[rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel

[Robert and Olga Johnson]

Hi Mike: From my limited experience with Rebel 652 (1st taildragger), I
would suspect any rear tilt on the swivel axis would be a problem as in
order to try and straighten out, the rear of the aircraft has to raise. A
forward tilt would be preferred , then the tailwheel would want to
straighten out or self center. This was the way mine was set up and was
never a control problem. What your experiencing as soon as the tail wheel
kicks, the tendency for the weight to fall causes the tail wheel to turn
sharper. Bob J Rebel 192/731
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Kimball" <mkimball@gci.net>
To: "Rebel Builder's List" <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 4:37 PM
Subject: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel

Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's more
trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn got
a
little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me even
more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to get
going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel to
straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I
had
to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a turn
because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got the
hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel under
my
control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly
better
than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I
also
noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to the
problem.

1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move to
the
lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know if
that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.

2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger. It's
not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side. Hard
to
notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make
much
difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.

Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning to
right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the
fix
next summer.

Mike




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[Bob Patterson]

Hi Mike !

I don't think either of your problems with mounting will be
tooooo significant. Sounds like almost normal taxiing - just takes
a bit of practice - and planning ahead for turns.

One thing that might help a lot, though, is to leave a bit of
slack in the chains to the tailwheel - maybe 1/2" vertical ...
then it won't kick out so soon. What kind of tailwheel is it ??
Is there lots of grease in it ? If used, it may have a worn
locking pin. I have had problems with the stock Murphy tailwheels
ONLY when the builder had rounded the corners on the lock pin !!
They need to be square - and greased often by smearing a bit on
the bottom & sides of the pin from a finger.

Usually, folks have the opposite problem - it's hard to get
new tailwheels to kick out until they wear a bit. Standard practice
for sharp turns is - get it rolling, then push in full rudder, and
jab the brake to break the tailwheel - then release brake and be
ready to use opposite brake to stop the turn from accelerating.
To regain control, you must center the rudder & roll forward
a few feet to get the tailwheel centered so the lock can drop
in again. It is good practice to make sure the tailwheel pin is
engaged before getting into the airplane - push forward until it
clicks - otherwise, you don't know where it will go when it
starts to roll ! ;-)

All part of the joys of learning a new airplane - ENJOY !! :-)

--
......bobp
http://bpatterson.qhealthbeauty.com
http://apatterson2.qhealthzone.com
http://apatterson2.qbeautyzone.com

-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Thursday 17 August 2006 08:37 pm, Mike Kimball wrote:

Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's more
trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn got a
little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me even
more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to get
going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel to
straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I had
to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a turn
because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got the
hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel under my
control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly better
than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I also
noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to the
problem.

1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move to the
lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know if
that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.

2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger. It's
not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side. Hard to
notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make much
difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.

Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning to
right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the fix
next summer.

Mike




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[Mike Kimball]

The tailwheel is what was in the box when I got my kit eight years ago. I
assume it's the stock Murphy tailwheel. I have done nothing to it. I will
check the grease and move the stinger to the lower hole. I hope it gets
closer to vertical on the swivel axis. Thanks Bob.

Mike
044SR

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Bob
Patterson
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 1:25 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel


Hi Mike !

I don't think either of your problems with mounting will be
tooooo significant. Sounds like almost normal taxiing - just takes
a bit of practice - and planning ahead for turns.

One thing that might help a lot, though, is to leave a bit of
slack in the chains to the tailwheel - maybe 1/2" vertical ...
then it won't kick out so soon. What kind of tailwheel is it ??
Is there lots of grease in it ? If used, it may have a worn
locking pin. I have had problems with the stock Murphy tailwheels
ONLY when the builder had rounded the corners on the lock pin !!
They need to be square - and greased often by smearing a bit on
the bottom & sides of the pin from a finger.

