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  1. #12
    Senior Member Cherrybark's Avatar
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    Dec 2015
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    Default Re: First, Build a Shed

    In an, "I Learned About Building" style admission, I had the tail wheel installed incorrectly. Now that I've watched a few videos and played with the lifted tail wheel, the operation makes more sense. There are two steering wings on my Matco tail wheel. They control the steering of the wheel by pressing against a steering pin. The slightly tensioned springs, that are part of the connection to the rudder horn, pull the steering arms forward and keep them engaged against the steering pin. This Matco drawing clearly shows how the arms are positioned when the wheel is in a neutral position. It's been awhile since I installed the tail wheel and I don't remember my thinking. Today I checked the tail wheel and the main gear alignment. I was surprised that the wheel rotated freely with no apparent clutching. It took a bit of playing to realize I had rotated the steering mechanism 180 degrees from the correct orientation and the steering arms didn't have a chance of making contact with the pin. After a noticeable bounce, with overinflated tires on a concrete runway, I'm sure the Kitfox wasn't nicely aligned with the direction of travel. Things were happening quickly but the second touch down was in more or less a 3-point landing. Unfortunately, the tail wheel was rotating freely, the plane wasn't neatly aligned, and I was soon just along for the ride.

    I installed incorrectly. Three experienced builders and a very good DAR went over the plane carefully. None of noticed the tail wheel had a problem.
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    Carl Strange
    Flying
    SS7, 912iS, Oratex, G3X

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