.

 

Cheers,

Jay

 

From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> On Behalf Of Jim Patillo
Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2023 4:06 PM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence

 

Jay can you tell me what my angle of incidence was when you measured it. 


Jim
N46JP Q200
Jim Patillo
 

Jay can you tell me what my angle of incidence was when you measured it. 


Jim
N46JP Q200
Mike Steinsland
 

Thanks for saying that Jim


On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 6:10 p.m. Jim Patillo, <Logistics_engineering@...> wrote:
Sorry Mike but I couldn’t resist. Can I take it back🥲

I hope you now have all the info needed for the task at hand. You can see there’s s general consensus on how to arrive at the correct angle of incidence for the canard. It’s good to poll everyone to make sure you have a good understanding of how to go about it the best way. 

Jim
N46JP - Q200


From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> on behalf of Mike Steinsland <MIKESKUSTOMS@...>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 2:19:23 PM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io Group Moderators <main@q-list.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence
 
Ouch

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 12:03 p.m. Jim Patillo, <Logistics_engineering@...> wrote:
Hi Jay,

I covered how to install the tail wheel spring, tail wheel, and angle of attack in detail with Mike on December 12. He’s asking the same questions of you guys again and getting the same answers, go figure. 

Best
Jim
N46JP - Q200
From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> on behalf of Jay Scheevel <jay@...>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:16:17 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence
 

Hi Mike,

 

If the mains are on a level floor then you hoist the tailwheel to where you want it to get WL15 level. If you measure the vertical height from the floor to the bottom of the tailwheel. Lets call that measurement “Ztw”. Then you measure the horizontal distance from the “plumb point” below the center of the tailwheel to the centerpoint between the two main wheels (this point is below the centerline of the fuselage). Let’s call this distance “Xtmw”.  You can use the following formula to compute the ground angle “A”.

 

A = arctan( Ztw / Xtmw)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

Jay

From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Steinsland
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:18 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io Group Moderators <main@q-list.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence

 

I think what I am going to do is level the fuselage at WL15.

 

Because I have adjusted the angle of the tailwheel, resulting in the tailwheel being 3" lower, I'll set it at 24" to the floor rather than the 27 called for.

 

It sounds to me that the reflexor will work for correcting any minor angle variation.

 

Jay, I will contact you about pictures.

 

Can anyone tell me where to measure the AOA with the fuselage level at WL15 so that I can confirm I'm pretty close before I glue this spring in? 

 

Or is setting the wheel at the right height sufficient?

 

Thanks

 

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 9:54 a.m. Chris Walterson, <dkeats@...> wrote:

  Mike-------------  When I was building my Q200 Jay helped with my
angle of attack. I sent Jay some pictures of the airplane stance and he
found out I had the 7-8 degrees called for.  I had built my center
consol level with the water line so this is where I measured.

This was all called out for in the plans. Having done this there were no
surprises on initial takeoff other than having to crank in a bit of
aileron reflexor to achieve an angle of attack.

  I think if you don't have the 7-8 degrees you will have hard time
getting it to fly.

  With all this done, the Q200 is VERY easy to land. With proper
reflexor I can come close to three pointing every time.

  Take care--------------  Chris


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Jim Patillo
 

Sorry Mike but I couldn’t resist. Can I take it back🥲

I hope you now have all the info needed for the task at hand. You can see there’s s general consensus on how to arrive at the correct angle of incidence for the canard. It’s good to poll everyone to make sure you have a good understanding of how to go about it the best way. 

Jim
N46JP - Q200


From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> on behalf of Mike Steinsland <MIKESKUSTOMS@...>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 2:19:23 PM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io Group Moderators <main@q-list.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence
 
Ouch

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 12:03 p.m. Jim Patillo, <Logistics_engineering@...> wrote:
Hi Jay,

I covered how to install the tail wheel spring, tail wheel, and angle of attack in detail with Mike on December 12. He’s asking the same questions of you guys again and getting the same answers, go figure. 

