Rebel Tail wheel

[Gary Gustafson]

Phil and Bob

Thank you both very much for your comments and Phil I have received your
hand drawing. I have attached a picture of my tailwheel as it stands today.
I have also gone through all the documentation (3 3" binders, but no large
sized drawings like one receives with an RV) that I received with the plane
and there is nothing regarding the tailwheel, just a section on the
tailspring. That section addresses the installation of the tail spring only
with the last item being "13) Assemble the tailwheel as per instruction
supplied with the wheel parts. There are no wheel parts instructions. I just
thought this was the standard Murphy documentation.



So I have taken the picture below of my tailwheel assembly. If the picture
does not come through, I can send it off-line directly to you, if needed. I
will have to take it apart to see if the components are the same as depicted
in the drawing. The wheel swivels 360 degrees without any grove to kick out
from. Maybe it is missing some parts, assembled wrong, or misaligned from
sitting too long. At this point my wishes are to see if I can design a
locking pin controlled by a cable from the cockpit which can disengage the
locking pin. I envision a spring held pin (downward pressure) which can be
released by pulling a cable and when the cable is released and wheel aligned
would re-engage. Maybe wishful thinking at this stage.







I have also beefed up the tail cone per instructions from the O'Shea web
site so that the tail cone should be strong enough to support some increased
side loads. I like the comment about "you never need the brakes for anything

but taxiing." That should make my hand control be a supper performer. I will
post pictures of the hand control on the builders web site when installed
(it is about 60% complete now) as well as a CAD drawing. It may be of
interest to other wheelchair pilots.



At Treasure Coast Airpark (Port St Lucie, Florida) where I am located, we
have a 4200 foot grass strip (good for my initial flights) until I get used
to the characteristics of the plane. I have always liked landing on grass as
it is more forgiving. And I am already getting the itch to go flying in the
Murphy Rebel. I have friends in Seattle (one building a Moose) that feel
that the Rebel is the perfect plane for me and I tend to agree from all the
hearsay and the stats I see on the plane. I am already sitting in the
cockpit seat and making buzzing sounds.



Thanks for your assistance and will keep you informed as to my progress.



Gary Gustafson #242



-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Bob
Patterson
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 11:29 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: Rebel tail wheel

Hi Gary !



I agree completely with Phil ! The Rebel is one of the

easiest taildraggers there is to land. If you can, try to do at least

5 hours on a grass strip before you venture to pavement - grass

is MUCH more forgiving ! (I have checked out folks on pavement

in 5 hours, who had flown only Cherokees, so it is possible -

you just have to be a bit more careful.)



In any case, as Phil says, you never need the brakes for anything

but taxiing. If you are reasonably ahead of the airplane with the rudder,

you will have no problems. Be careful not to set the brakes to be too

sensitive - pilots DO get into trouble landing with their toes on the

brakes, or worse, just one brake ! ;-)



I'm wondering if you are missing some parts, because Murphy has

never sold a free-wheeling tailwheel ! It should be either "steerable"

(fixed to the rudder by chains & springs), or "full-swivel" (as previous,

but with a mechanism in the horn that allows it to "kick-out" at the

end of travel, for tighter turns, and backing up for parking). Might

be worth a review of the manual !



I think what Phil has done is to lock the "kick-out", making it

a manual, ground only, operation -- not necessarily a bad thing. It

certainly would make steering positive, with no chance of unwanted

"kick-out" - not that I've EVER had that, though ! Sounds like you

could try it, and change later if you wanted.....



Where are you ?? Might be a Rebel nearby that you could try...



......bobp



-----Original Message-----

From: Phil Stubley [mailto:phil.stubley@sympatico.ca]

Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 7:50 PM

To: Gary Gustafson

Cc: rebel-builders@dcsol.com

Subject: Re: Rebel tail wheel



Hi Gary,



Great to hear you are taking the challenge of flying with less capabilities

than most of us have but just take for granted!!!



