Brian101

I was wandering what people use (if anything) to keep thier plane from rolling to fast on taxi. Where I fly its mostly pavement, i.e. taxiways and runway with the exeption of a grass runway. But in order to get there you gotta taxi there on pavement. I know that on grass not really a big issue and yeah I know I could carry the plane but that doesnt look cool! Ive talked to a couple guys at the club and they say to use anything from fuel tubeing on the axel to tightening the nuts/bolts on the wheel. Or can you tweak out your engine to idle slow enough not too? I havent found anything effecient yet. Tired of runnin after my plane and zig zaggin everywhere just to takeoff! THANKS!!

a65l

My Feedback: (17)

Get a dog leash and clip it to the tailwheel. If it's not a taildragger use the other end and loop it around the empenage.

Andy

bobrev06x

ia that a foreign word???...cuz it's not in the dictionary. "empenage"

bobrev06x

empennage....two n's

B.L.E.

Find someone who really knows how to adjust the low end needle of engines. This person is not nessesarily the field loudmouthed know-it-all.

LANNYBOB

yah we got one of those guys knows everything but dosent fly. i wonder why?

bruce88123

Quite often the engine in question is new and on a trainer. It also isn't broken in COMPLETELY so it won't idle at it's lowest potential.

Go ahead and try the "fuel tube on the axle" trick. It works pretty well. Put a flat washer nest to the wheel so the wheel doesn't get damaged.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

It's French, means "feathers on an arrow", loosely translated. It refers to the entire tail section of the aircraft, including the vertical and horizontal tailplanes, control surfaces and the portion of the fuse they are attached to.

Stevel182

em·pen·nage [ahm-puh-nahzh, em-; Fr. ahn-pe-nazh]

the rear part of an airplane or airship, usually comprising the stabilizer, elevator, vertical fin, and rudder.

[Origin: 1905–10; < F: lit., feathering, equiv. to empenn(er) to feather an arrow
(em- em-1 + -penner, deriv. of penne feather; see pen1) + -age -age]

It's a great word to throw around at swap meets. "gosh, she's really got a great empennage"

Well, it's fun for me anyway.

Stevel

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

You can adjust the tension on your wheels so they don't roll as easily. Put a little bit of fuel tubing in between the wheel collar and the wheel on each wheel of the plane, then push the wheel collar tighter against the tubing to adjust the tension on the wheel. This will help keep the plane from rolling as easy, but you'll still be able to roll for takeoff. This will also help slow the plane after landings. You still want to try and get your idle lower too, but this will help you fix your problem.

Hope this helps

Ken

Mr67Stang

I thought is was funny

mbilar1

Around work, I find myself muttering, "What a nice caboose!" Now I now have new vocabulary: She has a "Darn fine empennage!" And indeed it's fun, all day long until I get out to the field.

agexpert

My Feedback: (1)

This works VERY well. But I would add a washer between the tubing and the wheel. Some silicone tubing has DESTROYED my wheels in less than a hundred flights. Adding a washer helps to avoid this.

I know it sounds like it makes no sense, but the metal is far easier on the plastic wheels than soft, plyable silicone tubing. I don't really know the physics of it, but has happened to me. Are there any materials engineers or chemists in the house?

troposcuba

my guess (non physicist) to why the tubing wears out the wheels faster than a steel washer is as follows: the steel washer doesn't have much friction against the plastic. the fuel tubing does. so it most likely gets hotter and wears out the wheel hub.

davo580

adjust your idle and get used to your throttle so you can taxi

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

With some models, they're light enough with respect to the engine's power that they will not hold still when the engine's at idle, even when the engine's idling as best as possible. There's always some residual thrust, and so you'll need to have some kind of braking in order for the model to hold still on smooth pavement. The tubing is a good idea, as well as just having tight wheel collars on both sides of the wheels. There are also many ways to add brakes to the model, too.

B.L.E.

Soft light weight foam wheels seem to have a little more rolling resistance than the normal hard wheels and may help solve the problem. They also help tame a taildragger's ground handling in my experience.

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

If its a tail dragger, take off the tail wheel and use a skid. The added friction against the asphalt will help.

Brad

BIGMIG

I could not stop lughing over a651,s suggestion about putting a dog leash on the tail of your plane and walking it over to the runway.I could not stop laughing and my wife came in to see what was going on.Hard to explain to her she is not into the flying thing at all.I couldn't help but pictureing this guy living a mile or so from the flying field, and saying to himself.Hell,why drive over to the field I'll just put the leash on the plane and walk it over. LOL LOL LOL LOL---------BIGMIG

B.L.E.

I think what happens is that dirt and grit embeds itself into the softer silicon rubber and turns it into an abrasive lapping device. When steel washers are used, it's the soft plastic of the wheels that embeds the grit and wears the steel washer.
The same principle is at work when a gunsmith uses a lead lap to lap a gun barrel. The grit in the lapping compound embeds itself into the soft lead and cuts the steel of the barrel as the lead lap is passed back and forth through the barrel.

a65l

My Feedback: (17)

A couple guys at my field shut down their engines after landing, either intentionally or not. They carry a leash and clip it to either the nosewheel or tailwheel so they can tow their planes back without having to bend over contantly or carry them. I've seen cheap leashes used as tail restraints while starting, too.

Andy

And see if I try and add to anyone else's vocabulary. Sheesh.

2HI2C

I have been in this hobby 30 + years & I have seen a lot of people over the years use a leash on there planes. Im almost to the age I think I will get one .