Help Convince Me
 

I am ordering my wings and fuse kits next week. I have 720 hours in nose wheel aircraft but, after reading all the post on VAF about Tail Draggers I?m now on the fence. I have my Emp for my 7 done and ready to move forward so, the facts seem to be..
1. Faster. No nose gear to drag around
2. More interior space. No weld mounts in the way
3. More capable of landing on grass strips
4. Lower to the ground so, easier to load and enter.
5. Easier to install and remove cowl
I have also just discovered that Alex at Eagles Nest is just hour and a half from my house for training.

What else am I missing?

I do enjoy a good can of worms. ;)

Think of all the neat airplanes you are denying yourself the ability to fly by not building an airplane you can gain this valuable experience with.

Order your wings and stew about it some more while you work on 'em. ;)

- John

Tougher to see objects on the taxiway...........that shouldn't be there..:eek:

Seems that a Pitts that I use to fly, and an RV9 had a common problem with tractors that pull airplanes around. The Pitts was returned to the factory for repairs, and the 9 went back to it's factory........also.

L.Adamson --- RV6A

Insurance rate differential. Conventional wisdom is that there are two kinds of tail dragger pilots, those who have ground looped and those who are going to. While I know us RV types are special, the conventional wisdom is not without some basis.

Tail draggers look cool.

I am building an 8 and recently got my tail wheel endorsement in a Pietenpol. I also learned how to repair a wood and fabric airplane thanks to a not so great landing. But I am having a blast flying the Piet.

pdj

All depends. I like WWII military paint schemes. So yes, the 8 looks cool as a tail dragger. But when I compare a nose wheel retractable Glasair to the tail dragger version, the retract wins by a mile. Both in the air, and on the ground. A 7 can be either...........since it's wings are a bit longer than a squatting dog 6... :D

And yes, I know a tail dragger pilot who has damaged two...as of now.

L.Adamson --- RV6A, would like an Aviat Husky & Cessna Citation 10

Don't forget the sexy factor! The 7's stance is sexier than the -A IMHO anyways. Chicks dig sexy! :D

Insurance rate differential
 

good point. what is the insurance rate difference?

Zero, zilch, nadda.

Radomir and I started flying our planes at the same time and had the same TT, but I had a little over 100 hours TW.

He had a -7A, I had my -9, and our insurance rates were the same (when the different insured hull values were taken into account).

It wouldn't surprise me if the rate of "A" tip-overs and non-A ground loops are the same. Meaning, very few for both models and thus the insurance differential is not there.

With either model, you will pay more the first year and then expect your rate to drop once you get 100 hours in type.

Hopefully one of the insurance guys who frequent this board will speak up on the subject.