Challenge #6: Tail wheel
Another marvellous mystery to solve - here are some hints:
* The tailwheel wire is bent and inserted in the rudder
* The force of landings, taxiing etc. is therefore directly transferred to the rudder hinges unless buffered somehow
* A brass tube is provided and may be used to guide the tailwheel through the fuse
* Hint: the CMP fiberglass fuse is built in 2 halves which are joined. Test this by gently pressing the fuse side over the wing saddle and then along the bottom in the tailwheel area.
* Another hint: if you didn't use the retracts there should be 2 brass eylets left over, if you used them for retracts, you can get some from old servo grommets
* Final hint: try to find a shot of full-scale Corsair and study the tailwheel - you will notice that it is quite long so the tail sits high.
Experience from Corsair #1: I had a couple of rough deadstick landings, where the tailwheel wire would bend under force and the tailwheel would hit the rear of the fuse - it eventually cracked open.
One possible solution:
I used the eylets to be guides for the brass tube, so drill 3mm holes on the top and bottom of the fuse. I also used a 3mm washer to distribute the stress over a larger area. Glue both top and bottom with epoxy being careful not to get any glue in the eylet hole. Then fit the long brass wire which should fit snuggly in the 2 eylets. Now the tailwheel wire can go through BUT before inserting and bending the top into the rudder (point of no return!) fit a 2mm collar and then a 5mm-long piece of fuel line (or a wire spring could do) and tighten the collar so that the fuel line is under some pressure. The idea is to have some shock absorbsion to be able to buffer the landing impact on:
* the rudder hinges (undesirable)
* the fuse bottom through the silicone fuel tube
* the elasticity of the tailwheel wire itself
Also use most or all of the tailwheel wire provided, to make the tail stand high.
After completing the tailwheel & rudder you should really test this before flying as follows: hold the fuse from the engine and let the tail drop from say 0.5 meter and see what happens; if the rudder comes off you should start over
If the rudder doesn't move and the wire / fuel tube absorb, you're most likely OK (check the fuse for any cracks though!)
It is a good idea to drip some glue into the rear fuselage to reinforce it: