First a little background. I've suspected tailwheel issues for years but the previous mechanic could never find anything - always just said something like “that’s just Cubs for ya”. Three-four times on landing rollout in years past the plane would start to track left, at about a 30 degree angle. No crosswind. Always to the left. Full right rudder and brake would do nothing. You had two options at this point (ASSUMING you were slow enough): go for an extended and tightening ride off to the left OR intentionally ground loop it by kicking in left rudder bringing it all the way around and keeping it from going left into a ditch. This sucks but ultimately the only real option.
Fast forward a few years and I have recently moved the plane to a new base closer to home and started flying it again (determined to get it fixed first). Previously it was being flown (rarely) by another couple of gentlemen and now I’ve gotten back into flying it and giving it some much needed love ($$$). New mechanic and new set of eyes.
On taxing it he found he had little right rudder control. Tail wheel assembly (Maule) itself was fine but found it was impossible for the rudder to pull the spring as far to the right as to the left. The bolts broke when he removed the steering horn from bottom of rudder and the horn was corroded to the rudder tube and would not slide out. He cleaned and treated the corrosion, installed a new tail wheel steering horn (Scott-type) perpendicular to rudder and reinstalled rudder with new hinge pins, and replaced extension springs with newer compression style springs.
Flew it a few days later and I felt like I was flying a different airplane. I had control for days. Flying it was fun again.
Fast forward to a couple days ago. Didn’t notice anything abnormal on takeoff and landing but twice doing slow tight left turns (navigating the ramp and to turn around at the end of the runway) I had no right rudder purchase to halt the nose swinging left. Ultimately a burst of power was the solution to allow the rudder to pull the tail wheel back around. So finally my questions:
1) Is this fun little phenomenon normal?
2) If it’s normal, perhaps the solution is to add full right rudder even sooner when straitening a left turn?
I have 150 hours in this plane but few hours in other tailwheel aircraft so my experience could be considered pretty shallow in the tail dragger world. I want to make absolutely sure what I am experiencing is normal.
Fast forward a few years and I have recently moved the plane to a new base closer to home and started flying it again (determined to get it fixed first). Previously it was being flown (rarely) by another couple of gentlemen and now I’ve gotten back into flying it and giving it some much needed love ($$$). New mechanic and new set of eyes.
On taxing it he found he had little right rudder control. Tail wheel assembly (Maule) itself was fine but found it was impossible for the rudder to pull the spring as far to the right as to the left. The bolts broke when he removed the steering horn from bottom of rudder and the horn was corroded to the rudder tube and would not slide out. He cleaned and treated the corrosion, installed a new tail wheel steering horn (Scott-type) perpendicular to rudder and reinstalled rudder with new hinge pins, and replaced extension springs with newer compression style springs.
Flew it a few days later and I felt like I was flying a different airplane. I had control for days. Flying it was fun again.
Fast forward to a couple days ago. Didn’t notice anything abnormal on takeoff and landing but twice doing slow tight left turns (navigating the ramp and to turn around at the end of the runway) I had no right rudder purchase to halt the nose swinging left. Ultimately a burst of power was the solution to allow the rudder to pull the tail wheel back around. So finally my questions:
1) Is this fun little phenomenon normal?
2) If it’s normal, perhaps the solution is to add full right rudder even sooner when straitening a left turn?
I have 150 hours in this plane but few hours in other tailwheel aircraft so my experience could be considered pretty shallow in the tail dragger world. I want to make absolutely sure what I am experiencing is normal.
