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QuoteI don't have that problem anymore (see pix)
Funny you should say that. My love affair N3615C a 1954 180 lost a main tire taking off from the beach near Scorpion Bay in Baja. That was a trip to talk about. Tail draggers are not immune.

Ever land that sucker somewhere like Mojave? Or more accurately try to taxi somewhere like Mojave? Or worse taxi somewhere that has high wind but no wing walkers much less know what they are. Fun.
I love my tail dragger, I love my tail dragger.........
Never really had a problem, YET!, but I don't think I would care too much for a wheel problem of any kind. Even a simple blowout can be catastrophic in our planes.
My 185 did not suffer an in-flight accident either. It was on floats and while docked in a wind storm in Canada, A helio courier also on floats was blown on top of it breaking the 185 in half just aft of the rear window and crushing the cabin. It almost wasn't worth the effort but I had a host 182 which was totaled from an engine fire which gave me a lot of the parts.
This is what it looked like when I got it (pix)
My 185 did not suffer an in-flight accident either. It was on floats and while docked in a wind storm in Canada, A helio courier also on floats was blown on top of it breaking the 185 in half just aft of the rear window and crushing the cabin. It almost wasn't worth the effort but I had a host 182 which was totaled from an engine fire which gave me a lot of the parts.
This is what it looked like when I got it (pix)
You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime
jonstark 8
Quote
Ever land that sucker somewhere like Mojave? Or more accurately try to taxi somewhere like Mojave? I love my tail dragger.........
I got my private in a 7ECA Citabria that I rebuilt at Whiteman Airport. It had a "Skipper" rudder which I had to get field approved that was 8" longer than the standard. That thing was like power steering and allowed me to seek out crosswind landings for the fun. (I had already ground looped it during my student training and had something to prove to myself.) I got to where I was "wearing" that Citabi and would go out to the desert strips and/or just go out into the chapperal for the wonder of landing, shutting down and revelling in the splendor and silence of the desert. There are a couple things I do NOT miss about SoCal flying though. One of which is the Santa Anna winds!
Since the Citabria I have rebuilt and enjoyed a 108-2 Stinson which belonged to Burt Rutan's rocket engineer up in Mojave. I got checked out in it by Mike Melville and that is another taildragger story that you'd appreciate. I now have a 56 C-180. All of them have been across the USA with one or the other of my kids on board and I will say there have been times that I have questioned the wisdom of choosing to fly only tailwheel. Nothing in the world has gotten my attention more than two engine failures and a 30kt direct crosswind landing with a child on board for each event.
(I love my taildragger too)
jon
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