Usually, folks have the opposite problem - it's hard to get
new tailwheels to kick out until they wear a bit. Standard practice
for sharp turns is - get it rolling, then push in full rudder, and
jab the brake to break the tailwheel - then release brake and be
ready to use opposite brake to stop the turn from accelerating.
To regain control, you must center the rudder & roll forward
a few feet to get the tailwheel centered so the lock can drop
in again. It is good practice to make sure the tailwheel pin is
engaged before getting into the airplane - push forward until it
clicks - otherwise, you don't know where it will go when it
starts to roll ! ;-)

All part of the joys of learning a new airplane - ENJOY !! :-)

--
......bobp
http://bpatterson.qhealthbeauty.com
http://apatterson2.qhealthzone.com
http://apatterson2.qbeautyzone.com

-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Thursday 17 August 2006 08:37 pm, Mike Kimball wrote:

Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's more
trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn got

a

little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me even
more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to get
going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel to
straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I

had

to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a turn
because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got the
hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel under

my

control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly

better

than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I

also

noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to the
problem.

1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move to

the

lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know if
that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.

2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger. It's
not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side. Hard

to

notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make

much

difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.

Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning to
right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the

fix

next summer.

Mike




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[Bob Patterson]

OK - then it's about a 6" diameter wheel ... and the standard
mechanism. You could open up the top, and stretch the spring that
pushes the pin in, a bit, so it pushes harder - might make it a bit
quicker to kick back in ... or maybe just a smear of grease will
do it. The slack in the steering chains will help a bit too ...

--
......bobp
http://bpatterson.qhealthbeauty.com
http://apatterson2.qhealthzone.com
http://apatterson2.qbeautyzone.com
-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Thursday 17 August 2006 09:38 pm, Mike Kimball wrote:

The tailwheel is what was in the box when I got my kit eight years ago. I
assume it's the stock Murphy tailwheel. I have done nothing to it. I will
check the grease and move the stinger to the lower hole. I hope it gets
closer to vertical on the swivel axis. Thanks Bob.

Mike
044SR

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Bob
Patterson
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 1:25 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel


Hi Mike !

I don't think either of your problems with mounting will be
tooooo significant. Sounds like almost normal taxiing - just takes
a bit of practice - and planning ahead for turns.

One thing that might help a lot, though, is to leave a bit of
slack in the chains to the tailwheel - maybe 1/2" vertical ...
then it won't kick out so soon. What kind of tailwheel is it ??
Is there lots of grease in it ? If used, it may have a worn
locking pin. I have had problems with the stock Murphy tailwheels
ONLY when the builder had rounded the corners on the lock pin !!
They need to be square - and greased often by smearing a bit on
the bottom & sides of the pin from a finger.

Usually, folks have the opposite problem - it's hard to get
new tailwheels to kick out until they wear a bit. Standard practice
for sharp turns is - get it rolling, then push in full rudder, and
jab the brake to break the tailwheel - then release brake and be
ready to use opposite brake to stop the turn from accelerating.
To regain control, you must center the rudder & roll forward
a few feet to get the tailwheel centered so the lock can drop
in again. It is good practice to make sure the tailwheel pin is
engaged before getting into the airplane - push forward until it
clicks - otherwise, you don't know where it will go when it
starts to roll ! ;-)

All part of the joys of learning a new airplane - ENJOY !! :-)

--
......bobp
http://bpatterson.qhealthbeauty.com
http://apatterson2.qhealthzone.com
http://apatterson2.qbeautyzone.com

-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Thursday 17 August 2006 08:37 pm, Mike Kimball wrote:

Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's more
trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn got

a

little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me even
more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to get
going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel to
straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I

had

to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a turn
because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got the
hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel under

my

control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly

better

than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I

also

noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to the
problem.

1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move to

the

lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know if
that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.

2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger. It's
not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side. Hard

to

notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make

much

difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.

Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning to
right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the

fix

next summer.

Mike




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[Mike Kimball]

I did remember the slack in the chain from earlier posts to the list. I do
have a tiny bit of slack although one Moose pilot told me his steering was
inproved by removing the slack. I'm only one chain link away from going
from a little slack to a slight bit of tension on the spring. Might have to
experiment with that a bit.

Mike
044SR

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Bob
Patterson
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 1:58 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel


OK - then it's about a 6" diameter wheel ... and the standard
mechanism. You could open up the top, and stretch the spring that
pushes the pin in, a bit, so it pushes harder - might make it a bit
quicker to kick back in ... or maybe just a smear of grease will
do it. The slack in the steering chains will help a bit too ...

