wannabe wrote:The only swept tail 172 tail wheel converted plane I know of
belonged to Jim Larkin a long time ago. May have a slim chance
to get the tail number for research but may take a few days.

Another old pilot here used to complain about his a lot.
Mostly just the horsepower.

The big problem for Chris at Delair will be the usual problem of getting the
main gear made if it is not a stock part. Took me almost two years to get
a new 180 wheels forward set from ? XP Mods ? around 2004-2006.
Believe they are still in business somewhere- somehow- some-name.

Chris C

http://thelandinggearworks.com/main-gear

Tom does good work.


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Tom Anderson at LGW sells titanium 180/185 gear legs.
He also buys / takes in trade / reconditions / sells stock steel Cessna gear legs.
Nice guy and very knowledgeable.

I don't have specific knowledge about 172TD's,
but I used to own a C150TD, converted with the Texas Taildragger STC.
FWIW the forward tail spring bolt goes up through the bottom of the tailcone.
There is an added skin at that location, on the exterior,
plus as I recall a doubler inside.
Maybe some stiffeners also, I can't remember.
It did NOT use the stock tailspring mounting bracket.

Also FWIW, I have a copy of the Lowe C150TD STC paperwork,
it basically uses C140 parts.
Some stiffeners are added to the fuselage at the tailcone,
then a C140 tailspring bracket is installed.

Halestrom

Yes Tom does good work- that is why it took him the time it did for mine.

It was at a time when had to move and get new suppliers able to meet his and the FAA specs. I was in no rush as I could always stick my 185 legs back on for a while. STIFF though with the extra ~~.062"

I just want to make sure that no one thinks my first post carried any negative connotations..

Chris C

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A club I used to fly with actually rented a 172TD. I was hoping it'd be like a 170 or mini 180. I'm not sure what stc was installed but it was a swept tail late 70s airplane. The club didn't have the airplane very long. The rudder authority wasn't anything like a 170. Also be particularly careful with the tailwheel rigging. The tailwheel control wires on this airplane came down at a steep angle to a flat tw control horn. We did bend that horn on a landing. After breaking down the angles and forces into appropriate components it was clear the design didn't meet part 23 regs when the horn was deflected around 20degrees. I'll try and look into what stc was installed. The other thing was that the floor was raised under the rudder pedals to accommodate the tw control wires. I'm sure it's something you could get used to but it was a little tight and easy to hit the brakes if you've got bigger feet.

I've only flown one swept tail 172 tailwheel conversion, but it definitely didn't have enough rudder.

MTV