Best
Jim
N46JP - Q200
From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> on behalf of Jay Scheevel <jay@...>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:16:17 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence
 

Hi Mike,

 

If the mains are on a level floor then you hoist the tailwheel to where you want it to get WL15 level. If you measure the vertical height from the floor to the bottom of the tailwheel. Lets call that measurement “Ztw”. Then you measure the horizontal distance from the “plumb point” below the center of the tailwheel to the centerpoint between the two main wheels (this point is below the centerline of the fuselage). Let’s call this distance “Xtmw”.  You can use the following formula to compute the ground angle “A”.

 

A = arctan( Ztw / Xtmw)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

Jay

From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Steinsland
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:18 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io Group Moderators <main@q-list.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence

 

I think what I am going to do is level the fuselage at WL15.

 

Because I have adjusted the angle of the tailwheel, resulting in the tailwheel being 3" lower, I'll set it at 24" to the floor rather than the 27 called for.

 

It sounds to me that the reflexor will work for correcting any minor angle variation.

 

Jay, I will contact you about pictures.

 

Can anyone tell me where to measure the AOA with the fuselage level at WL15 so that I can confirm I'm pretty close before I glue this spring in? 

 

Or is setting the wheel at the right height sufficient?

 

Thanks

 

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 9:54 a.m. Chris Walterson, <dkeats@...> wrote:

  Mike-------------  When I was building my Q200 Jay helped with my
angle of attack. I sent Jay some pictures of the airplane stance and he
found out I had the 7-8 degrees called for.  I had built my center
consol level with the water line so this is where I measured.

This was all called out for in the plans. Having done this there were no
surprises on initial takeoff other than having to crank in a bit of
aileron reflexor to achieve an angle of attack.

  I think if you don't have the 7-8 degrees you will have hard time
getting it to fly.

  With all this done, the Q200 is VERY easy to land. With proper
reflexor I can come close to three pointing every time.

  Take care--------------  Chris


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Chris Walterson
 

Mike-----------  You may also look at the center consol for level. Lots of us build it to level and then use that for reference. Your firewall should also be at 90 degrees to the waterline.  Have fun------------  Chris


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Mike Steinsland
 

Ouch


On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 12:03 p.m. Jim Patillo, <Logistics_engineering@...> wrote:
Hi Jay,

I covered how to install the tail wheel spring, tail wheel, and angle of attack in detail with Mike on December 12. He’s asking the same questions of you guys again and getting the same answers, go figure. 

Best
Jim
N46JP - Q200
From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> on behalf of Jay Scheevel <jay@...>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:16:17 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence
 

Hi Mike,

 

If the mains are on a level floor then you hoist the tailwheel to where you want it to get WL15 level. If you measure the vertical height from the floor to the bottom of the tailwheel. Lets call that measurement “Ztw”. Then you measure the horizontal distance from the “plumb point” below the center of the tailwheel to the centerpoint between the two main wheels (this point is below the centerline of the fuselage). Let’s call this distance “Xtmw”.  You can use the following formula to compute the ground angle “A”.

 

A = arctan( Ztw / Xtmw)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

Jay

From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Steinsland
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:18 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io Group Moderators <main@q-list.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence

 

I think what I am going to do is level the fuselage at WL15.

 

Because I have adjusted the angle of the tailwheel, resulting in the tailwheel being 3" lower, I'll set it at 24" to the floor rather than the 27 called for.

 

It sounds to me that the reflexor will work for correcting any minor angle variation.

 

Jay, I will contact you about pictures.

 

Can anyone tell me where to measure the AOA with the fuselage level at WL15 so that I can confirm I'm pretty close before I glue this spring in? 

 

Or is setting the wheel at the right height sufficient?

 

Thanks

 

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 9:54 a.m. Chris Walterson, <dkeats@...> wrote:

  Mike-------------  When I was building my Q200 Jay helped with my
angle of attack. I sent Jay some pictures of the airplane stance and he
found out I had the 7-8 degrees called for.  I had built my center
consol level with the water line so this is where I measured.