I will send a copy of the sketch I sent to Ian. You have the write-up I

see.



I think the Rebel is one of the best designs for handling crosswinds. I

have #302, with the fiberglass spring like yours, and live a lot on a WIDE

grass strip but with a strong crosswind most of the time. I have no trouble

with it. I never landed on wheels before the rebel, so had to relearn

tailwheel plus mains with it. I don't really have to use the brakes for

steering, the rudder plus the tailwheel do the job except for tight turns

at zero speed, (getting gas eg)



Bobp's comment about the fixed tailwheel causing structural problems is the

only negative I have heard. It sure is great for handling, except for

backing up on the ground. That can really load the structure if you (your

helpers) aren't aware. That's when the lock release pin comes in handy.



Good luck with it.



Phil.



-------------------------------orig.-------------------------

On Friday 19 August 2005 07:49 pm, Phil Stubley wrote:

Hi Gary,

Great to hear you are taking thechallenge of flying with less capabilities

than most of us have but just take for granted!!!

I will send a copy of the sketch I sent to Ian. You have the writeup I

see.

I think the Rebel is one of the best designs for handling crosswinds. I

have #302, with the fiberglass spring like yours, and live a lot on a WIDE

grass strip but with a strong crosswind most of the time. I have no

trouble

with it. I never landed on wheels before the rebel, so had to relearn

tailwheel plus mains with it. I don't really have to use the brakes for

steering, the rudder plus the tailwheel do the job except for tight turns

at zero speed, (getting gas eg)

Bobp's comment about the fixed tailwheel causing structural problems is

the

only negative I have heard. It sure is great for handling, except for

backing up on the ground. That can really load the structure if you (your

helpers) aren't aware. That's when the lock release pin comes in handy.

Good luck with it.

Phil.

----- Original Message -----

From: "Gary Gustafson" <gargus@adelphia.net>

To: "Phil Stubley" <phil.stubley@sympatico.ca>

Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 11:17 AM

Subject: FW: Rebel tail wheel

I have been in correspondence with Ian Donaldson in regard to the tail

wheel modifications. I have Rebel #242 (an oldie) with a fiberglass

tail spring and a free wheeling tail wheel.

I am a wheelchair pilot who will be flying a tail dragger for the first

time

and I know how critical braking is. Hence, I am very concerned about a

freewheeling tail wheel. I am putting in a center 'stick' with 2 levers,

a

design that I received from a wheelchair RV6 pilot with 750 hours. Looks

like it will work very well in the Rebel. But I hear stories about and

have

seen one ground loop (quite a bit of damage) which gives rise as to how

responsive I can be in controlling the independent brakes during cross

wind

landings. I do not think a free wheeling tail wheel helps.

Hence I am very interested in your mod based on Ian's comments and

wonder

If you would be so kind as to forward your drawings.

Thanking you in advance.

Gary Gustafson

-----------------------------------------------------------------

List archives located at: https://www.dcsol.com/login

username "rebel" password "builder"

Subscription services located at:

https://www.dcsol.com/public/code/html-subscribe.htm

List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------

List archives located at: https://www.dcsol.com/login

username "rebel" password "builder"

Subscription services located at:

https://www.dcsol.com/public/code/html-subscribe.htm

List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------









-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

[Bob Patterson]

Hi Gary !

The pictures do not come along on this list - you can post them by
logging on, as instructions at the bottom of each email, choosing:
Files, Rebel, and Upload to a section of the Rebel files ...

In this case, it might be easiest to just send them to me at:

beep@sympatico.ca

I'm sure we could get you the Murphy assembly instructions - there
definitely should be more to your wheel !

