Tailwheel techniques
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AGF was originally with Agricultural and General Aviation (AGA) in WA. They bought 185's in the early '60s while still at Maylands, others I remember were AGA, AGG and AGH, however there could have been more. Not sure if the AGA engineers did the mod or not, could possibly find out if anyone was interested. AGA had one of the first hangars at Jandakot and were eventually bought out by Kevron's and then Fugro.
cheers
Miles
cheers
Miles
185 trim
I have an old NZ ex topdresser, CGG, with the trim on the roof. About 18 of the old ones still exist in NZ and at least half will still have the roof trim. Most of them have been crashed and rebuilt and often converted back to standard on rebuild. Some like mine still have the entire mod which involves a hole in the roof and floor and a great deal of reinforcing around them. The wings also had reinforcing and I believe some of the payloads were around 700 KG. They had a hard life and from the log books the tailwheel spring for instance often broke after very few hours, which they seldom do in normal use. They are quite heavy, my one at 828 kg or about 1850 Lb is at least 50 KG and most likely 100 kg more than the standard ones considering it is a basic machine with no extras. But also stronger and it does not flex around the windscreen like most on rough ground.
Having flown both on strip work the roof trim is much better and it would have been a great mod for PNG. About 6 turns from one end to the other and it can be done very fast with no need to look/bend down to floor. I do not know if it was done for the Pilots or to get the cables out of the way, the floor is quite non standard.
The early 185s are much lighter on the controls and nicer to fly than the later ones which were changed but I do not know why. I have a photo taken during rebuild which shows the installation, it is quite simple and the only snag is the trim wheel makes it hard to fold the sun visor back.
Having flown both on strip work the roof trim is much better and it would have been a great mod for PNG. About 6 turns from one end to the other and it can be done very fast with no need to look/bend down to floor. I do not know if it was done for the Pilots or to get the cables out of the way, the floor is quite non standard.
The early 185s are much lighter on the controls and nicer to fly than the later ones which were changed but I do not know why. I have a photo taken during rebuild which shows the installation, it is quite simple and the only snag is the trim wheel makes it hard to fold the sun visor back.
Last edited by saabsforever; 17th Jul 2007 at 09:28. Reason: insert missing number
Silly Old Git
Thread Starter
Thanks saabs
The tail wheel steering cables were often done away with because of this. They would break usually on take off on steep strips and it was better to have the unit fall away rather than wave around in the breeze .
They had a hard life and from the log books the tailwheel spring for instance often broke after very few hours,
Last edited by tinpis; 18th Jul 2007 at 04:35. Reason: waffle
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From Avweb today
P-51 Owner Killed In First Non-Supervised Flight
John McKittrick, 42, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was killed Sunday morning as he practiced takeoffs and landings on his own for the first time in his vintage P-51D Mustang. McKittrick, an experienced pilot, had been flying with an instructor and landed at Camarillo Airport. The instructor had just gotten out of the aircraft and told tower controllers that McKittrick would be soloing the airplane and would stay in the pattern, an FAA spokesman told the Ventura County Star. According to the FAA, the airplane bounced on landing, ran off the side of the runway and flipped. The vintage Mustang broke apart in the accident, but there was no post-crash fire. The airplane had been scheduled to appear at the Gathering of Mustangs & Legends this September in Ohio.
P-51 Owner Killed In First Non-Supervised Flight
John McKittrick, 42, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was killed Sunday morning as he practiced takeoffs and landings on his own for the first time in his vintage P-51D Mustang. McKittrick, an experienced pilot, had been flying with an instructor and landed at Camarillo Airport. The instructor had just gotten out of the aircraft and told tower controllers that McKittrick would be soloing the airplane and would stay in the pattern, an FAA spokesman told the Ventura County Star. According to the FAA, the airplane bounced on landing, ran off the side of the runway and flipped. The vintage Mustang broke apart in the accident, but there was no post-crash fire. The airplane had been scheduled to appear at the Gathering of Mustangs & Legends this September in Ohio.
Silly Old Git
Thread Starter
‘Warbird’ crash kills valley pilot on solo flight
Did P-51 roll because of too much power?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By PAT MURPHY
Express Staff Writer
John McKittrick
A sudden burst of excessive engine power may have led to a fatal crash in California on Sunday of a P-51D Mustang that killed part-time valley resident John McKittrick on his first solo flight in the $1.8 million World War II war bird.
McKittrick, 42, a bond trader, an experienced pilot in other single- and twin-engine aircraft, had purchased the Mustang five months ago with the intention of entering next year's Reno Air Races in the high-speed, unlimited aircraft class, according to a close Ketchum friend of 14 years and fellow P-51 owner-pilot, Bill Rheinschild.
Rheinschild told the Mountain Express that based on accounts of witnesses at Camarillo Airport north of Los Angeles, McKittrick was flying the Mustang¾nicknamed "Lou IV"¾solo for the first time since taking some 50 hours of dual instruction in the modified, two-seat former Air Force fighter.