This was all called out for in the plans. Having done this there were no
surprises on initial takeoff other than having to crank in a bit of
aileron reflexor to achieve an angle of attack.

  I think if you don't have the 7-8 degrees you will have hard time
getting it to fly.

  With all this done, the Q200 is VERY easy to land. With proper
reflexor I can come close to three pointing every time.

  Take care--------------  Chris


--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com
Jim Patillo
 

Hi Jay,

I covered how to install the tail wheel spring, tail wheel, and angle of attack in detail with Mike on December 12. He’s asking the same questions of you guys again and getting the same answers, go figure. 

Best
Jim
N46JP - Q200

From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> on behalf of Jay Scheevel <jay@...>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:16:17 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence
 

Hi Mike,

 

If the mains are on a level floor then you hoist the tailwheel to where you want it to get WL15 level. If you measure the vertical height from the floor to the bottom of the tailwheel. Lets call that measurement “Ztw”. Then you measure the horizontal distance from the “plumb point” below the center of the tailwheel to the centerpoint between the two main wheels (this point is below the centerline of the fuselage). Let’s call this distance “Xtmw”.  You can use the following formula to compute the ground angle “A”.

 

A = arctan( Ztw / Xtmw)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

Jay

From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Steinsland
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:18 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io Group Moderators <main@q-list.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence

 

I think what I am going to do is level the fuselage at WL15.

 

Because I have adjusted the angle of the tailwheel, resulting in the tailwheel being 3" lower, I'll set it at 24" to the floor rather than the 27 called for.

 

It sounds to me that the reflexor will work for correcting any minor angle variation.

 

Jay, I will contact you about pictures.

 

Can anyone tell me where to measure the AOA with the fuselage level at WL15 so that I can confirm I'm pretty close before I glue this spring in? 

 

Or is setting the wheel at the right height sufficient?

 

Thanks

 

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 9:54 a.m. Chris Walterson, <dkeats@...> wrote:

  Mike-------------  When I was building my Q200 Jay helped with my
angle of attack. I sent Jay some pictures of the airplane stance and he
found out I had the 7-8 degrees called for.  I had built my center
consol level with the water line so this is where I measured.

This was all called out for in the plans. Having done this there were no
surprises on initial takeoff other than having to crank in a bit of
aileron reflexor to achieve an angle of attack.

  I think if you don't have the 7-8 degrees you will have hard time
getting it to fly.

  With all this done, the Q200 is VERY easy to land. With proper
reflexor I can come close to three pointing every time.

  Take care--------------  Chris


--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com
Jay Scheevel
 

Hi Mike,

 

If the mains are on a level floor then you hoist the tailwheel to where you want it to get WL15 level. If you measure the vertical height from the floor to the bottom of the tailwheel. Lets call that measurement “Ztw”. Then you measure the horizontal distance from the “plumb point” below the center of the tailwheel to the centerpoint between the two main wheels (this point is below the centerline of the fuselage). Let’s call this distance “Xtmw”.  You can use the following formula to compute the ground angle “A”.

 

A = arctan( Ztw / Xtmw)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

Jay

From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Steinsland
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 8:18 AM
To: main@Q-List.groups.io Group Moderators <main@q-list.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence

 

I think what I am going to do is level the fuselage at WL15.

 

Because I have adjusted the angle of the tailwheel, resulting in the tailwheel being 3" lower, I'll set it at 24" to the floor rather than the 27 called for.

 

It sounds to me that the reflexor will work for correcting any minor angle variation.

 

Jay, I will contact you about pictures.

 

Can anyone tell me where to measure the AOA with the fuselage level at WL15 so that I can confirm I'm pretty close before I glue this spring in? 

 

Or is setting the wheel at the right height sufficient?

