Eaglet 250 From Willy Nillies Tail Dragger Configuration

[Michael9865]

About the tail feathers, if you want to steer the tailwheel off the rudder (if you are adding a wheel) you have to either move the rudder back or not have the tailwheel all the way back.

Unless you are flying off pavement all the time, don't add a tailwheel or any mechanism to have one. It adds a significant amount of weight to the aft end and you will have to add 4 to 5x that weight to the nose to offset it.... your all up weight goes up and flight performance suffers. A simple lite ply skid would be your best choice.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

I'll second Doug's comment. After building two Willy Nillies kits I'll be looking for ways to lighten the airframe, not add to it. The Eaglet weighs 7 oz, the Skylark 6.9 oz. Neither needed ballast. The goal for the next one is 6 oz. Light is might and every gram you can eliminate on airplanes this small will make it fly better.

Thank you all for your input. I have already decided to forego a steerable tail wheel. I am not sure whether I will opt for a wire or a bamboo skewer skid Like I use on my FT type airplanes. I am so pleased with the ease of building this kit. It is my first balsa build since the mid eighties. (I know I just severely aged myself. LOL!)

 

[speedbirdted]

Thank you all for your input. I have already decided to forego a steerable tail wheel. I am not sure whether I will opt for a wire or a bamboo skewer skid Like I use on my FT type airplanes. I am so pleased with the ease of building this kit. It is my first balsa build since the mid eighties. (I know I just severely aged myself. LOL!)

Good. In retrospect while the wheel is very good for ground handling it's not worth the weight penalty. I've considered removing the wheel from mine. My Q-tee has a skid and it's easy to control on the ground.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Step 7 - I cut out the tail feathers and all their lightening holes. That was really quick.

It was so easy at this point I felt like I was cheating. Easiest tail feathers I ever had to make. 😎👍

 

[Michael9865]

Updated the fourth post. If all goes well I might get more wing construction done after Thanksgiving. I must say this is a fun experience. I am surprised that I remembered to put the center ribs in on a slant so they will be at 90 degrees after joining the wing halves together.