RE: Near crash --- has this happened to you ?
I can usually get away with 8. Two on each side criss crossed, and 2 on each side front to back. The test is to hold on to the wing and give it a bounce or shake to see if the wing is on tight. If it bounces or rattles at all, I will add 2 more to each side, but I have only had to do that once. The time I broke one you had a hard time seeing it until you really looked, the broken band was under the others. It only takes a couple of seconds to check if you have any doubts, and is a really cheap thing to do.
Righty, what kind of gear did you use on yours when you converted to a taildragger? I have one airframe I am going to modify. It was an Alpha, but I am going to also cut the wing and remove most of the dihedral from it. Can you give me a measurement of where your main gear is mounted and how your C. G. worked out? Thanks in advance. If you want you can PM me...