converting the kit from a tri-gear to a tail dragger.

i need to know, has anyone done this, also about the bracing.


is there a cowl i can get somewhere for it, i've checked ebay, tower, on here every where LOL

any help will be appreciated!

Did one several years ago, just move the mains forward to have the wheels verticallly down from the wing LE. Have to admit I was lazy about the rest, just put a skid in the rear - no wheel.

Worked fine.

Bill.

thanks bill, whats a skid?

No wheel!

Thanks!, still kind of a newbie here, still learning the lingo.


:boxing:

The first plane I ever built was the tiger 2 as a tail dragger and it is no problem at all. I did not install the rails in the wing for the tricycle gear. I just added 1/4 ply landing gear block on the inside of the 1/8 ply in front of the wing. I used the klett composit gear but the dubro is the same thing and it is easier to find and cost alot less. I also used a sulivan tail wheel which made installing the tailwheel a breeze. Some people warned me that if I put the gear in front of the wing like I did that the plane would have a tendency to ground loop. Well they were wrong it was a dream on the ground. Here are some picks.








By the way what a geat flying plane.

Thanks
Michael

nice looking plane, hope mine turns out like that

If you haven't built the wing yet, then making it a taildragger is really simple. I just built the wing as per the plans, but put the landing gear blocks in front of the spars instead of behind, and reversed them so that the gear is now angled forward instead of backwards. I used a very cheap Du-Bro tailwheel assembly, and created a "wedge" to mount it on so that it rotates at the same angle as the rudder. It worked out flawlessly, and ground handling is superb! Shoot me an e-mail if you have any questions or need better pics of the mods. You can also check out my web page for a more detailed review of the plane.

nice looking plane air........... i wouldn't mind have some pics of the mods if you don't mind sending me some.

here's my email [email protected]

ohcustoms,
I just rechecked this thread today, or I would have replied already.

I will take some detailed pics of the mods I did tomorrow and either post them here or e-mail them to you.

You will love this plane!

email me at [email protected]

airwethead:

Ignore ohcustoms.

Post the pictures here for all to see.

Thanks.

Bill.

YEAH YOU COULD DO THAT sorry. either here or email will work

hey i have aquick question, i'm looking through the kit instructions now, it calls for "JET EPOXY" and glue, would it be ok to use Alithatic wood glue and medium CA, just curious, this is the 1st stick kit i'm building, My ARF's used Epoxy and CA, but i was told i need would glue.

any help out there?

thanks

OC:

Jet Epoxy is just a brand. Use a 15 or 30 minute epoxy, preferably 30 minute because it's stronger.

Aliphatic glues and slow CA can be pretty much interchanged, but on plywood I prefer the aliphatics.

HTH

Bill.

Thanks bill, i appreciate the info

Here is a pic of the tailwheel. I built the "wedge" it is mounted on out of light ply and balsa. Its purpose is to angle the tailwheel so that it pivots on a 90 degree angle to the hinge line of the rudder. I did this to avoid any binding issues it may have caused otherwise.

This picture isnt much help, but it shows how I did the main gear. I mounted the blocks and rails in front of the spar, rather than behind, and angled them forward instead of backwards. Without too much work, it placed the gear right at the leading edge of the wing. I recessed the gear rails 1/16" and then sheeted over the whole assembly, as the gear mount area now falls under the forward sheeting. It was really quite easy, and the result is the easiest graund handling taildragger I have. If this doesn't help, or you need more detailed explanations, dont hesitate to ask.

One more note: If you are building the kit, DO NOT use the torque rods and one servo to drive the ailerons. This is the one weak point of this plane. The resulting flutter was nearly the early demise of my Tiger 2.

nice idea of the wedge block, i'm prolly going to go that route.

now i just need to go and buy the gear for this.


what an expensive hobby, the wife might have to get a second job...............LOL, yeah right.

how did you mount your aileron servo's, do yu have a pic of this also???

I havent done the mod yet to make two aileron servos, but you can see above the way that fishgod did his. I am going to do mine the same way. You just make a servo mount in each wing panel, and run the rod directly to each individual aileron.