Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: jerrry d boyette
Hi Folks!Just a few thoughts on things that have been flowing thru this group...Our Piet will be using a skid, but some of our local airports are paved aroundthe pumps, etc. I remember a picture in an old (mid-60's?) Sport Aviationthat showed a guy that bolted a wire brush to his tail skid -- the idea wasthat on grass, it would slide along without too much trouble & not tear up thesod. When you got it up on pavement, all the grass would get knocked out &the brush would keep you from rolling along. Maybe not enough to be a "brake", but it might keep your Piet in one place on a not-so-level apron! (I want tosee the night take-off -- with blue flames coming out the exhaust stacks &sparks coming off the skid till you got it up a bit!)There have been some questions on VW engines in Piets. In my FlyBaby file(plans, etc from the past 3-4 builders) I found a letter from Pete Bowers(March 82) with information on using a VW engine in the Fly Baby -- it saidit could be done, but it should be 1800cc or bigger AND to be sure to keep theweight of the plane under control. After seeing all the stuff on FAA tail-dragger regs., I dug out my logbooks tosee how far before 1991 it was that I got my sign-off -- it will be 30 yearsthis June I got my solo sign-off for a 85 hp J-3. Had a grand total of 9 1/2hrs (would have soloed at 8 1/2 hrs, but I wasn't old enough -- my instructorwas all ready out of the plane & had to get back in when I told him mybirthday was 3 days away!!) As you say, the insurance company will probablyget the last say!! Semper Piet!Mike Conkling Pretty Prairie, KS________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: "McNarry, John"
For some reason I am getting a lot of e-mail from you that dose not make ________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: "David B. Schober"
About that wire brush tail skid. I would like to see it at night too. I used to push down on the center stand of my old BSA to dicourage tail gaters at night. What a fireworks show, they backed off in a hurry!I too like the look of the leaf spring skid rather than the coil spring setup. I was thinking about mounting a small castoring wheel so that it protrudes just slightly below the skid. It would keep the spring off the pavement and yet you could haul back on the stick to help keep her straight on grass. You'd need brakes to keep from rolling into the high priced iron on the ramp.John Mc________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: Steve Eldredge
Have you ever tried to land with a skid on pavement? The coeficient offriction of the skid on pavement is MUCH less than a tailwheel. Good luckkeeping pointed in the right direction!McNarry, John wrote:> About that wire brush tail skid. I would like to see it at night too.> I used to push down on the center stand of my old BSA to dicourage> tail gaters at night. What a fireworks show, they backed off in a> hurry!>> I too like the look of the leaf spring skid rather than the coil> spring setup. I was thinking about mounting a small castoring wheel> so that it protrudes just slightly below the skid. It would keep the> spring off the pavement and yet you could haul back on the stick to> help keep her straight on grass. You'd need brakes to keep from> rolling into the high priced iron on the ramp.>> John Mc--David B.Schober, CPEInstructor, Aviation MaintenanceFairmont State CollegeNational Aerospace Education CenterRt. 3 Box 13Bridgeport, WV 26330-9503(304) 842-8300________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: Steve Eldredge
On Thursday, April 30, 1998 1:19 PM, David B. Schober [SMTP:dbs(at)fscvax.wvnet.edu] wrote:> Have you ever tried to land with a skid on pavement?Not on purpose. I did have my tailwheel come loose on a flight. Upon landing I heard a horrific scraping sound. Decelleration was much quicker than normal too. It didn't get really scarry till the tail wheel broke loose and twanged sideways nearly causing a ground loop. I was able to keep it going forward till it came to a stop. Culprit: two cotter pins missing or removed caused the caslte nuts to vibrate off in flight. This experience earned a new entry on the preflight check list. It had been 15 hours and several months since the tailwheel had been removed for service.Steve E.1.5 hours left of flight restriction time.________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: "David B. Schober"
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