--
......bobp
http://bpatterson.qhealthbeauty.com
http://apatterson2.qhealthzone.com
http://apatterson2.qbeautyzone.com
-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Thursday 17 August 2006 09:38 pm, Mike Kimball wrote:

The tailwheel is what was in the box when I got my kit eight years ago. I
assume it's the stock Murphy tailwheel. I have done nothing to it. I

will

check the grease and move the stinger to the lower hole. I hope it gets
closer to vertical on the swivel axis. Thanks Bob.

Mike
044SR

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Bob
Patterson
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 1:25 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel


Hi Mike !

I don't think either of your problems with mounting will be
tooooo significant. Sounds like almost normal taxiing - just takes
a bit of practice - and planning ahead for turns.

One thing that might help a lot, though, is to leave a bit of
slack in the chains to the tailwheel - maybe 1/2" vertical ...
then it won't kick out so soon. What kind of tailwheel is it ??
Is there lots of grease in it ? If used, it may have a worn
locking pin. I have had problems with the stock Murphy tailwheels
ONLY when the builder had rounded the corners on the lock pin !!
They need to be square - and greased often by smearing a bit on
the bottom & sides of the pin from a finger.

Usually, folks have the opposite problem - it's hard to get
new tailwheels to kick out until they wear a bit. Standard practice
for sharp turns is - get it rolling, then push in full rudder, and
jab the brake to break the tailwheel - then release brake and be
ready to use opposite brake to stop the turn from accelerating.
To regain control, you must center the rudder & roll forward
a few feet to get the tailwheel centered so the lock can drop
in again. It is good practice to make sure the tailwheel pin is
engaged before getting into the airplane - push forward until it
clicks - otherwise, you don't know where it will go when it
starts to roll ! ;-)

All part of the joys of learning a new airplane - ENJOY !! :-)

--
......bobp
http://bpatterson.qhealthbeauty.com
http://apatterson2.qhealthzone.com
http://apatterson2.qbeautyzone.com

-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Thursday 17 August 2006 08:37 pm, Mike Kimball wrote:

Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's

more

trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn

got

a

little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me

even

more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to

get

going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel

to

straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I

had

to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a

turn

because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got the
hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel under

my

control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly

better

than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I

also

noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to the
problem.

1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move to

the

lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know

if

that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.

2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger.

It's

not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side. Hard

to

notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make

much

difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.

Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning

to

right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the

fix

next summer.

Mike




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[Ken]

My Rebel tailwheel has a bit of slack. The chains are on the same holes
in the steering horn as the rudder cables.

If I want to turn a bit tighter than full rudder I just gently touch the
brake to take up the slack and sharpen the turn.

If I want to turn a lot tighter then I jab the brake and the tailwheel
unlocks. With power on and wide taxiways it
will straighten out with opposite rudder. For narrow taxiways it does
require a jab of opposite brake to straighten out. It works well for me.
My steering axis is pretty much vertical when empty and a bit of tilt
back with weight in the plane.

As I recall, the rapco guy told me the same thing about vacuum pump
rotation and it has worked fine for about 40 engine hours now.

Ken

Mike Kimball wrote:

I did remember the slack in the chain from earlier posts to the list.

I do

have a tiny bit of slack although one Moose pilot told me his steering was
inproved by removing the slack. I'm only one chain link away from going
from a little slack to a slight bit of tension on the spring. Might

have to

experiment with that a bit.

Mike
044SR

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[Charlie Starr]

Mike,

Something seems very wrong with your tailwheel set up. My SR-2500 was a
most pleasant surprise on the first taxi. Very responsive to rudder and
brakes, and tracked very straight. I did tighten the chains to the
tailwheel a bit and my stinger is in the lowest position on the bulkhead
(still has a very slight out-of vertical pivot alignment). How much tail
wheel time do you have? I think many with little time have too much
expectations. It isn't that difficult, but does take some time. And, every
airplane has its own little quirks.

Charlie Starr N96CS


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Kimball" <mkimball@gci.net>
To: "Rebel Builder's List" <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 3:37 PM
Subject: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel

Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's more
trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn got
a
little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me even
more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to get
going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel to
straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I
had
to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a turn
because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got the
hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel under
my
control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly
better
than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I
also
noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to the
problem.

1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move to
the
lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know if
that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.

2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger. It's
not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side. Hard
to
notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make
much
difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.

Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning to
right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the
fix
next summer.

