Thomas Ploch wrote:

What I would really like to know, and don't seem to find anywhere, is
how is a tailwheel like a Scott SUPPOSED to work. In other words, is
the released condition only for performing tight ground manuvers or is
it expected to release or castor in other situations? Does it
release differently when there is weight on the tailwheel than when I
have the tail raised during preflight inspection? Overall, I would say
the functioning of entire tailwheel mechanism is a little bit of a
mystery.

The Maule tailwheel has two locking pins between the rudder yoke and the wheel
yoke. The top of the wheel yoke has a cam that rests against these pins. If
enough sideways turning pressure is applied (as is the case when you use
differential brake to make a sharp turn), the cam pushes the pins up and the
wheel yoke castors. Since the cam has to push the back of the aircraft up to
move the pins, the less weight on the tailwheel, the easier it is to make the
wheel castor.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.