 

Thanks

 

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 9:54 a.m. Chris Walterson, <dkeats@...> wrote:

  Mike-------------  When I was building my Q200 Jay helped with my
angle of attack. I sent Jay some pictures of the airplane stance and he
found out I had the 7-8 degrees called for.  I had built my center
consol level with the water line so this is where I measured.

This was all called out for in the plans. Having done this there were no
surprises on initial takeoff other than having to crank in a bit of
aileron reflexor to achieve an angle of attack.

  I think if you don't have the 7-8 degrees you will have hard time
getting it to fly.

  With all this done, the Q200 is VERY easy to land. With proper
reflexor I can come close to three pointing every time.

  Take care--------------  Chris


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Mike Steinsland
 

Argghhh its snowing again,  gotta go plow the highway
Ttyl

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 10:18 a.m. Mike Steinsland, <mikeskustoms@...> wrote:
I think what I am going to do is level the fuselage at WL15.

Because I have adjusted the angle of the tailwheel, resulting in the tailwheel being 3" lower, I'll set it at 24" to the floor rather than the 27 called for.

It sounds to me that the reflexor will work for correcting any minor angle variation.

Jay, I will contact you about pictures.

Can anyone tell me where to measure the AOA with the fuselage level at WL15 so that I can confirm I'm pretty close before I glue this spring in? 

Or is setting the wheel at the right height sufficient?

Thanks

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 9:54 a.m. Chris Walterson, <dkeats@...> wrote:
  Mike-------------  When I was building my Q200 Jay helped with my
angle of attack. I sent Jay some pictures of the airplane stance and he
found out I had the 7-8 degrees called for.  I had built my center
consol level with the water line so this is where I measured.

This was all called out for in the plans. Having done this there were no
surprises on initial takeoff other than having to crank in a bit of
aileron reflexor to achieve an angle of attack.

  I think if you don't have the 7-8 degrees you will have hard time
getting it to fly.

  With all this done, the Q200 is VERY easy to land. With proper
reflexor I can come close to three pointing every time.

  Take care--------------  Chris


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This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com
Mike Steinsland
 

I think what I am going to do is level the fuselage at WL15.

Because I have adjusted the angle of the tailwheel, resulting in the tailwheel being 3" lower, I'll set it at 24" to the floor rather than the 27 called for.

It sounds to me that the reflexor will work for correcting any minor angle variation.

Jay, I will contact you about pictures.

Can anyone tell me where to measure the AOA with the fuselage level at WL15 so that I can confirm I'm pretty close before I glue this spring in? 

Or is setting the wheel at the right height sufficient?

Thanks

On Thu., Jan. 12, 2023, 9:54 a.m. Chris Walterson, <dkeats@...> wrote:
  Mike-------------  When I was building my Q200 Jay helped with my
angle of attack. I sent Jay some pictures of the airplane stance and he
found out I had the 7-8 degrees called for.  I had built my center
consol level with the water line so this is where I measured.

This was all called out for in the plans. Having done this there were no
surprises on initial takeoff other than having to crank in a bit of
aileron reflexor to achieve an angle of attack.

  I think if you don't have the 7-8 degrees you will have hard time
getting it to fly.

  With all this done, the Q200 is VERY easy to land. With proper
reflexor I can come close to three pointing every time.

  Take care--------------  Chris


--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com
Chris Walterson
 

Mike-------------  When I was building my Q200 Jay helped with my angle of attack. I sent Jay some pictures of the airplane stance and he found out I had the 7-8 degrees called for.  I had built my center consol level with the water line so this is where I measured.

This was all called out for in the plans. Having done this there were no surprises on initial takeoff other than having to crank in a bit of aileron reflexor to achieve an angle of attack.

 I think if you don't have the 7-8 degrees you will have hard time getting it to fly.

 With all this done, the Q200 is VERY easy to land. With proper reflexor I can come close to three pointing every time.

 Take care--------------  Chris


--
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Mike Steinsland
 

Sam,
I'm wondering how much your ground angle of attack was changed when you changed your tail wheel configuration?

