hi guys

what would be nescesary to convert a tricylce style SIG seniorita into a dragtail? and would CG or performance e.t.c be effected?

i know im a noob to airplanes, but.... i cant think of anything else to say.... [sm=regular_smile.gif]

Well...


The back 2 wheels of the Tri needs to be moved forward (preferably a lot) in front of the CG.

The tail wheel is different on each Tri.


Some pictures would help.

Personally, I love taildraggers and don't fly anything else. They are a great way to get your left thumb involved in flying. To convert your Seniorita, you will want to reinforce the fuse in the area where you attach the main gear. The attachment point should be such that the wheels are located somewhere near the leading edge of your wing. There is some wiggle room in the exact placement, but this should get you pretty close and with a plane like the Seniorita, the placement should not be too terribly critical. As far as the track (distance between the main wheels), try to keep it the same as your trike gear or at least pretty close.

There are several commercially available tailwheel units available. I'm partial to Dubro's but Sullivan also has a good reputation for light weight and durability. They include instructions for installation, but are fairly simple to figure out.

I'm sure you'll get lots more detailed information, some of which may differ from my thoughts, which is fine. There is (almost!) always more than one right way to do something. As my dad used to say, "Remember, free advice is often worth exactly what you paid for it."


Darn typo!

C.G. would definately be effected, but should be as shown on plans after rebalancing. Performance is generally better as there is less drag. The axle for the main wheels should be at or near the leading edge of the wing. Too far forward and it's hard to take off. To far back and you'll do ground flips. I don't know on a Seniorita, but I'd ballpark it at 1/2" ahead of the L.E. with the model in flight trim (that is to say the engine thrust line horizontal - as it would be in level flight).

Bend the gear so that the front of the wheels is a few degrees in (toe-in). Just a tiny amount makes a world of difference in ground handling.

You'll also need to add some type of tail wheel bracket. Just a free-spinning caster type should be OK with the Seniorita's rudder, especially on a grass field.

Remember to give a hair of left rudder and down elevator on starting out and take the throttle up slower when applying power.

Charlie,

Left rudder and down elevator? Maybe I'm crazy, but find that I have to feed in right rudder to counter the torque......and I tend to hold in a little up elevator to keep the tail planted. Once I get a little speed built up, I release the elevator, let the tail come up and then finally lift off after getting adequate airspeed. Perhaps it varies with the type of plane in question.

Just my thoughts....

No. You're correct. Typin, thinkin and keepin an eye out for who's behind me at work is one too many channels on my receiver. Got my forces jumbled up with my countering corrections. Counter left drift and keep pressure down on the tailwheel with right rudder and a hair of up elevator.

No wonder I taxi like a corkscrew.

I converted a Senior and only put the axle even with the leading edge of the wing. I used a fiberglass DuBro LG and with the axle there it put my big 4" tire half way in front of the wing. It works perfect. It also tracks well and takeoffs and landings are easy. Make sure you use a good piece of ply or hardwood to reinforce the landing gear. I used 1/4" x 4" Ply the width of the fuse.

Gibbs

I converted a Senorita that had flown a while as a trike. I ran a separate pushrod to control the tailwheel and countered the extra tail weght by removing the .25 FP and replaceing it with a .40 FP. Heck, if you need noseweight, it might as well be a bigger engine. I also added ailerons at the same time.
What I found interesting was that the bigger engine seemed to be no thirstier than the original .25 was, I suspect because it flew at smaller throttle openings most of the time.