RE: Tricycle Gear vs. Tail Dragger
Webeflyin',
The only trike I had was my Hobbico Superstar 40.
The trike set-up was good for landing gear replacement practice and mowing the high grass. It was also instructional in learning how to thread yet another pushrod around the tank and through the firewall. Trike gear also taught me how hard "hardened steel" is when trying to grind a flat spot for the control arm.
I eventually converted it to a taildragger.
Since then I've built and put together models strictly as taildraggers whether the destructions allowed for them or not.
Taildraggers have taught me just how much lighter that tailwheel is compared to the nosewheel of a trike.
My airplanes can "bow" to the crowd after an interesting flight and with a little down-elevator and full rudder they can turn practically on a dime. Taildraggers don't have that wonderful tendancy to tip forward left or right as trikes do. (If a taildragger nose-overs the gear is too far back or one needs more upelevator).
Why anyone would want a trike I'll never know.
I'll admit SOME airplanes do LOOK better with the trike set up. I wonder why there aren't more of them...
Ok, Ok. I'll stop.
Can you tell I'm a Taildragger fan?
Soon you too will be a taildragger fan.
Give it some time.
Jeff