On Wed, Jan 11, 2023 at 11:34 PM Sam Hoskins <sam.hoskins@...> wrote:
I pretty much only use AN hardware . For the tail wheel pivot bracket I am using the AN-3 bolts. Same as the tail wheel axle.

Sam 

On Wed, Jan 11, 2023, 7:01 PM britmcman99 via groups.io <britmcman=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:
Just to get clarification which bolts are folks using and discussing here and which grade?  There are AN bolts I think are 125ksi tensile strength (is that grade 5?) and then there are others from various sources, including grade 8 bolts that are around 160-170ksi that are stronger but more brittle (less tough) and more susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement.  


On Jan 11, 2023, at 9:17 AM, Sam Hoskins <sam.hoskins@...> wrote:

Just to help beat a dead horse, I have the original 3/16" bolt. I have never bent one, but I do replace the bolt and sleeve every once in a while when they show signs of wear.



--
 
Mike Steinsland
Sam Hoskins
 

I pretty much only use AN hardware . For the tail wheel pivot bracket I am using the AN-3 bolts. Same as the tail wheel axle.

Sam 

On Wed, Jan 11, 2023, 7:01 PM britmcman99 via groups.io <britmcman=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:
Just to get clarification which bolts are folks using and discussing here and which grade?  There are AN bolts I think are 125ksi tensile strength (is that grade 5?) and then there are others from various sources, including grade 8 bolts that are around 160-170ksi that are stronger but more brittle (less tough) and more susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement.  


On Jan 11, 2023, at 9:17 AM, Sam Hoskins <sam.hoskins@...> wrote:

Just to help beat a dead horse, I have the original 3/16" bolt. I have never bent one, but I do replace the bolt and sleeve every once in a while when they show signs of wear.

britmcman99
 

Just to get clarification which bolts are folks using and discussing here and which grade?  There are AN bolts I think are 125ksi tensile strength (is that grade 5?) and then there are others from various sources, including grade 8 bolts that are around 160-170ksi that are stronger but more brittle (less tough) and more susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement.  


On Jan 11, 2023, at 9:17 AM, Sam Hoskins <sam.hoskins@...> wrote:

Just to help beat a dead horse, I have the original 3/16" bolt. I have never bent one, but I do replace the bolt and sleeve every once in a while when they show signs of wear.

Jay Scheevel
 

In reference to what Sam mentioned on deck angle, there has been lots of discussion over the years on ground angle of attack. Suffice it to say, that it all comes down to how your canard and main wing are oriented relative to one another (decalage), then relative to the ground angle…but…any variations in decalage can be corrected for with minor and appropriate reflexor settings.  I could go into quite a dissertation on that….oh but wait…I have! If you have the stomach for it, you can read about it (links below).

http://n8wq.scheevel.com/documents/All_Text_and_figures_Part1.pdf

http://n8wq.scheevel.com/documents/All_Text_and_figures_Part2.pdf

http://n8wq.scheevel.com/documents/All_Text_and_figures_Part3.pdf

 

Cliffs Notes summary: Probably best to set up your ground angle of attack to 7 or 8 degrees. This number is not so sensitive as to require you load the airframe. Empty is fine. No need for a lot of heartburn about it if you just commit to gluing it together now with your best estimate. Just so long as you have the aileron reflexor installed, you will have more than enough authority to get your plane to take off and land nicely at the desired 7 to 8 degree ground angle of attack. That 7-8 number has been shown over the years to be present on the best, plans built, longest flying, Q2XX taildraggers.

 

As far as decalage is concerned, it will determine how much reflexor you need for the plane feel right on takeoff and landing. I can help you understand about where you fit in the universe of decalage values in the many planes I have measured, if you send me some photos. Contact me offline and I can give you specific instructions on how to shoot the photos. Basically, I can help you know about how much reflexor you may need for your first flights. 

