I should be ok without it being steered right guys? it can still pivot all the way around but it just won't be steered...i should be ok right?

Yes, it can swivel and the amount it swivels is determined by how much the rudder wants to turn the plane, so in effect, although it isn't attached to the rudder, it is a slave to the rudder, and will work very well.

My fixed skid also works ok. - I learnt to fly with this on my basic contraption! - it's not pretty but it's functional. Alteratively you can have a free swivelling skid.

Go for the wheel if you want something better, just forget about making it steerable, just let it swivel.

Well, you guys motivated me to do that taildragger conversion I had been talking about every since I bought my trainer! Since I'm currently building an Eindecker III as a second plane I thought I'd get a little taildragger experience first.

It was definitely a guerilla conversion and she sure ain't pretty but then who cares what a trainer looks like! First I tore out the bottom balsa and seated a 1/4" ply piece into the fuse walls. Then I drilled and tapped (and thin CA's) the holes for the DuBro main gear. Then covered the construction with that stick on covering tape. Next the tail gear: Epoxied and screwed on a Sullivan tail wheel assembly. I thought about having it freely rotate but that wouldn't be like my Eindecker so I opted to guerilla attach the wheel to the rudder via an extended wire. This meant cutting out a little V in the rudder. No problem.

Anyway, I think my little RCM trainer now looks a bit like a Cub. Heck, who knows, maybe I'll get REALLY motivated an recover it in Yellow (since most of the original covering is peeling off anyway) and ad some wing struts for show!!

Oh and for all you guys out there that JUST CAN'T STAND an ugly plane: Here's my Eindecker III in it's not-quite-finished state.

wow! that trainer could use some new covering. nice job on the conversion!

There, brand new covering complete! Like my new Cub J-3?

Both my son and I (both newbie pilots) flew our RCM Trainer-to-taildragger conversion today and MAN WAS THAT EVER SWEET!!! It taxied just as well, IF NOT BETTER, than the old nose gear AND I didn't have adjust the dang gear once all day long. What a joy! Landings, if anything, seemed easier AND softer -- the plane just settled right in and almost landed itself. I've had more nose-overs with the nose gear! And of course nothing looks as elegant as the tail gently lifting off before the mains and then that gentle climb out.

I'll probably never fly another nose-gear plane again (unless it's a scale beauty like the P-38). Nose gear is just the biggest pain in the a-- um... neck and I can't understand why I didn't do this conversion MUCH MUCH EARLIER.

Taildraggers RULE!!

well after using my recenlty converted alpha into a tail dragger I am working on making the tailwheel steerable. I was all over the feild when taxing today. I've learned my lesson. will post pics of how i hooked it up to steer after supper.

Here's the simple steering I'm using. Just run a wire to the rudder edge then CA and tape in place. Works fine. Why do to the trouble of connecting to the servo?

my rudder does not run staight up and down, its on a slope (its an alpha 40). so running a wire to the rudder won't work. I just finished assembling mine. it only took me about an hour.

Look, - just take a little time and you'll master steering with the rudder - You're just about there.!

Righty, if you look closely at the photo, you'll notice the that wire does not run at a 90 degree angle. My rudder is also on a slant but that creates no problem whatsoever. The wire is like an extension of the trailing edge of the rudder. Note the wire does not attached to the bottom of the rudder as many tail wheel assemblies suggest but rather is attached to the trailing edge. I'm sure this (or some slight varient) would work. It took me about 10 minutes to do (counting the figuring it all out).

A sorry to say, Willdo, but steering with just rudder is simply not possible until you reach a certain speed. Or have an incredibly powerful engine that sends a ton of prop wash over the rudder. Of course if you set your plane pointing straight down the runway you will after a bit of a (basically uncontrolled) running start be able steer with the rudder. But if you want to be able to set the plane down and then taxi into position you HAVE to have a steerable wheel.

Abufletcher

Well, if you say so my friend. - If I had only known it couldn't be done, I wouldn't have done it and saved myself all that heartache and energy!

Looks like I must have only dreamed of taxiing my plane around the back lawn!
Or maybe I have made a breakthrough, - a world first in taildragger steering technology!

Now where did I put the address of the Guinness Book of Records?

Willdo, I'd love for this to be true. I'm even willing to believe it does work under certain conditions. I'm currently finishing up a more or less non-steerable scale Fokker EIII and would certainly like to be able to taxi it around. However, from nearly everything I hear I will pretty much have to set it down pointing into the wind and do my best just to keep it going straight. Pretty much like the original. I just don't see how the force of the prop wash alone can turn a very slow moving plane.

Do you have something akin to a rear skid or just a non-rotating wheel. I suppose what could be happening is the skid, particularly in grass (not much of that in Southern Cal flying fields), acts as a sort of mini-plow (like the metal plows on many WWI planes) and the force fo the rudder is sufficient to "dig it in" and force the plane's tail in the desired location.

BTW, here's the rear skid setup I hope will work on my EIII

All grass down here, and it does work on that, I just basically use a simple curved wire, and I hadn't thought much about it until people suggested it wouldn't work ( after I had been flying and taxiing with it!).
My plane is basically a 40 size ( os 40 FP) foamie spacewalker which a friend and I cobbled together from scratch and covered with coloured parcel tape, ( can't use this to learn on??, put your $$$ down!).
We used a few wood reinforcements here and there, and I learnt first to taxi with it and then learnt to fly it, all by my little self! ( well, I used the sim. too) - crashed few times with only minor damage.

The wire tailskid probably can flex sideways a little when it turns, but I haven't studied it, - it just works.

Nice Fokker you have there.

Never say it can't be done again, it's self defeating, and submissive talk! Remember when they said it was impossible for man to fly!

an hour of work to make my tailwheel steerable was well worth my time. I was all over the feild yesterday, unless i'm at a high speed i have no control over my plane, i had to set it up for take off and taxing off the feild was a mess.

Glad you got it sorted, I think each plane reacts differently. Good luck!

pretty eindecker,but that prop is going to be a little close to terra firma isn't it?i do hope the undercarriage isn't super flexy!