His unidentified instructor had cleared McKittrick for takeoffs and landings and flying in the airport pattern.
"On landing," Rheinschild said, McKittrick "made a perfect approach but ballooned (bounced) when his tail wheel touched down too early."
He said McKittrick "added too much power" on the 1,850-horsepower Rolls Royce Merlin engine to neutralize the porpoising, which caused the aircraft to "torque roll." The high-speed aircraft whipped over into an inverted attitude and immediately crashed, killing McKittrick instantly. There was no fire.
"Whenever you get into a situation like that," Rheinschild explained, "it's every aviator's reaction to give it power. But you can't do it in this kind of airplane."
Rheinschild said McKittrick has owned a single-engine Beech Bonanza, a twin-engine Beech KingAir C-90 and a World War II T-6 trainer, and had contracted for construction of a Hawker Sea Fury with complete parts he'd bought.
McKittrick, whose fulltime residence is in Thousand Oaks, Calif., had about 1,500 hours of flying experience, Rheinschild said. Rheinschild is president of a southern California home-building corporation, but lives in the valley.
The P-51 (later the F-51) was the first U.S. fighter capable of accompanying World War II heavy bomber raids deep into Europe to ward off German fighters. The Mustang also was a superb ground attack aircraft in support of ground troops. McKittrick's Mustang had the telltale black-and-white wing stripes painted on aircraft involved in the D-Day Normandy invasion.
He is survived by his wife, Michele, and two children.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Calvary Christian Church, Westlake, Calif., with a reception following at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.
__________________
50 hours dual ? bugger me...
Totally strange...he owned a T-6 as well notoriously more difficult than a Mustang.
Tee pee
Did P-51 roll because of too much power?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By PAT MURPHY
Express Staff Writer
John McKittrick
A sudden burst of excessive engine power may have led to a fatal crash in California on Sunday of a P-51D Mustang that killed part-time valley resident John McKittrick on his first solo flight in the $1.8 million World War II war bird.
McKittrick, 42, a bond trader, an experienced pilot in other single- and twin-engine aircraft, had purchased the Mustang five months ago with the intention of entering next year's Reno Air Races in the high-speed, unlimited aircraft class, according to a close Ketchum friend of 14 years and fellow P-51 owner-pilot, Bill Rheinschild.
Rheinschild told the Mountain Express that based on accounts of witnesses at Camarillo Airport north of Los Angeles, McKittrick was flying the Mustang¾nicknamed "Lou IV"¾solo for the first time since taking some 50 hours of dual instruction in the modified, two-seat former Air Force fighter.
His unidentified instructor had cleared McKittrick for takeoffs and landings and flying in the airport pattern.
"On landing," Rheinschild said, McKittrick "made a perfect approach but ballooned (bounced) when his tail wheel touched down too early."
He said McKittrick "added too much power" on the 1,850-horsepower Rolls Royce Merlin engine to neutralize the porpoising, which caused the aircraft to "torque roll." The high-speed aircraft whipped over into an inverted attitude and immediately crashed, killing McKittrick instantly. There was no fire.
"Whenever you get into a situation like that," Rheinschild explained, "it's every aviator's reaction to give it power. But you can't do it in this kind of airplane."
Rheinschild said McKittrick has owned a single-engine Beech Bonanza, a twin-engine Beech KingAir C-90 and a World War II T-6 trainer, and had contracted for construction of a Hawker Sea Fury with complete parts he'd bought.
McKittrick, whose fulltime residence is in Thousand Oaks, Calif., had about 1,500 hours of flying experience, Rheinschild said. Rheinschild is president of a southern California home-building corporation, but lives in the valley.
The P-51 (later the F-51) was the first U.S. fighter capable of accompanying World War II heavy bomber raids deep into Europe to ward off German fighters. The Mustang also was a superb ground attack aircraft in support of ground troops. McKittrick's Mustang had the telltale black-and-white wing stripes painted on aircraft involved in the D-Day Normandy invasion.
He is survived by his wife, Michele, and two children.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Calvary Christian Church, Westlake, Calif., with a reception following at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.
__________________
50 hours dual ? bugger me...
Totally strange...he owned a T-6 as well notoriously more difficult than a Mustang.
Tee pee
50 hours dual ? bugger me...
Totally strange...he owned a T-6 as well notoriously more difficult than a Mustang.
Totally strange...he owned a T-6 as well notoriously more difficult than a Mustang.
Whether the T6 is more difficult or not (I didn't find it particularly taxing, but I didn't fly a P51
so can't compare,) it certainly doesn't have the power of the P-51. When you open the tap on the Harvard, not much happens.
Silly Old Git
Thread Starter
When you open the tap on the Harvard, not much happens
Yes it does it goes.....
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
And causes a hard-on of every aviation enthusiast the world over.
