New source for tailwheels?

[Carl Prather]

I was down at Santa Paula, California Airport today and talked to the owner of Aviation Products, Inc. who, among other things, makes tailwheels. He told me that American Champion and Legend Aircraft will both be using his tailwheels on their aircraft. I know two people, a Cub guy and an Aeronca guy who use the API tailwheels and they are very pleased wiht their trouble free operation. I find out from an IA friend that CAR 4 had no standards for tailwheels much like flight instruments. This does not include main gear wheels and brakes as CAR 4 did specify standards there.

I'll hand it to ACA for picking a classy part because it looks very well made and it looks sharp on real taildraggers. I got a brochure from the owner and he makes several variants in single and dual fork versions, 4" and 6" wheels and flat and round tailspring versions. The tail wheels are solid tires.

The prices are striking. They range from $229 to $249 bought direct from him. The parts costs will make you crazy, too. The tailwheel proper costs a whopping $35 and the steering arm assembly cost of $39.

If it sounds like I'm hawking this, I am. The fellow running the operation seems down to earth and after many years of making good, useful products, the owner is finally getting his due. It beats the heck out the outrageous cost of Scott tailwheels. For normal use, I think the only other sensible tail wheel that for the Aeronca would be the solid wheel Maule, which also works well and costs a little more but the parts are about 2-3 times higher.

Anyway, I thought this might be food for thought. Maybe it will generate the same passion that wheel versus full stall landings generate!

[joea]

Hawk it a bit more. How about a website link and some photos???

I love my Scott 3200 but cannot believe their prices. Its way past time for some reasonable priced replacements.

[Carl Prather]

I asked him about that and he hates computers, which makes him fairly normal in my book! Some of you guys might know of him from his a little monthly magazine, Aviators Bulletin. The bulletin is like a mini Trade-a-Plane more focused on the antiques and experimental aircraft and is based in Ojai, California which is halfway between L.A. and Santa Barbara. He charges $14 a year for to subscribe or $1.17 a month as he likes to put it. On top of that, he allows the subscribers to advertise for free and if you want a picture included, it's $10 a month.

To contact him or subscribe it's: Aviation Products or Aviators Bulletin (your choice depending on what one is trying to do), 114 Bryant Street, Ojai, CA 93023. The phone number is: 805-646-6042. He takes checks VISA or Mastercard.

He also makes strut pumps, streamlined fairings and some other stuff I can't remember that every once in a while he puts in the bulletin. He always has an antique on the cover and two or page article about the plane.

How this all came about about was because Paul Agaliotis and I were bumming around the airport and Paul said "lets go in here" a building just marked with the words "Flight School" in huge letters on the outside. I always thought it had been closed for years but as usual, Paul knew better and the fellow keeps a small retail business inside full of bits and pieces for old planes. My guess is, that if you asked him for Rajah clips, and if he didn't have what your looking for, he'd tell you where to find it.

One last thing, I would recommend anyone to visit Santa Paula airport. It's a real antiquers paradise and is a step backwards in time. The airport was dedicated in 1930 and if full really old corrugated hangars and such. Yesterday, we saw a Buhl Pup and a fellow who, I'm not kidding, is nearing the end of scratch building a 600 Howard DGA. In a couple of hangers there were Champs in various stages of restoration and couple of folks going out in a pair Pitts biplanes and a gent fluttering in in his rag wing Luscombe 8A. On the ramp ther sits an airplane called the Victa Airtourer, kind like of a Scottish Bulldog but smaller that has sat outside so long the the canopy is fully opaque. (Victa is an Australian Company known for making lawn mowers!) If you guys have ever seen a calendar produced by Mike Terry called Aviation Legends, many of the planes shown in the calendar are based at Santa Paula. The Bucker biplane guys gather there yearly and every first Sunday of the month they have an open house where everyone catches up on their fish tales. If it's covered in fabric, it's probably in a hangar at Santa Paula.

[mike newall]

Had 3 of these so far !

1 on a One Design, 1 on a Christen eagle and finally on my Champ. We operate Champ's on the equivalent of an experimental ticket in the UK.

Super quality, reasonable price, would recommend them.