Sounds like you are in great shape for flying ! I'm wondering why
you wouldn't just add the hand controls to the standard stick...
that would make it easier for a regular pilot to fly as well, so they
could do your test flying for you. Not sure about US, but Canadian
regs say first 5 hours must be flown by someone with at least 100 hr.
on type (type = taildragger, not specifically Rebel). I've heard
that it's very difficult to get insurance in the US if you don't
have a tailwheel endorsement ON THE EXACT AIRPLANE TYPE .... We don't
even HAVE a "tailwheel endorsement" here - but we do have a "Night Rating" !
Guess it's all a trade-off ! ;-) :-)

.....bobp

-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Sunday 21 August 2005 12:30 pm, Gary Gustafson wrote:

Phil and Bob

Thank you both very much for your comments and Phil I have received your
hand drawing. I have attached a picture of my tailwheel as it stands today.
I have also gone through all the documentation (3 3" binders, but no large
sized drawings like one receives with an RV) that I received with the plane
and there is nothing regarding the tailwheel, just a section on the
tailspring. That section addresses the installation of the tail spring only
with the last item being "13) Assemble the tailwheel as per instruction
supplied with the wheel parts. There are no wheel parts instructions. I just
thought this was the standard Murphy documentation.



So I have taken the picture below of my tailwheel assembly. If the picture
does not come through, I can send it off-line directly to you, if needed. I
will have to take it apart to see if the components are the same as depicted
in the drawing. The wheel swivels 360 degrees without any grove to kick out
from. Maybe it is missing some parts, assembled wrong, or misaligned from
sitting too long. At this point my wishes are to see if I can design a
locking pin controlled by a cable from the cockpit which can disengage the
locking pin. I envision a spring held pin (downward pressure) which can be
released by pulling a cable and when the cable is released and wheel aligned
would re-engage. Maybe wishful thinking at this stage.







I have also beefed up the tail cone per instructions from the O'Shea web
site so that the tail cone should be strong enough to support some increased
side loads. I like the comment about "you never need the brakes for anything

but taxiing." That should make my hand control be a supper performer. I will
post pictures of the hand control on the builders web site when installed
(it is about 60% complete now) as well as a CAD drawing. It may be of
interest to other wheelchair pilots.



At Treasure Coast Airpark (Port St Lucie, Florida) where I am located, we
have a 4200 foot grass strip (good for my initial flights) until I get used
to the characteristics of the plane. I have always liked landing on grass as
it is more forgiving. And I am already getting the itch to go flying in the
Murphy Rebel. I have friends in Seattle (one building a Moose) that feel
that the Rebel is the perfect plane for me and I tend to agree from all the
hearsay and the stats I see on the plane. I am already sitting in the
cockpit seat and making buzzing sounds.



Thanks for your assistance and will keep you informed as to my progress.



Gary Gustafson #242



-----Original Message-----
From: mike.davis@dcsol.com [mailto:mike.davis@dcsol.com] On Behalf Of Bob
Patterson
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 11:29 PM
To: rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: Rebel tail wheel

Hi Gary !



I agree completely with Phil ! The Rebel is one of the

easiest taildraggers there is to land. If you can, try to do at least

5 hours on a grass strip before you venture to pavement - grass

is MUCH more forgiving ! (I have checked out folks on pavement

in 5 hours, who had flown only Cherokees, so it is possible -

you just have to be a bit more careful.)



In any case, as Phil says, you never need the brakes for anything

but taxiing. If you are reasonably ahead of the airplane with the rudder,

you will have no problems. Be careful not to set the brakes to be too

sensitive - pilots DO get into trouble landing with their toes on the

brakes, or worse, just one brake ! ;-)



I'm wondering if you are missing some parts, because Murphy has

never sold a free-wheeling tailwheel ! It should be either "steerable"

(fixed to the rudder by chains & springs), or "full-swivel" (as previous,

but with a mechanism in the horn that allows it to "kick-out" at the

end of travel, for tighter turns, and backing up for parking). Might

be worth a review of the manual !



I think what Phil has done is to lock the "kick-out", making it

a manual, ground only, operation -- not necessarily a bad thing. It

certainly would make steering positive, with no chance of unwanted

"kick-out" - not that I've EVER had that, though ! Sounds like you

could try it, and change later if you wanted.....