Mike




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[Mike Kimball]

I've got about 250 hours of tailwheel time in a KR-2, Murphy Renegade,
Stinson Voyager, Citabria, and a C-150 taildragger with a grocery cart
tailwheel which was the most difficult to handle of all the other planes
(even the KR-2), and I managed to ground loop it. Of course, I haven't
flown in about three years, I was monitoring engine parameters very closely,
and I was extremely nervous so that had to account for some of the trouble.

Mike
044SR

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of
Charlie Starr
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 12:56 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel

Mike,

Something seems very wrong with your tailwheel set up. My SR-2500 was a
most pleasant surprise on the first taxi. Very responsive to rudder and
brakes, and tracked very straight. I did tighten the chains to the
tailwheel a bit and my stinger is in the lowest position on the bulkhead
(still has a very slight out-of vertical pivot alignment). How much tail
wheel time do you have? I think many with little time have too much
expectations. It isn't that difficult, but does take some time. And, every

airplane has its own little quirks.

Charlie Starr N96CS


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Kimball" <mkimball@gci.net>
To: "Rebel Builder's List" <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 3:37 PM
Subject: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel

Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's more
trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn got
a
little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me even
more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to get
going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel to
straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I
had
to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a turn
because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got the
hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel under
my
control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly
better
than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I
also
noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to the
problem.

1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move to
the
lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know if
that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.

2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger. It's
not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side. Hard
to
notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make
much
difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.

Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning to
right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the
fix
next summer.

Mike




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Checked by AVG Free Edition.
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[eric.r]

With that much diverse tail-wheel time, I suspect a mechanical (tailwheel
mounting geometry) problem, not pilot error. Put another experienced and
current tail-wheel pilot on the controls and get a second opinion.
On 8/21/2006 7:09 PM, mkimball@gci.net wrote to rebel-builders:

-> I've got about 250 hours of tailwheel time in a KR-2, Murphy Renegade,
-> Stinson Voyager, Citabria, and a C-150 taildragger with a grocery cart
-> tailwheel which was the most difficult to handle of all the other planes
-> (even the KR-2), and I managed to ground loop it. Of course, I haven't
-> flown in about three years, I was monitoring engine parameters very
closely,
-> and I was extremely nervous so that had to account for some of the
trouble.
->
-> Mike
-> 044SR
->
-> -----Original Message-----
-> From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of
-> Charlie Starr
-> Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 12:56 PM
-> To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
-> Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel
->
-> Mike,
->
-> Something seems very wrong with your tailwheel set up. My SR-2500 was
a
-> most pleasant surprise on the first taxi. Very responsive to rudder and
-> brakes, and tracked very straight. I did tighten the chains to the
-> tailwheel a bit and my stinger is in the lowest position on the bulkhead
-> (still has a very slight out-of vertical pivot alignment). How much tail
-> wheel time do you have? I think many with little time have too much
-> expectations. It isn't that difficult, but does take some time. And, every
->
-> airplane has its own little quirks.
->
-> Charlie Starr N96CS
->
->
-> ----- Original Message -----
-> From: "Mike Kimball" <mkimball@gci.net>
-> To: "Rebel Builder's List" <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
-> Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 3:37 PM
-> Subject: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel
->
->
-> > Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's more
-> > trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn
got
-> > a
-> > little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me even
-> > more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
-> > prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to
get
-> > going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel to
-> > straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I
-> > had
-> > to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a
turn
-> > because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got the
-> > hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel under
-> > my
-> > control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly
-> > better
-> > than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
-> > increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I
-> > also
-> > noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to the
-> > problem.
-> >
-> > 1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move to
-> > the
-> > lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know if
-> > that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.
-> >
-> > 2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger. It's
-> > not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side. Hard
-> > to
-> > notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make
-> > much
-> > difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.
-> >
-> > Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning to
-> > right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the
-> > fix
-> > next summer.
-> >
-> > Mike
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
-> > List archives located at: https://www.dcsol.com/login
-> > username "rebel" password "builder"
-> > Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
-> > List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> > --
-> > No virus found in this incoming message.
-> > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
-> > Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.4/424 - Release Date:
8/21/2006
-> >
-> >
->
->
->
->
-> -----------------------------------------------------------------
-> List archives located at: https://www.dcsol.com/login
-> username "rebel" password "builder"
-> Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
-> List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-> -----------------------------------------------------------------
->
->
->





