Takeoff Distance

[pilotyoung]

Rusty,

That is a good point. I have the 6 inch tailwheel so mine sits with a lower angle than a 4 inch tailwheel. I think you have reach the correct conclusion.

[13brv3]

It's not even as simple as tailwheel size. The project I purchased came with a 6" tailwheel that was not full swivel. Since the full swivel wheel has to be able to rotate all the way around, even the 4" full swivel wheel is about an inch and a half taller than the non-swivel 6" wheel was. Initially, I installed a 6" full swivel, and that was REALLY high, so I didn't keep it long.

I found a post from Onex107 that said the plane is a tri-gear, so I bet that's why there's shorter takeoff distance.

Rusty

[pilotyoung]

Does your Onex have differential braking?

[13brv3]

Does your Onex have differential braking?

Yes. I added it when I got rid of the mechanical brakes.
Rusty

[13brv3]

When I was at the airport today, I measured the positive pitch angle when the plane was sitting in 3-pt attitude. I did this with a digital level on upper longeron for the cockpit. That is supposed to be level in flight, so any angle is the max positive pitch you can get for a taildragger. Mine was 6.3 degrees. It would be really interesting if someone with a tri-gear could measure theirs with the tail pushed down, since that would be the maximum positive pitch they could get in takeoff or landing.

Rusty

[GraemeSmith]

Rusty,

That is a good point. I have the 6 inch tailwheel so mine sits with a lower angle than a 4 inch tailwheel. I think you have reach the correct conclusion.

But if you put 5 x 5.00 main tires on with a 6" tailwheel - you might be back where you started...... ;-)

[pilotyoung]

The Onex had 5 X 5.00 main tires when I bought it. I added the 6 inch tailwheel. Tomorrow when I go to the airport I am going to measure the positive pitch angle and see how it compares to Rusty's.

[Onex107]

I'm sorry to say Onex 107 has flown the coop and is now in a hangar at CYOO, Oshawa Airport, in Ontario, Canada.
But, it is a tri gear, Airovee, standard in all respects, including brakes. The only additions I made was to add a brake pedal, centered in front of the rudder pedals, attached to the bottom of the hand brake, so I could hold the brakes with my foot while I did a runup. I also added gap seals to the rudder and elevator which did make a difference in keeping the rear end behind me. The rudder seal helped keep the ball centered and the elevator seal made a big difference in the trim position at cruise on the first flight after the addition. Besides that, they look better and it was simple to do. An interesting thing about my sale. The new owner is not a pilot and bought the plane because the airport requires that he have an airplane in the hangar that he rents for his cars. Folding wings?

[pilotyoung]

That is a reason to buy an airplane that I have not heard before.

[pilotyoung]

I measured the angle of the longerons today and it was 6.35 degrees.