JS wrote:
There is no technical bulletin for it, but...YES!
Those small wheels, even upgraded to rollerblade quality, are pretty
useless.

My LS6 has a rollerblade wheel and works perfectly, so I don't quite
understand why you would think they are "useless".

Granted, I use the large street hockey wheels with sealed, replaceable
bearings. But in 6 years of constant use on all kinds of surfaces
(desert, grass, paved runways, etc) it has worked fine. On grass in
particular, it does a nice job of helping the weak (!) LS wheel brake,
and is very resistant to sideslip.

Plus - it never goes flat - a big consideration if you fly out west
(lots of thorns...)

The only downside is that it makes the glider hard to push on soft
surfaces without a tail dolly - especially backwards.

I do think that a regular, inflatable tailwheel is slightly preferable
if you mainly fly off paved runways - more directional stability and
smoother touchdown/ride.

This is sorta like the nose vs CG towhook discussion, isn't it?

Cheers!

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