Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: helspersew(at)aol.com
Jeff,Welcome to the world of brakeless, tailskid flying. You will find that your airplane handles landing and taxiing like most any other tailwheel equipped aircraft with a few exceptions.1. Skidplate wear - Dan mentioned the drill rod. This works great. Initially a piece of UHMW was installed as the wearplate. This wore out after a couple of months. Then a couple of carbide cutting inserts were brazed onto the skidplate. These worked fantastic but would dig deep scratches on any hard surface I taxiied across. The solution is a piece of 3/8" diameter X 3" long piece of tungsten carbide drill rod brazed across the aft end of the skid plate. Minimal scratching on hard surfaces and will likely last the life of the airplane.2. Taxiing with a tailwind - This is the biggest challenge with a skid. Any taxiing with a tailwind greater than 10 - 12 mph requires assistance by someone hanging onto a lift strut and helping to steer the airplane.3. Taxiing on pavement - The airplane can be difficult to steer accurately and you may find it difficult to slow down. I always have my seatbelt unbuckled when taxiing on pavement so I can jump out quickly if needed. Be ready to kill the mag switch and don't taxi behind someone if the taxiway slopes downhill.4. Landing or taxiing on a slope - Use caution when doing so, the tailskid will try to slide downhill. This is especially important when landing on grass adjacent to a paved runway where the grass may slope away from the pavement. If your tailskid slides downhill in this situation you may find yourself heading towards the pavement. Also, I NEVER land on a runway when airplanes are parked adjacent to it. This can often be the case at busy fly-ins with minimal parking space. The risk of groundlooping into a parked airplane isn't worth it. Go early or go elsewhere, and carry good insurance.5. Flight planning - When planning a flight to an unfamiliar airport don't assume there will be usable grass. Quite often there is usable grass next to the runway but check ahead with the airport operator and have a usable alternate in mind. Google Earth is a great tool for checking out airports but it doesn't always give good detail like ditches and hazards hidden in the grass.6. Cool factor - As if a Pietenpol isn't cool enough, the skid will set you apart.Greg Cardinal ----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: Greg Cardinal
Correction, I see you do have brakes. Everything still applies.GC ----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: "bender"
Bruce,I have copied the info below from the FlyCorvair.com website-"Subj: InsuranceDate: 2/2/05I see on your Web site that you were talking with the Vice President and ChiefTechnician of Falcon Insurance. I'm wondering how insurance companies are feelingthese days toward your Corvair conversion, and if you have a feel for whatkind of difference in rates a person might expect to pay, say comparing to anO-200 installation? In my case we're talking about a Christavia Mk 1 installation.I know it's probably depending a lot on the type of airframe and other factors,but could you say anything at all regarding any progress made on the insurancerate aspect of the Corvair?Thanks! Mike Sharkey, Ontario, CanadaReply from WW:We've been in continuous contact with Falcon on this issue. Although it has beenreported that Falcon will not insure some types of automotive powered aircraft,my understanding is that they look at it on a case by case basis. SeveralCorvair builders, including Mark Jones (KR-2S tri-gear) and Randy Stout (Zenair601HD tri-gear), have purchased insurance through Falcon for their aircraft.I spent some time speaking in person with Bob Mackey, Falcon VP, at the LSA Expoin Sebring, Fla. In several follow up phone calls, Bob quoted us a very reasonablerate for our Corvair powered 601. The rate was not significantly differentthan what we pay Falcon to insure Grace's 1946 Taylorcraft. Bob explainedthat the primary component was the fact that both aircraft are taildraggers.Tricycle geared aircraft owners could expect a lower rate. The policy came withsome small stipulations about time in type training that were more than reasonable.If you're interested in insurance, I suggest you contact him directlyat EAA HQ for the straight scoop."I realize that is an older post. I would recommend that you email William Wynneand ask him directly about insurance options for Corvair powered aircraft. Iseem to recall he wrote recently that there is someone that insuring Corvair poweredaircraft fairly readily. I think he had a recent discussion about it onhis website, or on his blog at --------Semper Fi,Terry HandAthens, GARead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Update and tailskid operations

Original Posted By: Oscar Zuniga
for me it was just the weight and simplicity..it does seem like it would be high on the coolness factor but weight that faraft was the biggest thingjeffRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________