Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Guys,

i purchased the Trusty Tail spring last year and on Xmas eve Canada Post/ Santa delivered the Aviation Products Tail wheel. The plan is to install this combo this winter. I was out in the garage looking at what I have and to me the Aviation products wheel seems quite heavy. The center section looks to be cast steel.
I currently have a Matco single fork system that I seem to have to rebuild every winter. It probably isn't up to the weight of the Thorp. I noticed that the Matco wheel is significantly lighter than the supplied Avaiation Products wheel. It hhas an aluminum center with vulkanized rubber on the ourside. In having them both side by side it looked like the Matco wheel would fit the Aviation Products fork. I took both apart and it fit perfectly. The Matco wheel also has a flatter profile in that it is more similar to what we have on our mains. I took the Matco wheel and chucked it in the lathe to true it up and at the same time I added the water grooves like we have on our main tires.

I won't know what the weight difference is until after Jan 6, when I get back to work, but to me this seems like a great weight saver and I end up with a better tail wheel.

I will post the weight difference after jan 6.

Best regards to all,

Jim

JIM;
Over on the RV site, what you propose is not uncommon. Custom full swivel tailwheel assemblies are offered with a variety of wheels; some noted for lightness, some for style, some for robust construction, some for long tire life.
I say Go For It!!
I did the Trusty tail spring conversion and ordered up a Flyboy Accessories tail wheel assembly. The actual removal of the Maule spring & tailwheel, then the installation of the Trusty spring and Flyboy wheel assembly went rather quickly. I was impressed with every thing, especially the results on 'Feisty', which has much better pitch response on landing.

_________________
Scott Emery
EAA Chapter 326
T-18 N18TE

Good info, Jim.

Just a couple of random thoughts. I get about 200 hours out of my AP tailwheel tires. They get quite flat in profile towards the end. During a recent reweigh, I found I needed more weight in the tail to keep the W&B better when I was solo and full of gas (the plane!). I ended up adding 10# of lead in the most aft compartment. I have an O-360 with CS prop. I would have liked to have used that weight for more beef in the back had I known. Let us know how your rig works out.

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

I have about 180 hours on my current double fork AP tail wheel (same rubber wheel) . I did replace the cheap sealed bearings with a better grade of bearings . I like the double fork as it affords a greater safety margin over the single fork with only a very small weight penalty...IMHO . I never did understand why they had a zerk fitting on the rim ? It does nothing for the bearings ? Maybe a little grease on the thru bolt ? BOO YA !

RB

Higher and Faster

I just finished the installation of my Trusty Tailwheel Spring and am very happy with it. I had the spring machined to the size that the RV's use so I could use one of the tailwheels they use on RVs, which ended up being a "Homebuilders Double Fork" tailwheel from Sporty's. This solved the tailwheel shimmy problem I was having with my old flat spring/pneumatic Maule tailwheel assembly, and the airplane taxies and lands much better with the new tailwheel assembly. The installation only took a couple of hours, and so far, I'm very happy with it. The tailwheel is very durable, and the RV guys say they get years of use out of these tailwheels with no problems, and the whole assembly is almost 3 lbs lighter then my old flat spring/maule tailwheel assembly.

Guys,

I was back to work this morning with a ton of work related stuff waiting for me. I ignored the work stuff and weighted the two wheels right away. Here are the results.

Aviation Products Wheel - 2.73 lbs
Matco Solid Wheel - 1.79 lbs.

I won't get to try the set up until well into March. We have too much snow here and I don't have skiis for my Thorp.

Best regards,

Jim

There is a ski equipped T-18 in Sweden. Mixed reviews on the results.

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL