Trent Palmer's Tailwheel Training Tricycle

laserranger

laserranger

Pre-Flight
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McStebb
Couldn't resist alliterating the title.

This thing looks pretty cool though. Sort of like training wheels for new tailwheel students.
 
That was a really fun idea and episode.
 
I'm hoping he decides to share plans for it rather than trying to commercialize it. "Open source" it, if you will.
 
sweet concept, though ripe for negative transfer if seriously contemplated as a training aid. ground handling sensitivity is vehicle specific. The wheelbase is obviously cartoonishly worthless.

The segment where the wife got fed up immediately, reminded me of the disaster that was trying to teach my wife to drive a stick 4 months ago in my new stickshift VW (since traded-in). That's how well that stupid post-airplane idea went lol. In fairness, that one made a terrible trainer, with that horrible 3-full-seconds hill assist nonsense that completely ruined the driving experience, and did almost get me killed one-month-in at a railroad crossing in bumfog Texas. Digressing.
 
When I was still at the flight school I wanted to build something similar. Fun, but with a training aspect to it to justify it. It would have looked like a small Champ with fabric on it, and stubby high wings, just enough area to make crosswind maneuvers difficult. It would have been driven by one wheel between the mains, powered by a small two-stroke engine that wouldn't spill fuel when upside-down. Rubber bumpers on the wingtips and nose so it could nose over safely. Helmeted pilot, surrounded by tubing. All three axis controls that would respond to wind, not much use in no-wind conditions. Effective brakes on the mains to teach swerve control and pitch sensitivity. Main wheels close together to show what happens when cornering too fast.
 
Of course absent a wings, fuselage, and rudder, it takes all the fun of conventional gear handling in the wind out of the picture. Hopefully any basic tailwheel pilot can taxi the dang thing in calm conditions.
 
Cool concept. I think I would have made it so the rear wheel is on an adjustable arm and can be moved forward or backward to simulate the different sensitivity that different airplanes can have. As it is, it seems way too short coupled.
 
kmacht said:
Cool concept. I think I would have made it so the rear wheel is on an adjustable arm and can be moved forward or backward to simulate the different sensitivity that different airplanes can have. As it is, it seems way too short coupled.
Click to expand...
Maybe that's ok though? Because it would make the thing more sensitive and easier to loop, so when you get in a plane everything seems easy by comparison?
 
kmacht said:
Cool concept. I think I would have made it so the rear wheel is on an adjustable arm and can be moved forward or backward to simulate the different sensitivity that different airplanes can have. As it is, it seems way too short coupled.
Click to expand...
He said this was a prototype, so in addition to the change you propose, he could probably add a big wind-catching surface to the thing to make taxiing in crosswinds more interesting.
 
I don't know. sure it's about rudder input.. but it's really about runway alignment (sight picture) and aileron input too. Correct aileron usage can save your bacon - whereas incorrect usage can cook it!
 
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