TAIL WHEEL BRACKET
I have had too many visits to three hospitals and I don't know how many doctors to let me work on this project. But finally I have been able to get back to it.
I decided to go with a Steerable Tail wheel and opted for one made by Shindin Machine
http://www.shindinmachine.com/SPITFIRE/SPITFIRE.html.
This tail wheel uses the same steering technique as a trike nose wheel.
My first step was to install two aluminum bushing mounts to control the 5/32" steering rod. These were put in place with more Hysol EA 9462 Locktite glue.
Next, I made the vertical support plate out of 3/16' birch plywood. As you can see there are a lot of holes in it for the two pushrods and for the steering arm. Making this part takes a lot of time getting the correct profile shape. I first made a card stock template, followed by a balsa template and then a thin plywood template. Once that I was happy that I had the correct profile shape with the holes in the proper position and large enough, I made the final 3/16" birch former. I sanded the sides at a 6 degree taper so that it would fit snugly against the fuselage.
Total weight for just the former and its supporting hardware is 39 grams. This does not count the tail wheel and the control rod!
Next is to build the tail wheel servo box.
