Tailwheel steering

[Greg Bockelman]

Why would my airplane be easier to steer in right hand turns than left?

[mulwyk]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Greg:

It's a little known fact, but The Rotation of Earth actually causes that effect.

Check out the swirl of water when you flush your toilet. The turd always rotates counterclockwise, or left. Right? The same effect causes the tailwheel airplane to spin out of control in left hand turns. Strange but true.

Your T-craft will actually be easier to steer to the left than to the right in the southern hemisphere. It's a latent Austrialian thing.

[rotaxflyer]

Re: Tailwheel steering

I think your tailwheel spring leans to one side. Could also be that the length of the coil springs needs to be adjusted.

Andy

[Len Petterson]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Lots off taildraggers are now using compresion springs, the type used on screendoors.
No matter what spring you using they have to have the same strength and the same tension!
Len

[Ron Coleman]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Since the earth is a sphere one wheel of the plane is always down hill from the other so the plane will be hard to turn in the direction that the low wheel has to climb up. If you sit on the other side of the cockpit the opposite will be true. If you but the prop on backwards it will also reverse the effect however the plane will go backwards slower.

maybe
RonC

[N74DV]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Check out the swirl of water when you flush your toilet.

yes... but what happens if you live at the equator? does it go straight down and does your Tcraft turn as good in either direction??

[Howard Wilson]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Yup. Saw it on a travel show the other day. There is an experiment set up on the equator where they have a sink and the water goes straight down. They then moved the sink a few feet off and it swirled! Very weird. And yes the T-craft will land straight at the equator. (depending on seasonal perturbations in the relative polar tilt.)

[tawadc95]

Re: Tailwheel steering

any bolts or nuts loose allowing the assembly to wobble around a bit?
My plane had a space between the bracket and the springs that allowed the wheel assembly to flop sides so to speak a bit so I put a rubber block in the space and stopped that

[flyguy]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Maule compression springs are different sizes (strength/wire diameter) with the purpose to damp any shimmy.

I can think of about 10 different things that would make it do that--pick one.
DC

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Simple mathmatics of you in the left seat. Less weight on right side means track is narrower and turns a tighter radius. 6'-6" guy in left seat means more weight on left bungee, wider track than right, making it hard to the right side to overcome the left. Other factors could be considered but it had NOS brakes both sides and a good tailwheels on it when it left.

Mike

[3Dreaming]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Even a slight crosswind can make the steering different.

[Greg Bockelman]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Simple mathmatics of you in the left seat. Less weight on right side means track is narrower and turns a tighter radius. 6'-6" guy in left seat means more weight on left bungee, wider track than right, making it hard to the right side to overcome the left. Other factors could be considered but it had NOS brakes both sides and a good tailwheels on it when it left.

Mike

Except it is me in the right seat and another in the left. About a 50 pound differential, being heavier on the right side.

[Greg Bockelman]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Even a slight crosswind can make the steering different.

Except that it didn't matter where the wind was from.

[Carl Ellis]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Dragging brake?

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Tailwheel steering

Except it is me in the right seat and another in the left. About a 50 pound differential, being heavier on the right side.

Reverse my theory then. Or you have glazed a brake lining.

Mike