Tricycle cub.

[David MacRay]

Here’s Paul reviewing and flying one. He doesn’t like the way it looks.

He includes a clip where his buddy does a cool skid in his.



Go straight to 17:05 for advise on owning one of those and living well.

[Slick Goodlin]

There was an aftermarket conversion to Tri-gear for the original Piper Cubs marketed in the fifties. Some LSA school in the US added one to their fleet a couple years ago and were surprised to get a measurably shorter takeoff run. Anyone want to take a stab at why?

[Colonel]

No instructor would fly in it, so all flights were solo and lower gross weight?

[Big Pistons Forever]

There was an aftermarket conversion to Tri-gear for the original Piper Cubs marketed in the fifties. Some LSA school in the US added one to their fleet a couple years ago and were surprised to get a measurably shorter takeoff run. Anyone want to take a stab at why?

The plane was so embarrassed by its legs that it couldn’t wait to get in the air and thus not have to listen to the folks making fun of it ?

[Squaretail]

It starts it take off roll at a lower AoA, therefore has less drag and is easier for it to get to flying speed. Probably also because the pilot doesn’t, need to have any special skill to accomplish the exercise either.

The only real advantage a tail wheel gives to STOL performance is the ability to fix a bigger engine with a bigger prop to the front. All it’s other advantages are for off-field utility.

Here’s a secret that makes a lot of cub guys squirm. For just straight up STOL performance, a basic Cessna 172 is pretty competitive. With just a pilot and 18 gallons of gas, you could probably beat most average super cub owners, or at least they would flip their plane over trying to out do you.

[David MacRay]

I shouldn’t write this because my explanation is probably going to be wonky but…

With conventional gear you kind of do two take offs. One for the little wheel then a second one off the main gear. The first one is somewhat contrary to getting the main gear off the surface, before the first rotation, initial thrust will be partially toward the ground instead of directly back to overcome the inertia of being at rest.

With tricycle gear when the nose wheel lifts off that motion is in harmony with getting the weight off the main gear and onto the wings.

Also with tricycle gear all the thrust is continuously pushing air back and the aircraft forward until rotation, when thrust is much higher and the direction will then transition slightly toward the ground.

Even if it only takes two feet of forward motion to get the tail wheel up, that’s two feet more than the tricycle equipped plane.

[Slick Goodlin]

Turns out the Tri-gear J-3 conversion, due to the mains being the same length but further aft and the tail wheel being removed, can get a little higher deck angle on the ground.

[David MacRay]

Interesting.

Also as in the video with a nose wheel you can jump on the brakes with less chance of a prop strike, while doing cool skids like you might have done when your dad had to replace the tires on your bicycle.

As Juan Brown wrote in the comments because he is lighter than me. “What if they put motorcycle style anti lock brakes on it?”

[Colonel]

My single cylinder 125cc Honda Monkey optionally comes with ABS.
I did not get them, but ...

[David MacRay]

Yeah, I don’t like anti lock but, I understand why people do.