Activity Stream

The Grove gear that I took off was 40 lbs. The bush gear weighed on a baby scale is 18 lbs!

Look how much more I can eat and not gain weight!

What are the dimensions and GW on your Grove gear? What is axle bolt pattern?

Someone might be looking for one.

Is this the one or two piece gear?

ED in MO

http://www.matcomfg.com/TAILWHEEL8PNEUWIDE-idv-3690-69.html

I normally buy straight from Matco. Very nice people and they ship quick!

The chains and springs from the rudder to the tail wheel steering arms.

You can probably find one local in Atown at stoddards or reeves. A truck spring shop should be able to make you one too.

Just ordered the 8" wheel. Thanks for the info.

I just watched a video online. The chains are only an extension of the spring. I had the maule tail wheel with two springs from rudder to wheel with no chains.

So is the width of the leaf spring standard for tail draggers?

Thanks

Electric propulsion is where we are headed. Do you still have any contact info for the Kitfox in California? It will be a fun winter project if we can get an air-frame to start working on.

Thanks

The phone number listed in the ad in Aviator Bulletin is: Peter (510) 915-0654 CA.

Please, Let the AvidFoxflyers know if you are going to sell the grayhead or parts.

And, in case someone has forgotten, I have a 90% KF1 copy frame and parts for sale here in Missouri. Cheap.

ED in MO

Is this link the matco you are speaking of? http://www.aircrafts...eels_matco.html

Am I correct that Airdale is the only one with the double leaf assembly?

What are chains? Are you talking about the cables to the rudder?

Thanks

http://www.matcomfg.com/TAILWHEEL8PNEUWIDE-idv-3690-69.html

I normally buy straight from Matco. Very nice people and they ship quick!

The chains and springs from the rudder to the tail wheel steering arms.

You can probably find one local in Atown at stoddards or reeves. A truck spring shop should be able to make you one too.

Nice trailer Russ! Who was the manufacture? Any inside pics? did you have tie down points installed inside for the wheels or are you doing that yourself? One day I plan on having a trailer like this so I can drag my bird down south and fly around with some of you guys.

Just picked up my new trailer. 8 1/2' W X 24' L X 7' H. Inside 7' H X 8'3" W. Front door on right side. Plan on leaving plane and trl. in my driveway for winter, and at my airport in summer. Russ.

The single leaf spring SUCKS! Are you planning on flying off gravel or sand bars? If so, ge the dual leaf spring and the MATCO 8" wide pneumatic tail wheel. It will change your life! I had the 6" tw and it was nothing more than a drag in the sand and gravel and was blowing out on me on a regualr basis. The 8" has much more flotation and it just flat out handels much better. It is alot easier on your airframe too!

If it is GL prone, then your chains are too loose, or the springs on the steering chains are too weak. I like the compression springs alot better than the tension springs.

The single should NOT have gone flat on you, but they are prone to breakage. You can look around town for a spring, or call a local truck shop and see if they will make you one. as a last resort, (due to shipping costs and down time) you can call Brett at Airdale and he will get one out to you.

Is this link the matco you are speaking of? http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/lg/tailwheels_matco.html

Am I correct that Airdale is the only one with the double leaf assembly?

What are chains? Are you talking about the cables to the rudder?

Thanks

The Grove gear that I took off was 40 lbs. The bush gear weighed on a baby scale is 18 lbs!

Look how much more I can eat and not gain weight!

I love it! Holidays, here I come!

Well, had an interesting time on Sunday taxiing the AVID Heavy Hauler for the first time. Definately ground loop prone. The tailwheel was the most disappointing experience. When I got home I found that the leaf was bent up into the rudder. Never took off once and never lifted the tail off the ground. Dont understand why it bent so easy.

Any tail wheel options that any of you suggest? I currently have the maule tail wheel with the single leaf spring.

Thanks

The single leaf spring SUCKS! Are you planning on flying off gravel or sand bars? If so, ge the dual leaf spring and the MATCO 8" wide pneumatic tail wheel. It will change your life! I had the 6" tw and it was nothing more than a drag in the sand and gravel and was blowing out on me on a regualr basis. The 8" has much more flotation and it just flat out handels much better. It is alot easier on your airframe too!

If it is GL prone, then your chains are too loose, or the springs on the steering chains are too weak. I like the compression springs alot better than the tension springs.

The single should NOT have gone flat on you, but they are prone to breakage. You can look around town for a spring, or call a local truck shop and see if they will make you one. as a last resort, (due to shipping costs and down time) you can call Brett at Airdale and he will get one out to you.

Well, had an interesting time on Sunday taxiing the AVID Heavy Hauler for the first time. Definately ground loop prone. The tailwheel was the most disappointing experience. When I got home I found that the leaf was bent up into the rudder. Never took off once and never lifted the tail off the ground. Dont understand why it bent so easy.

Any tail wheel options that any of you suggest? I currently have the maule tail wheel with the single leaf spring.

Thanks

The last I heard was that TWISTER was going to look at it and possibly buy it. Dont know more than that.

What do you mean "modify to be electric"? The motor? I dont like electric on anything I can control manually - have got electric elevator trim and electric stabilizer trim for sale - dont use them.

ED in MO

Electric propulsion is where we are headed. Do you still have any contact info for the Kitfox in California? It will be a fun winter project if we can get an air-frame to start working on.

Thanks

Ed, in answer to your question. The super-constellation was a lockheed L-1049. There was a military version of the constellation labeled Lockheed C-69. Dc-9, thats a Douglass aircraft Jet.

