, sauf sur les sujets qui ont une rubrique spécifique (voir ci-dessous),
Je ne peux m’empêcher de vous faire partager le propos d’un ami pilote de Jodel. Ce récit démontre si nécessaire l’extraordinaire longévité des pièces d’une « certaine aviation ».
Ceux qui se rendront aux îles Scilly survoleront Farway Common, une charmante piste entretenue par de très nombreux moutons qu’il convient d’éviter à l’atterro.…
Hi All,
Can I pass on a little story?
A few weeks ago I was at the Farway Common fly-in (Terry Case's strip in Devon, UK). There were a few Jodellers including (I think) Mike King, who rebuilds Jodels at nearby Branscombe.
The talk turned to tailwheel shimmy, and Mike remarked that my tailwheel tyre looked 'a bit small'. (I think he was being polite).
Who among us gives consideration to the condition of a solid tailwheel tyre, if everything seems to be functioning properly? A few days later, with Permit up for renewal, I took a closer look (I used to get bad tailwheel shimmy on a hard runway) and measured the diameter of my nominally 6 inch tailwheel tyre. It was down to just above 5 inches (after 47 years, perhaps no surprise!). Half an inch of solid rubber removed all the way round represents quite a reduction in mass and gyroscopic force.
So, replacement tyre procured from Watts Aviation (ouch! £75; their last one). Aircraft jacked up, old wheel removed, tyre removed from rim; bearing found significantly corroded, but functioning. Replaced, of course. It's all back together. Still no tailwheel shimmy, and good for another 47 years...
I pass it on, FWIW.
Regards,
Graham G-BHTC
Claude B