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[Mike Kimball]

Excellent idea. But not before I have another go! I'm not jumping to any
conclusions until I have some more time taxiing.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of
eric.r@dcsol.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 9:31 AM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: RE: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel

With that much diverse tail-wheel time, I suspect a mechanical (tailwheel
mounting geometry) problem, not pilot error. Put another experienced and
current tail-wheel pilot on the controls and get a second opinion.
On 8/21/2006 7:09 PM, mkimball@gci.net wrote to rebel-builders:

-> I've got about 250 hours of tailwheel time in a KR-2, Murphy Renegade,
-> Stinson Voyager, Citabria, and a C-150 taildragger with a grocery cart
-> tailwheel which was the most difficult to handle of all the other planes
-> (even the KR-2), and I managed to ground loop it. Of course, I haven't
-> flown in about three years, I was monitoring engine parameters very
closely,
-> and I was extremely nervous so that had to account for some of the
trouble.
->
-> Mike
-> 044SR
->
-> -----Original Message-----
-> From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of
-> Charlie Starr
-> Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 12:56 PM
-> To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
-> Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel
->
-> Mike,
->
-> Something seems very wrong with your tailwheel set up. My SR-2500 was
a
-> most pleasant surprise on the first taxi. Very responsive to rudder and
-> brakes, and tracked very straight. I did tighten the chains to the
-> tailwheel a bit and my stinger is in the lowest position on the bulkhead
-> (still has a very slight out-of vertical pivot alignment). How much tail

-> wheel time do you have? I think many with little time have too much
-> expectations. It isn't that difficult, but does take some time. And,
every
->
-> airplane has its own little quirks.
->
-> Charlie Starr N96CS
->
->
-> ----- Original Message -----
-> From: "Mike Kimball" <mkimball@gci.net>
-> To: "Rebel Builder's List" <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
-> Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 3:37 PM
-> Subject: [rebel-builders] Taxiing my Super Rebel
->
->
-> > Man, taxiing was harder than I thought it would be. I wonder if it's
more
-> > trouble with the standard MAM tailwheel. Whenever the radius of turn
got
-> > a
-> > little to tight the tailwheel would break loose and start turning me
even
-> > more sharply. I'd then come to a stop to keep out of the weeds or to
-> > prevent running into a $200,000 airplane. Then I would not be able to
get
-> > going again without continuing the turn. I could not get the tailwheel
to
-> > straighten back out. Granted, I was unwilling to add gobs of power. I

-> > had
-> > to be very careful not to turn too sharply or add too much brake in a
turn
-> > because the tailwheel would kick out as described. I eventually got
the
-> > hang of taxiing while being careful in turns to keep the tailwheel
under
-> > my
-> > control. Is this normal for the stock tailwheel? It's only slightly
-> > better
-> > than a completely freewheeling tailwheel. Is there an adjustment to
-> > increase the amount of pressure needed to break the tailwheel loose? I

-> > also
-> > noticed two things about the tailwheel that might be contributing to
the
-> > problem.
-> >
-> > 1. The swivel axis is not vertical. It angles back. I need to move
to
-> > the
-> > lowest hole for the forward attach point of the stinger. I don't know
if
-> > that will be enough though. I'm already on the second lowest hole.
-> >
-> > 2. I didn't do a good job of mounting the tailwheel to the stinger.
It's
-> > not straight up and down. There is a very small tilt to one side.
Hard
-> > to
-> > notice unless you are looking for it. I wouldn't think that would make

-> > much
-> > difference unless it was off by a lot. Uneven tire wear is a given.
-> >
-> > Perhaps I should go for the tailwheel fix after all. I wasn't planning
to
-> > right away. (Anxious to get flying before winter!) Figured I'd do the

-> > fix
-> > next summer.
-> >
-> > Mike
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
-> > List archives located at: https://www.dcsol.com/login
-> > username "rebel" password "builder"
-> > Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
-> > List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> >
-> > --
-> > No virus found in this incoming message.
-> > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
-> > Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.4/424 - Release Date:
8/21/2006
-> >
-> >
->
->
->
->
-> -----------------------------------------------------------------
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-> username "rebel" password "builder"
-> Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
-> List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-> -----------------------------------------------------------------
->
->
->





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