The Grove gear that I took off was 40 lbs. The bush gear weighed on a baby scale is 18 lbs!

Look how much more I can eat and not gain weight!

Apparently, there are only five gas stations that sell alcohol-free gas in CA.

What kind of tape did y'all use? My Viet Nam "conflict" buddy says they had some super-sticky, super-strong tape there then that was not authorized but kept a lot of shot-up planes in the air and saved a lot of lives.

Gorilla tape.. the only stuff I have found that will stick when its cold out! when you try to peel it off it takes the paint with it.

You wont see me bitching because a topic wanders. Sometimes one answer leads to more questions and topics may wander around a bit. It's all good ask away, its the only way to learn!

Twister,

One good place to start is by contacting kitfox and ordering the book on them by ED Downs, if it is still available. I think mine cost $15, and has lots of info on flying and the history and changes in the Kitfoxes.

ED in MO

The C-54 was a DC4...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_C-54_Skymaster

The C-118 was a DC6..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-118

Landed on a Golf Course fairway that's also a strip today and then met up with a new Kitfox guy and took him to a couple strips.

Parked on the Green

I rode in the troop seats of what I thought was a C-54 from Madrid to Diabakur (sp?) Turkey in 1962 (or 3?) in which we lost the two starboard engines halfway between Ankara and Diabakur and had to return to Ankara for a replacement, so I was searching the 'net and am now uncertain of the difference between the -54 and the -118. Can anyone straighten me out?

Size, weight, effect, if any, on cg, and how much does it improve ground-handling?

He will build it with any axle you want. Cost is around $1200. It's 10" wider and 3" taller. No noticeable difference in weight and CG. Ground handling is NIGHT AND DAY difference. It'll land and take off slower and it takes a ton less effort to keep it pointed straight. I didn't fair mine and noticed the increase in drag.

Y'all:

I hope I haven't stretched the "Specifications and Modifications" thread too much and frayed your patience. On the other hand, I'm still trying to find out the dimensions/specifications of the various models of folding-wing aircraft, particularly the Kitfox, and gain a better understanding of the pros and cons of things like wing type and length, stretched fuselages (better handling as well as cg aft for heavier engines and any problems?), the type of engines, gear, etc. to help me in specifying "my" airplane. I must thank all who have answered some of my newbie questions, and if I have repeated myself it doesn't mean that I didn't read your answer, it means that I've been trying to absorb a lot and have simply forgotten some things. And then there's the matter of refining my fledgling "knowledge" of the subject. Most of y'all have forgotten more than I'll ever know, and I know how hard it is to believe that somebody like me could possibly be that ignorant.

Anyway, thanks again to everybody!

I'm gonna look for a topic on training, and if I can't find one, start one. I've decided that I'm going to seek out the best possible training, but I would like to buy "my" airplane first and get trained in it, but would like at least to get some dual in any LSA of the Kitfox type as soon as possible, as close to home as possible (I'm in San Diego CA; the official flight school for Kitfox is in Idaho, where I still plan to go for fully maturing my flying skills). (Hope to see you on that topic soon.)

I'll try harder to keep my questions here closer to the topic!

You wont see me bitching because a topic wanders. Sometimes one answer leads to more questions and topics may wander around a bit. It's all good ask away, its the only way to learn!

The actual weight gain or savings is not really that much in the long run.

To me, it was more important on my mission. Are you planning on flying airport to airport and keeping it in the garage or hangar?? If so, the light fabric is all you will ever need.

Are you planning on dragging the wing tips through the trees and the tail throught the brush on tiny little rock and gravel strips and keeping the plane out in the weather? If so, Meduim is the clear choice.

I used medium on mine and dont regret it! 3 yrs ago when flying off skis, a buddy flying his MK IV that was covered in the light fabric landed next to me in some deep snow that had about 3/8" of nasty ice on top of the snow. His fuse and lower rudder got torn up pretty good and had to be taped up before we could fly out of there and mine only had a little bit of paint rubbed off it.

What kind of tape did y'all use? My Viet Nam "conflict" buddy says they had some super-sticky, super-strong tape there then that was not authorized but kept a lot of shot-up planes in the air and saved a lot of lives.

Size, weight, effect, if any, on cg, and how much does it improve ground-handling?

Y'all:

I hope I haven't stretched the "Specifications and Modifications" thread too much and frayed your patience. On the other hand, I'm still trying to find out the dimensions/specifications of the various models of folding-wing aircraft, particularly the Kitfox, and gain a better understanding of the pros and cons of things like wing type and length, stretched fuselages (better handling as well as cg aft for heavier engines and any problems?), the type of engines, gear, etc. to help me in specifying "my" airplane. I must thank all who have answered some of my newbie questions, and if I have repeated myself it doesn't mean that I didn't read your answer, it means that I've been trying to absorb a lot and have simply forgotten some things. And then there's the matter of refining my fledgling "knowledge" of the subject. Most of y'all have forgotten more than I'll ever know, and I know how hard it is to believe that somebody like me could possibly be that ignorant.

Anyway, thanks again to everybody!

I'm gonna look for a topic on training, and if I can't find one, start one. I've decided that I'm going to seek out the best possible training, but I would like to buy "my" airplane first and get trained in it, but would like at least to get some dual in any LSA of the Kitfox type as soon as possible, as close to home as possible (I'm in San Diego CA; the official flight school for Kitfox is in Idaho, where I still plan to go for fully maturing my flying skills). (Hope to see you on that topic soon.)

I'll try harder to keep my questions here closer to the topic!

How much does this Bush gear cost, and what is the axle size?

ED in MO