Pitts For Sale - Salvage

[dumbbell daddy]

I actually messaged this guy but never heard anything back. I thought the ad and price was kind of weird. Those Wolf components alone, provided they weren’t too damaged, are probably double that price.

[dumbbell daddy]

Hey Colonel what’s your take on the Haigh locking tailwheel on a Pitts? One came with my project and I’m constantly debating whether I should keep it or not. I’ve never flown a locking tailwheel before. The best quote I’ve heard of the thing is “all it does is point the investigators to the scene of the crash!”

My understanding is Henry Haigh invented the thing, not to make landing a tailwheel airplane easier, but to save weight?

[Colonel]

I liked the locking tailwheel on the Pitts S1 and the Beech 18.

It’s like a manual transmission. Simple, cheap but it asks more from the pilot.

When I’m preflighting a taildragger, I push on the rudder and if it easily pops out of the tailwheel detent, time for a new tailwheel.

I’ve tried repairing them by replacing parts and it will improve it a bit but it will never be as good as new. I just buy a complete new unit.

I think the last Lang I bought cost me around a thousand bucks. My son loves them so ….

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... kkey=18934

Give them a squirt of grease every 10 hours to avoid metal on metal. Saves you $$$.

PS Here's how you fly a formation approach so that you can actually see forward.

[dumbbell daddy]

Thanks Colonel. I bought a new wheel for it so I might just keep it and see if I like it or not. I’m more curious to see what it’s all about. I plan on just welding a small piece of tubing/bushing near the trim lever so I can hook it on to lock/unlock it.

[Colonel]

I’m trying to remember…

Last S-1 I flew I think had a cable on the right (?) side that you pulled up to unlock the tailwheel to make a tight turn or more likely spin right around, which was fun.

Neil?

[Jamesel]

Under the trim sounds like a great idea, just not too low. The Tailwheel Lock/Unlock on the S1S I used to flop around in had a "T" handle about mid cockpit & low on the Right hand side. Several times, after doing snaps, I landed with the Tailwheel unlocked because I'm a slow learner & my pant leg kept catching the handle and pulling it out/off.
Mind you, my size 13 shoes and the 70% of my body that I could jam into the cockpit caught on a lot of other stuff too. Your Size may vary.

Jamesel

[Colonel]

I landed with the Tailwheel unlocked

Holy shit. Never done that. Don’t want to ever try!

[Scudrunner]

I’m trying to remember…

Last S-1 I flew I think had a cable on the right (?) side that you pulled up to unlock the tailwheel to make a tight turn or more likely spin right around, which was fun.

Neil?

Yup the S1 I flew had a cable on the right side by your leg. I got good at holding it while taxiing and turning. Once you got used to it it wasn’t a big deal. I like lining up track straight for a bit letting it lock and then giver shit and dance on the pedals.

[Colonel]

IIRC they springloaded it so that when you let go of the cable it locked again.

Good design. Avoids those groundloops with it unlocked!

[Colonel]

There are two kinds of taildragger pilots. Some, like me look at the tailwheel before they climb in
and others, well, they really wouldn't notice if it was missing entirely.

I really believe in fussing over the tailwheel so that it behaves as well as it can. See, I'm really lazy
so I don't want to do anything heroic after it breaks.

I like to see a grease gun in a taildragger pilot's hanger. Once a month (at least) it should get a squirt
in the zerk fittings. Reducing the metal on metal makes it last a LOT longer. Your mechanic will tell
you that you should only use some super-expensive synthetic grease but I suspect that anything from
the auto parts store will do there.

Take a floor jack with a piece of wood and gently lift up the tail so there is daylight between the tire
and the floor. Give everything a wiggle. You might be surprised what you find loose. You might have
to tighten up the big bolt that holds it on. Grease it when it's unloaded, so that the grease goes in
better. Wipe off the excess. Drop it down.

Wiggle the rudder. Does it pop out of the detent? If so, you probably don't want to fly it unless your
last name is Franklin or Younkin or Holland.

Poke the horn springs with your toes. Are they hanging down, slack? If so, take a link out of each
side but don't make them too tight.

Lubricate the rudder hinges. Dry silicon lube is perfect for that.

Check the clips at the end of the horn springs. Are they opening up? If so give them a squeeze
with the channel lock pliers. Better yet replace them with those links. I think Maule includes them
now.

Glance at the angle of the tailwheel post from the side. It should be vertical. This is castor. If it
is pointing forwards, it's more likely to shimmy. Your leaf springs have lost their arch. Replace
them. You can re-arch them if you're cheap but I've had them break on me so I replace with new.

Some failures are hard to predict. The steering horns on the rudder can sometimes break but
you're never going to notice that on a walkaround.

Have a built-up tailwheel with tube and tire and bearings packed with grease on the hangar shelf,
ready to go. You can swap them really fast if it goes flat. If you have a solid rudder tailwheel don't
get too cocky, I've had the mother depart on landing and I taxiied in on the tailwheel fork. Hard on
the fork.

The good thing about a crappy or broken tailwheel is that it teaches you to wheel land :^)

There is no such thing as a good tailwheel. Or a good nosewheel. They will all shimmy and cause
you trouble, it's just a matter of when. Personally I prefer a tailwheel to a nosewheel because the
failure modes are less dramatic. Nose tire departs, you have a serious problem. Tailwheel tire
takes off, well, you're doing what my grandfather and his brother did in War One.

To quote Tony Levier, Lockheed never made a decent nosewheel.