He said the fixed gear made his plane >"squirellier" on the ground because it had a wider stance than the retracts. >He started looking at tailwheel geometry, and noticed his bellcrank had only >3"- 4" center-to-center bellcrank. He replaced it with something closer to >the plans, which has a 6" c-c distance, and it made a world of difference. >Mark Langford, Huntsville, Alabama ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The wider gear track should make it handle better. I'd guess he's headed in the right direction with the wider arm spacing on the tailwheel. As a side note, with 34.5 hours on my KR, I've found I NEVER use the brakes for directional control except for tight turns while in the slow taxi mode. The rudder and tailwheel have handled directional control for all encounters to this point. At this point I feel that if I need brake for directional control at speed, I've probably lost it already. I've found the "squirelly" part of ground handling is the time on landing when the tailwheel comes down and I start braking till I come to a stop. The brakes provide too much directional control and if not applied evenly will start you zig zagging as you try to maintain control. When that happens get off the brakes, regain directional control, then get back on the brakes. It works for me. Larry Flesner