 

You will want your plane to “levitate” from the ground AOA with a comfortable pull on the stick when you reach flying speed around 70+ mph IAS. The correct reflexor setting for your aircraft’s decalage is the key to getting that right. If your decalage aligns with the original QAC plans, very little to no reflexor is required, but the plans were notoriously poor in wing alignment methodology, so variations are known to exist, both intentional and unintentional.

 

Cheers,

Jay

 

 

 

From: main@Q-List.groups.io <main@Q-List.groups.io> On Behalf Of Sam Hoskins
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2023 9:35 AM
To: main@q-list.groups.io
Subject: Re: [Q-List] installing tail wheel spring/ angle of incidence

 

I modified a tail wheel bracket in the same fashion that you did. I decided I didn't like it and I went back to the original equipment. That was at least 10 years ago, so I don't really remember what the handling was like with the modified wheel.

 

If I said it once, I said it a hundred times. The key to making the aircraft hand properly is for the Gall alignment to be done properly. You can also throw in improved brake mounting and differential brakes as an added bonus.

 

For deck angle measurements, talk to Jay about it.

 

Sam

 

On Tue, Jan 10, 2023, 8:00 PM Mike Steinsland <MIKESKUSTOMS@...> wrote:

Hi guys,
I'm installing my tailwheel spring now.
Spent about 4 hours tediously drilling through the flox at the base of the rudder...arghhh
I'm using a 5/8" spring steel rod.
It is sticking out 7" to where it fits into the tail wheel assembly.
It is inserted 16"into the fuselage

I have determined WL 15 on the fuselage and leveled it.
At the vertical seam between the fore and aft fuselage sections I have measured from the horizontal seam down 4.1 " to determine WL15 at that station
 (drawings Pg. 8-2), I've leveled that with the WL 15 location on the firewall (2.9 " above the seam)
With the fuselage leveled between those 2 locations I am, for some reason I can't figure out, getting a measurement of 2" between the tip of the tail cone and WL 15 rather than 1" that the drawings show. Not sure if that's an issue or not. 

The tail wheel bracket has been modified by putting a 45 degree wedge in, effectively lowering the axle 3" from the original axle location and putting the axle in a more vertical location to the turning axis.  Its my understanding it will make for easier steering.

QUESTION #1
I'm assuming because I have lowered the axle WL by 3" that I should change the distance of 27" that the plans call for from the bottom of the tail wheel to the floor to 24" ( the 3" difference). Anybody see a mistake in this thinking?

QUESTION #2
Where is the best place to measure the ground angle of incidence;
             1. when the tail is in the air with WL 15 level
             2. when the tailwheel is sitting on the ground 
   ( kinda hard to do when the spring is flopping around in the oversized hole)
The top of the cowl?
The firewall?
Center console?
On the wing somewhere?

QUESTION #3
Was the measurement of 27" to the bottom of the tailwheel intended to be the best way to ensure the 8 degree AOI?
I'm assuming the AOI is more important than the tailwheel to floor height, so should I not worry about that wheel measurement as long as I get the right angle?

QUESTION #4
Should the engine, fuel and occupant weight be simulated (sandbags?) or will that make much of a difference in the angle

I really want to get this right before I flox it in place, drilling all that out once was plenty enough for me.
As usual trusting you guys will keep me on track.

Thanks,
Mike

Oh by the way Calvin Thorne in Calgary sold his Revmaster Q2 to Shawn McIntyre in St Thomas, Ont.
I've been in contact with him, I don't think he'd mind my sharing. Hope to meet up with him soon and ogle the airplane.
Still haven't physically seen a finished one yet.
MS

Sam Hoskins
 

Just to help beat a dead horse, I have the original 3/16" bolt. I have never bent one, but I do replace the bolt and sleeve every once in a while when they show signs of wear.
Sam Hoskins
 

Come to think of it, I think I changed back to the straight TW bracket to reduce the drag from the wheel hanging down in the airstream. Anything for half a knot.

Here is what it looks like now: https://q-list.groups.io/g/main/photo/115659/3552977?p=Taken%2C%2C%2C100%2C2%2C0%2C0

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