Where are you ?? Might be a Rebel nearby that you could try...



......bobp



-----Original Message-----

From: Phil Stubley [mailto:phil.stubley@sympatico.ca]

Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 7:50 PM

To: Gary Gustafson

Cc: rebel-builders@dcsol.com

Subject: Re: Rebel tail wheel



Hi Gary,



Great to hear you are taking the challenge of flying with less capabilities

than most of us have but just take for granted!!!



I will send a copy of the sketch I sent to Ian. You have the write-up I

see.



I think the Rebel is one of the best designs for handling crosswinds. I

have #302, with the fiberglass spring like yours, and live a lot on a WIDE

grass strip but with a strong crosswind most of the time. I have no trouble

with it. I never landed on wheels before the rebel, so had to relearn

tailwheel plus mains with it. I don't really have to use the brakes for

steering, the rudder plus the tailwheel do the job except for tight turns

at zero speed, (getting gas eg)



Bobp's comment about the fixed tailwheel causing structural problems is the

only negative I have heard. It sure is great for handling, except for

backing up on the ground. That can really load the structure if you (your

helpers) aren't aware. That's when the lock release pin comes in handy.



Good luck with it.



Phil.



-------------------------------orig.-------------------------

On Friday 19 August 2005 07:49 pm, Phil Stubley wrote:

Hi Gary,

Great to hear you are taking thechallenge of flying with less capabilities

than most of us have but just take for granted!!!

I will send a copy of the sketch I sent to Ian. You have the writeup I

see.

I think the Rebel is one of the best designs for handling crosswinds. I

have #302, with the fiberglass spring like yours, and live a lot on a WIDE

grass strip but with a strong crosswind most of the time. I have no

trouble

with it. I never landed on wheels before the rebel, so had to relearn

tailwheel plus mains with it. I don't really have to use the brakes for

steering, the rudder plus the tailwheel do the job except for tight turns

at zero speed, (getting gas eg)

Bobp's comment about the fixed tailwheel causing structural problems is

the

only negative I have heard. It sure is great for handling, except for

backing up on the ground. That can really load the structure if you (your

helpers) aren't aware. That's when the lock release pin comes in handy.

Good luck with it.

Phil.

----- Original Message -----

From: "Gary Gustafson" <gargus@adelphia.net>

To: "Phil Stubley" <phil.stubley@sympatico.ca>

Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 11:17 AM

Subject: FW: Rebel tail wheel

I have been in correspondence with Ian Donaldson in regard to the tail

wheel modifications. I have Rebel #242 (an oldie) with a fiberglass

tail spring and a free wheeling tail wheel.

I am a wheelchair pilot who will be flying a tail dragger for the first

time

and I know how critical braking is. Hence, I am very concerned about a

freewheeling tail wheel. I am putting in a center 'stick' with 2 levers,

a

design that I received from a wheelchair RV6 pilot with 750 hours. Looks

like it will work very well in the Rebel. But I hear stories about and

have

seen one ground loop (quite a bit of damage) which gives rise as to how

responsive I can be in controlling the independent brakes during cross

wind

landings. I do not think a free wheeling tail wheel helps.

Hence I am very interested in your mod based on Ian's comments and

wonder

If you would be so kind as to forward your drawings.

Thanking you in advance.

Gary Gustafson

-----------------------------------------------------------------

List archives located at: https://www.dcsol.com/login

username "rebel" password "builder"

Subscription services located at:

https://www.dcsol.com/public/code/html-subscribe.htm

List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------

List archives located at: https://www.dcsol.com/login

username "rebel" password "builder"

Subscription services located at:

https://www.dcsol.com/public/code/html-subscribe.htm

List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------









-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://www.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Subscription services located at:
https://www.dcsol.com/public/code/html-subscribe.htm
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------
List archives located at: https://mail.dcsol.com/login
username "rebel" password "builder"
Unsubscribe: rebel-builders-unsubscribe@dcsol.com
List administrator: mike.davis@dcsol.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------