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Retractable tailwheel

What's the wre for?

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Toni Reynaud	10/02/2019 09:49:51
387 forum posts 45 photos	I have a Flair Beaufighter, beautifully built by someone else. I have replaced the brushed 600 motors with ex foa.y Wot brushless and it flies nicely, but hand launching g and landing on the grass is a pail. I have fitted electric retracts in the wi gs and bought a retractable tailwheel unit. Question - what is the purpose of the cat's whisker type wire poking upon the pivot area of the u it? Any thoughts gratefully received.
Toni Reynaud	10/02/2019 09:55:56
387 forum posts 45 photos	Can't sort the pictures while working on the phone. Had to come back indoors to the PC!
Cuban8	10/02/2019 09:59:03
2563 forum posts 12 photos	Wires are probably for closed loop tailwheel steering - been cut for removal. Edit.... looking at the photo more closely, I don't see a pivot point for steering, so ignore above remarks... Might be intended to operate doors? Edited By Cuban8 on 10/02/2019 10:04:47
J D 8	10/02/2019 10:04:04
1194 forum posts 74 photos	Or may be a spring to help the unit start opening?
Cuban8	10/02/2019 10:11:09
2563 forum posts 12 photos	I bought a really nice heavy duty tailwheel assembly from Hobbyking a while ago, and with it was a length of partially threaded rod about 100mm long - no idea what it was for, nothing to do with steering as that was taken care of by another bit,eventually used it as a pushrod for something else. Someone having a joke at the factory perhaps?
Andrew Ray	10/02/2019 10:17:44
699 forum posts 19 photos	To help centre the wheel as it retracts and the linkage goes slack.
MaL	10/02/2019 12:03:34
140 forum posts 13 photos	I think Andrew has the answer, it is to center the wheel as it retracts and the closed loop linkage goes slack so the wheel does not jam on the fuselage sides as it extends again. It could also keep the closed loop clevis' from crossing during retraction. Edited By MaL on 10/02/2019 12:05:27
Toni Reynaud	10/02/2019 12:18:15
387 forum posts 45 photos	Thank you all for the replies. Time to go and finish the installation and linkages.
Martin Harris	10/02/2019 13:58:18
8668 forum posts 214 photos	I'm not convinced they would affect centring of the wheel as they appear to be mounted on a fixed part of the assembly - could they relate to undercarriage door operation?
Mike T	10/02/2019 14:26:29
404 forum posts 28 photos	Definitely for wheel centreing, as Andrew/MaL say. In the pic above, the tiller arm should be mounted on top of the bracket, where the wires will bear against it to ensure it stays centred when the closed loops go slack. The pic looks like a 'Chinoise' copy of a Robart original...
Martin Harris	10/02/2019 15:40:47
8668 forum posts 214 photos	Wire tensioning arms make a lot more sense. I hadn't realised that it was assembled wrongly when I looked at the photo but I would put a collet where the steering arm is shown in the photo - was one included in the package, Toni?
Toni Reynaud	10/02/2019 16:04:25
387 forum posts 45 photos	Yes, Martin, there is a collet, and when I get round to doing the installation properly, things will end up in the right place. I just have to work out how to organise the rudder and tailwheel linkage without ading too much weight to the back of the plane. Room is a bit tight, and access is by cutting lumps out of the bottom of the fus!