RV-14 tail spring on RV-7?

[papamike]

I suppose I should ask Van's about this, but I'll ask here too.
Anybody know if the tail spring for the -14, PN U-00016-PC, might fit in a -7?
The reason I'm asking is because the -14 spring is bent down, and I'm wondering if that might give improved vision over the nose of the -7. I have to admit that I've also been landing tail-first a few times and my tailwheel has contacted the lower rudder fairing.

Thanks

 

[BoydBirchler]

Yes there is very little clearance with the big rudder and the top nut on the tailwheel. Almost all of the bottom rudder fairings on the planes I have done conditional inspections show some evidence of contact with the bottom rudder fiberglass fairing, Some required replacement or repair. To get around the forward view problem I made foam and glass light weight booster seats for my plane. They work great.

 

[bjdecker]

I've done it; here's the pics.

The castor angle for the tailwheel is all kinds of wrong -- it won't shimmy, but it won't steer either . I changed to the RV-14 jdair yoke, but the angle is still a little to positive (or negative depending upon your perspective.). The other down side of this is the decrease in 3 point flare angle (and increase in airspeed). It's only a knot or two difference though.

 

[rvbuilder2002]

The other down side of this is the decrease in 3 point flare angle (and increase in airspeed). It's only a knot or two difference though.

Ahhh, someone that actually believes me

In my opinion, the first thing to consider for the OP in getting better visibility is make sure you are seated properly in the cockpit.
Do whatever you have to do with seat cushions to assure you are sitting as high as possible.
A lot of people fly RVs with 6 inches or more of headroom. You don’t need that much if you are flying with cinched up belts.
Sitting up high, will have a secondary effect as well. It greatly improves your site line for three-point landings and landing performance is usually improved.

 

[Jpm757]

Ahhh, someone that actually believes me

In my opinion, the first thing to consider for the OP in getting better visibility is make sure you are seated properly in the cockpit.
Do whatever you have to do with seat cushions to assure you are sitting as high as possible.
A lot of people fly RVs with 6 inches or more of headroom. You don’t need that much if you are flying with cinched up belts.
Sitting up high, will have a secondary effect as well. It greatly improves your site line for three-point landings and landing performance is usually improved.

 

[Jpm757]

I am assuming the tailwheel spring mount on the RV-7 will accept the RV-14 spring? I had a negative camber on my -7 and bent the spring similliar to the shape of the -14. Yes I needed to trim the lower rudder cap.

 

[Taltruda]

I suppose I should ask Van's about this, but I'll ask here too.
Anybody know if the tail spring for the -14, PN U-00016-PC, might fit in a -7?
The reason I'm asking is because the -14 spring is bent down, and I'm wondering if that might give improved vision over the nose of the -7. I have to admit that I've also been landing tail-first a few times and my tailwheel has contacted the lower rudder fairing.

Thanks
View attachment 54424

If you’ve been landing tail first (unintentionally) having the bent spring will probably make it worse.. That curve does look pretty sweet though. what speed are you over the numbers? Try adding 5 or 10 knots to that, and don’t hold it off as long. I like 70 knots, get in to ground effect and put it on the ground (wheel landing) or hold it off just enough for the 3-point attitude and let it settle. Whenever you taxi, that’s your opportunity to study the 3 point attitude and try to memorize where the horizon cuts through the windscreen/cowl.

 

[mr.sun]

I used the H.F. pipe bender to put an 8 degree bend in my -7 tail spring. This was described somewhere in these posts a few years back.