Lovely part of the country as well, I visit a buddy just up the road in Maricopa regularly, great pistachios

Here is a link to Spruce who stock them

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/l ... lwheel.php

[Carl Prather]

The prices direct from Aviation Products is much less. The 4" wheels are $229.00 and the 6" wheels, which is what my Cub and Aeornca friends recommend, cost $249.00. They are both solid wheels which might not fit every need but they good-looking, well-made, simple tailwheel.

[CptKelly]

After Scott starts losing sales, watch them come down in price in order to be competitive. Same with Grove brakes and Clevelands.

Mike

[CptKelly]

Any chance of legally putting one of these on a Champ?

Mike

[Carl Prather]

Mike,

Here's my understanding of my IA's comments: The production rules in effect when my 1946 Champ was built was called CAR 4A. At that time the FAA did not set specfications or regulations for tailwheels, only main gear components. Therefore, one can install a tailwheel using a log book entry referring to CAR 4A as the basis for its installation and its legal. I know of a few production, old production planes using this tailwheel and the pilots are pleased with the the tailwheel. Simply put, they steer when needed, and caster when needed. They look "right" on old airplanes and replacement parts are inexpensive. I spoke to the owner in person sometime back and he confirmed that American Champion and Legend Aircraft are going to start using his tailwheels.

[Mikek]

Mike,

Here's my understanding of my IA's comments: The production rules in effect when my 1946 Champ was built was called CAR 4A. At that time the FAA did not set specfications or regulations for tailwheels, only main gear components. Therefore, one can install a tailwheel using a log book entry referring to CAR 4A as the basis for its installation and its legal. I know of a few production, old production planes using this tailwheel and the pilots are pleased with the the tailwheel. Simply put, they steer when needed, and caster when needed. They look "right" on old airplanes and replacement parts are inexpensive. I spoke to the owner in person sometime back and he confirmed that American Champion and Legend Aircraft are going to start using his tailwheels.

I thought that if the Item is called out on the TC A-759 those can be only
put on with logbook entry & W/B note if needed , otherwise it takes a STC,
FAA approval or the ha ----- it was already on when I got it rule.

Item # 202 Tail Wheel assemblies varies: Scott, Maule. Lang and Imperial.

Is this not true?

Mikek

[Carl Prather]

Mike,

I understand what you mean. If the TC were taken literally, then Alaska Bushwheels could not be used but since they are PMA replacements for the Scott tailwheels, they achieve compliance through the PMA "conduit" if you will. When the 7AC was built, CAR 4A was in effect, not Part 23. At that time, and even though the tailwheels are listed in the TC, none of those tailwheels were built to an FAA specification simply because none existed. This is how the use of this tailwheel in the field has been justified for a few of the old production planes I've seen lately which use this fine tailwheel.

There are many ways to achieve compliance: TC's, STC's, PMA's, CAR 4A, AC 43.14, and even owner-built parts and maybe even more. As long the parts used are accordance to the intent of the FAA regs, then an appropriate level of safety should be retained.

Did you know some field 337's can have the same force and effect as STC's? I just learned this about two months ago and it's written in plain English in the regs.

[darflyboy]

I contacted ACA and received a drawing indicating that the API 6131 tailwheel is now approved for the 7AC (and others). Ii's an update of the drawing number listed in the Type Certificate under tailwheels and it's my understanding that the TC will be updated in the (near??) future.

David Reynolds

[joea]

David,

Good news!

[skyking3286]

Does ACA still have the 11 series TC and will they add this tailwheel to that TC too?

[darflyboy]

I found the TC for the 7 series on the FAA site (and made sure I got the latest). I cannot tell you about the 11 series, but I'd frist go to the FAA site and get the TC and read what it says. Then I'd e-mail ACA and see what they can tell you. That's basically what i did when my IA was uncomfortable installing a "non-compliant" tailwheel (API 6131) on the Champ. As he said, the drawing ok's the installation on the 7AC

[Jody Wittmeyer]

ACA, to my knowledge, still owns the 11 TC. Whether or not they will add the tailwheel to it, who knows. Every owner seems to leave the poor chief out of things.