I have seen many threads on the subject, and many at my local field do this with the tricycle gear planes they have.

What I want to know is why convert to a tail dragger? I am told they are trickier to tae off, and ground handling is worse so I wonder why do it?

Cause all teh cool kids are...

I've also seen tail draggers converted to tricycle gear. A tricycle configuration generally does handle better and is easier to land in my opinion. A well designed tail dragger can also ground handle fairly well but some can be a handful. I have mostly tail draggers with a couple tricycle geared planes.

For a beginner, I strongly recommend staying with the tricycle gear on a first airplane.

Just because it is different. I don't think that there is that much, (there is some) difference in ground handling. I personally like wheel pants on the mains, it looks finished that way. You can put wheel pants on a trike, too, but because I fly off grass, I think it would look clunky with the size wheels I use, 3" or bigger.

I'd say the advantages are less drag, removing weight from the nose and less complicated control linkages.

I have the same question. Rebuilding my crashed trainer and I was considering making it a Tail dragger . Is it worth the trouble.I have soloed 3 months ago on a try- cycle trainer and was going to make these changes for practice on a tail dragger. Is there any problems the with this conversion .

One thing about taildraggers is they can turn in a much shorter radius and at a much higher speed than a trike without tipping over. A ground loop dosen't nessesisarliy mean flipping on it's back

Why did I converted my midstar from trike to tail dragger?

Pro:
• The airplane designed to be a tail dragger.
• Front wheel adds weight and drag
• Avoid the control system of the front wheel

Cons:
• Trike is easier to taxi and handle on the ground
• Its a little bit trickier to take off with a tail dragger
• The front wheel absorb the impact of bad landing

Alex

I converted my trainer to a tail dragger for a couple of reasons.

1. wanted something to do
2. I wanted to add a touch of "difficulty" to the plane, to prep me for the next plane.
3. I wanted to add floats to it, so I wanted to move the gear around anyways.

Jon

Just the "cool" factor, I guess. It's the traditional landing gear, and historically, up until the '50s, most aircraft had a tailwheel (it's still called "conventional" landing gear). My first plane was a tricycle gear, and everything since then has been a taildragger. No big deal once you get the hang of it, just like anything else.

I converted my Great Planes PT40 to a taildragger, dual aileron servos, and external rear servos for tailfeathers.

Why did I do this? Simply for something different to do, and I wanted to modify another kit.

A little over two years ago I had the pleasure of converting a Lanier ST40 trainer from nitro to electric. Cost over $500 to convert it but it was a real pleasure to do. But with it costing so much and coming out as nice as it did I am afraid to attempt to learn on it. Not flying this beauty until after my first or even second trainer.

If I had it my way, all my planes would be tail draggers. I find them just as easy to handle on the ground. Landing is smoother too. If you do a proper flare on approach, the landing is smooth as glass. The nose wheel is a pain.

CGr

Typically - people convert Trainers to tail draggers. Most warbirds and 3D airplanes are tail draggers. If a trainer is a 'stepping-stone' then it should seem logical to try and step up to a taildragger by converting your trainer to a taildragger, before stepping in to a warbird that has flight characteristics that a beginner may not be ready for. That's why I wanted to do it...but opted to buy a H9 Piper Cub.

Tail dragers handle rough fields and tall grass better. Trikes are difficult to handle on our rough field.

Because conventional gear is what a good airplane is supposed to have.

I know, I'm a tail wheel zealot.

Bingo! That's my main reason. I've converted a few trikes to tail-draggers because I HATE trying to keep a nose gear aligned after a season of smacking rough sod and washboard ruts at our grass strip. A tail dragger also has about 1/3 less drag from the large wheels (two instead of three). More-so with skis, as mentioned above. A trike ski tends to either fall in a hole or lift up and catch the prop (bad for ski and prop!)

Tail-draggers just look better IMHO. Personal taste.

Something with a tail-dragger trainer, it is almost impossible for it to topple over from that wind that always seems to be to the rear of you.

Tail dragging trainers are easier to handle IMHO. The long arm between the rudder and the mains on a trainer reduces the ground loop tendency. What makes warbirds so hard to handle is the short distance to the tail wheel.

I built my original trainer as a tail dragger to save some weight and avoid the cost of a nose wheel (it was a SPAD, so cheap counts), and now any plane I build is a tail dragger.

As others have said, the nosewheels are a real pain on a rough grass field.

Brad

Personally, I was sick and tired of trying to get the PT40's front wheel straight. So when I had to do some repairs I went ahead and converted it. Next plane is going to be a taildragger anyways, so I figured it was worth giving it a try. Plus it doesn't tip over as easily, which is nice, especially with some cross wind.

If there is a reason for converting the gear to tail dragger, this would be it. But frankly, its much ado about nothing.

Nose gears are a real PITA to deal with.

I like tail draggers better and they are less trouble than the the tricycle jobs

Here is my LT40 ARF I assembled about 10 years ago. I flew it yesterday - - wonderful

A fellow flyer just converted a trike to a til drager.......

Question?

Where should the front mains be placed for a good rotation point and ground handeling.

Right now, both are hard to achieve.

It is very squirley/touchy ground handeling which may cause the take offs being squirley.

As I see on the LT 40, the wheels are just ahead of the leading edge............I think the plane we are talking about needs the gear farther forward.

Is there a RULE OF THUMB to to try?

Thanks

Roger

When I moved from my NexStar to a Four Star, the one thing that was most highlighted by everyone else was the process I would have to undergo to learn how to handle a tail dragger. It took me about 30 seconds to realize that there are only advantages with a tail dragger and how much easier it was to handle. It got to a point where I wouldn't even consider buying anything BUT a tail dragger. Trikes in my opinion are more erratic and when you land, you cant make corrections like you do with a tail dragger that will allow for turning at high speed. It all boils down to stick input which expo might be able to correct if set properly.

well... how else are you going to learn how to fly an extra
Plus you don't have a nose wheel that's going to dig into soft dirt spots or grass and cuase a nose over, which will kill the prop and the verticle stab.

Tail dragging is so much easier, I don't know what all the hoopplaa was about.
I read so much it. It had me scare to death of going tail dragging..lol

Just practice taxing it around without the wing for 5-10 mins.
Once the tail lifts , you'll have more control..verse a trigear will still be bouncing.lol
And the darn nose wheel dosen't stay striaght ,straight for too long after a hard wack.
yeah...sure man...as if you're going to take your nose wheel assembly apart at the field after a hard landing.
If you're luckie you didn't forget 2 plier at home.lol

Just don't firewall it...ease into it.
Half of the time i don't even need to apply rudder.

I think some people didn't set their toe in or toe out correctly to be having nightmares with a taildragging.
mmm..i nevered attemp to just install music wires as the main. I purchase pre made aluminum or fibers ones.The have toe in built in already.

For ground handling or taxing making tight turns just pump the throttle...That's why I extend my rudders .