- Barnyard BOb - wrote:
On Sat, 15 Nov 2003 17:56:40 GMT, Dave Hyde wrote:


My hypothesis is that the sloppy spring links let you get a bunch of
rudder deflection before you get much tailwheel deflection, and this
is good at, say, 40MPH and above.

This is interesting. One of the things my inspector asked
me to fix was the slop in the tailwheel springs. I got
almost all of it out, and the airplane handles very well
on the ground, but I haven't had it up to 40 mph yet. I've
flown two RV's with loose springs and I thought mine handled
better at low speed, but that may just be wishful thinking.
I've seen lots of recommendations from RV people to make sure
there's at least a little slack in the springs, and I don't
recall ever seeing any RV-flyer recommend NO slack.

My head hurts :-)

Dave 'still ground-bound' Hyde

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Your setup is fine...
for NO wind or wind STRAIGHT down the runway.

In a crosswind with CONTROLS CROSSED and
you're about to 3 point... guess what you got?

Yep... a rudder AND a tailwheel aimed towards
the boondocks. The stronger the crosswind,
the more problematic this can become.
depending on a lot of factors....
including one's experience level.

The following is my GENERAL statement:

YMMV.

For the most pleasant transition....
The aircraft needs springs that can yield
sufficiently in a timely manner, some 'slack'
to ameliorate this golly-woppled condition
or a combination of both. A lot of the setup
depends on pilot preferences.

Can one do without the above suggestions?
Sure. Beat your head against the wall, too.
That's my 2 cents - given many, many tailwheel
years and hours and I'm sticking to it. g

P.S.
Let me add... it's as much 'art' as science.


Barnyard BOb - no advocate of wheel landings

I agree with both Dave and Bob I have put many hours on my RV-6 in both
configurations. With tight tailwheel springs it is much easier to handle taxing
and takeoffs and landings in a NO WIND condition. But now add some cross wind
and things can get "golly-woppled"** in a hurry with tight springs. Bob is
correct when he says you need SOME slack. Another consideration for spring
tension is whether you can get full rudder deflection in both directions with
tight springs.
My preference at least on an RV-6 is some slack in the springs, which IMO is a
better compromise for all taxi, takeoff, landing configurations.

**Bob's words :-)

Jerry