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It's not been a good month for Mustangs...first that bloke killed in doing his first solo circuits, now these two.
http://www.avweb.com/news/airventure..._195757-1.html
Whilst on the subject, I was recently told by one of the well known names in the Oceanic Warbirds fraternity that if you could handle a 185 well, then you could handle most WWII high-performance warbirds. Are 185s that demanding?!
http://www.avweb.com/news/airventure..._195757-1.html
Whilst on the subject, I was recently told by one of the well known names in the Oceanic Warbirds fraternity that if you could handle a 185 well, then you could handle most WWII high-performance warbirds. Are 185s that demanding?!
"Are 185s that demanding?!"
Yes, indeed!
A veritable brute of an aeroplane, tamed by only a handful of pilots who have "the right stuff"!
I feel a stirring in my nether regions just thinking about it!
Dr
Yes, indeed!
A veritable brute of an aeroplane, tamed by only a handful of pilots who have "the right stuff"!
I feel a stirring in my nether regions just thinking about it!
Dr
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Go hire a 185...
Tin, I'd like to...but I haven't found many operators who are keen to let a fresh CPL do a rating in their precious 180/185, and even less who would allow solo (read: none)....
LP
Tin, I'd like to...but I haven't found many operators who are keen to let a fresh CPL do a rating in their precious 180/185, and even less who would allow solo (read: none)....
LP
Has anyone here had much experience on the 235hp M7 Maule?
I have a friend who has recently purchased one and finds it has fairly interesting tendencies with just himself on board and full flap (48^). His experience is that the elevator looses a large part of it's effectivness, expecially if you cut the power. I understand that it needs to be balasted at the rear to maintain C of G with 1 up. Can be very interesting if you try to fit into a short strip after a steep approach over an obstruction was his comment. Evidently the nose will drop sharply on a reduction of power and it is very slow/hard to flare.
He has a fair amount of experience in tail-draggers and short strips but this plane evidently raises the interest level. I have not seen it yet so only 2nd hand obsevation. I gather this may be a bit unique to the 5 seat M7.
Comments appreciated. Chimbu C. you must have had a go at these somewhere in your travel.
I have a friend who has recently purchased one and finds it has fairly interesting tendencies with just himself on board and full flap (48^). His experience is that the elevator looses a large part of it's effectivness, expecially if you cut the power. I understand that it needs to be balasted at the rear to maintain C of G with 1 up. Can be very interesting if you try to fit into a short strip after a steep approach over an obstruction was his comment. Evidently the nose will drop sharply on a reduction of power and it is very slow/hard to flare.
He has a fair amount of experience in tail-draggers and short strips but this plane evidently raises the interest level. I have not seen it yet so only 2nd hand obsevation. I gather this may be a bit unique to the 5 seat M7.
Comments appreciated. Chimbu C. you must have had a go at these somewhere in your travel.
Grandpa Aerotart
Nope not flown a Maule. I taught myself to fly a Helio Courier once and then had to demo it to potential buyers and subsequently checked out it's new owner...terrifying with no brakes on the copilot side..they are probably similar...flown to the limit of it's STOL potential the Helio is tricky but then 99.999% of pilots will NEVER have any practicle use for that level of performance...max performing a Helio falls into the 'party trick' category...From what I have read about the Maule perhaps it falls into that category too. Fly them more 'normally'...say at 60-70% of their limit and the performance will still turn heads but not risk filling your pants.
I have a very big soft spot for 180s and 185s and get a VERY big kick out of flying a friend's 1956 180 occassionally in the UK...the last time just a few weeks ago. At least 80% of my SE hrs are in 185/180...several 100 hours in the RHS doing young pilots initial TW endorsements and then route/strip endorsing them.
I think if you can fly a 185 well any taildragger is within your reach.
saabsforever is an old mate from those days and I look forward to flying his newly restored 185 down the south island one day soonish.
Edit...I see saabsforever has posted the rego of his ship so he won't mind a couple of piccies of his pride and joy.
Exactly what a 185 does best.
Just georgous
..they are probably similar...flown to the limit of it's STOL potential the Helio is tricky but then 99.999% of pilots will NEVER have any practicle use for that level of performance...max performing a Helio falls into the 'party trick' category...From what I have read about the Maule perhaps it falls into that category too. Fly them more 'normally'...say at 60-70% of their limit and the performance will still turn heads but not risk filling your pants.I have a very big soft spot for 180s and 185s and get a VERY big kick out of flying a friend's 1956 180 occassionally in the UK...the last time just a few weeks ago. At least 80% of my SE hrs are in 185/180...several 100 hours in the RHS doing young pilots initial TW endorsements and then route/strip endorsing them.
I think if you can fly a 185 well any taildragger is within your reach.
saabsforever is an old mate from those days and I look forward to flying his newly restored 185 down the south island one day soonish.
Edit...I see saabsforever has posted the rego of his ship so he won't mind a couple of piccies of his pride and joy.
Exactly what a 185 does best.
Just georgous
Last edited by Chimbu chuckles; 28th Jul 2007 at 19:44.
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Chuckles....we flew G-BTSM, the C180 today over the floods..... since getting a new Rudder return spring fitted (£103 inc VAT) she is behaving herself you will be pleased to hear.!! Chias 
