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Taildragger question for 9 or 7

alpinelakespilot2000

Well Known Member
Question #2 of the day--maybe it's a dumb one--

Since I'm about ready to rivet the tailcone together, I assume I need to bolt the tailwheel spring rod into the mount permanently. (?) Otherwise, how would I ever access the nut on the bottom of that assembly later once the adjacent bulkheads are riveted into the skin? Am I missing anything?

I do find it curious that I will be unable to take the spring rod off ever again (without drilling through the tailcone skin on the underside for access to the nut). That said, it is kind of cool to see a tailwheel hanging off the back of the tailcone for the first time!

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Steve - You may want to check over the instruction book again. There's a prepunched hole just aft of F-711 that you open up with a unibit to allow you to get a socket onto the nut. Or at least on the 7 there is! :)

mcb
 
mburch said:
Steve - You may want to check over the instruction book again. There's a prepunched hole just aft of F-711 that you open up with a unibit to allow you to get a socket onto the nut. Or at least on the 7 there is! :)

mcb

thanks Matt. That's what I figured that hole was for, but so far haven't seen any mention of drilling it up to socket size in the 9 manual or on the skin drawings where all the other holes like the static ports and rudder cable attach screws are called out. I'll go back and look more carefully though.
 
1000 words

For what it's worth, here's a photo that shows the hole in question:

20060211_cutout4.jpg


mcb
 
mburch said:
Steve - You may want to check over the instruction book again. There's a prepunched hole just aft of F-711 that you open up with a unibit to allow you to get a socket onto the nut. Or at least on the 7 there is! :)

mcb
You enlarge the same hole for the -9.

BTW, the rudder bottom will have to be modified as it interferes with the tail spring.
 
Don't be a dummy like me!

If you haven't bolted your tailwheel mount in yet, let me save you some hassle. Don't do what I did, which was to enlarge the prepunched hole in the skin until a 7/16" socket would fit through it, and then continue on without checking the fit before the mount and bulkheads were permanently in. Since the bolt is not perfectly perpindicular to the bottom skin, my hole (which was previously big enough to get a socket through) is now too small, because the socket really has to go through at an angle. I'll have to dremel it into a slightly oblong shape to get the socket onto the nut. Instead, I should have opened up the hole another step or two of the unibit, and checked it again before bolted in the mount and riveted the aft bulkhead. Oh well, my next RV will be perfect! :)

mcb
 
mburch said:
If you haven't bolted your tailwheel mount in yet, let me save you some hassle. Don't do what I did, which was to enlarge the prepunched hole in the skin until a 7/16" socket would fit through it, and then continue on without checking the fit before the mount and bulkheads were permanently in. Since the bolt is not perfectly perpindicular to the bottom skin, my hole (which was previously big enough to get a socket through) is now too small, because the socket really has to go through at an angle. I'll have to dremel it into a slightly oblong shape to get the socket onto the nut. Instead, I should have opened up the hole another step or two of the unibit, and checked it again before bolted in the mount and riveted the aft bulkhead. Oh well, my next RV will be perfect! :)

mcb

I noticed that potential problem too, Matt. On my 9 tailcone the pre-punched hole isn't even exactly centered on the bolt so even if I drilled it up larger I might have a problem getting a socket on it.

That said, I still haven't found in the 9 plans where (and when) it says to open up that hole. I agree that it must be necessary, but for anyone with a 9, can you point me to the drawing or instructions page that indicates this? I must just be overlooking something.

Thanks for the replies.
 
No Instructions

Vans never really finished with the tail kit revisions to the 9A. I had to call them for the skinny on the bolt access also. I opened the bolt hole all the way to the bulkhead for correct access.
Wait until you try to hang the rudder and the lower cap hits the tail spring. You have to cut the bottom off the rudder cap and fiberglass it to close it up. There are also no instructions for connecting the tail wheel chains to the bottom rudder bell crank. This is all very easy to overcome once you know the answers.

Roger Ping
RV-9 77 hrs.
 
R.P.Ping said:
Vans never really finished with the tail kit revisions to the 9A. I had to call them for the skinny on the bolt access also. I opened the bolt hole all the way to the bulkhead for correct access.
Wait until you try to hang the rudder and the lower cap hits the tail spring. You have to cut the bottom off the rudder cap and fiberglass it to close it up. There are also no instructions for connecting the tail wheel chains to the bottom rudder bell crank. This is all very easy to overcome once you know the answers.

Roger Ping
RV-9 77 hrs.

Thanks Roger. Great to know I'm not just going crazy or something. I'll be sure to bug you when it comes to figuring out my chains! :D Still pretty fired up about the -9 after 77 hours? Have a good weekend.
 
Bill and Roger,

That's great to hear you guys had the same problem with the bottom rudder fairing interfering with the tailwheel. I had the same issue and thought it was because I screwed something up or that I built my empenage thinking I was going the 9A route at the time.
Anyway, wings are going on this weekend, panel is being built, transition training is scheduled, and a DAR is lined up.
Another -9 to join the fleet soon!
Bruce
N659DB
 
If you haven't already drilled the bottom rudder fairing, it's easier to trim off the top and raise the whole fairing than to do fiberglass on the bottom.
Mel...DAR
 
I?m sure Mel is correct, although I didn?t have that option. Here are a few pics to give you an idea of how much had to come off the bottom so you can see how much you have to trim off the top. It looks like you may have to cut it at an angle. Although, it only took me a few minutes to fiberglass the bottom on.

Roger

77 hours and having fun... Wonderful airplane!



Unfotunately I have to tear my engine down and I?ll probable start next week. The person who overhauled the engine did not get the case to crank oil slinger clerance correct causing and oil leak at the crank seal.
If all goes well I hope to be back up in 4 or 5 weeks. :)



123120040017hm.jpg


123120040022mi.jpg


123120040038oa.jpg
 
Mel said:
If you haven't already drilled the bottom rudder fairing, it's easier to trim off the top and raise the whole fairing than to do fiberglass on the bottom.
Mel...DAR
Mel,

I have drilled the holes but haven't cut the rudder bottom yet because I kept thinking about doing what you suggest. Filling the few holes sounds much easier than cutting the rudder bottom and would probably look better too.

Roger,

Nice pictures, I'll post mine when I get to it. Right now I'm building the roll bar and the panel, it all depends on what I feel like working on at the time.

Bummer about the engine!
 
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