One of my goals in my soon-to-be Charger build is to build a "vintage" looking plane (mid 20s to early 30s era). I'm thinking about what it would take to fit 16" (or so) wheels and skinny tires a la the radial Hatz Classic in Switzerland, which is an aesthetic inspiration for me (pictured below).
Obvious problems are finding the wheels, and finding the tires. That I can wrap my brain around. I would even consider making the wheels myself, since that's something I already know how to do.
What other factors would come up, though? Here's what I've thought of so far:
* Increased prop clearance (not particularly useful)
* Decreased visibility over the nose, but it's already impossible to see, so this seems like a non-factor
* Increased demands on the braking system (increased lever arm from the wheel)
* Increased tailwheel weight from higher stance
* Potentially increased empty weight due to heavier wheels/tires
* Maybe a lower natural "tail up" speed on take-off?
* Possible differences to landing procedure?
I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. I'll probably also model it in X-Plane, just to see what happens. I'll report back on the results of that.
I already know that I should stick to the plans, no need to repeat that advice. I'm just curious about the theoretical aerodynamic or ground dynamic forces on the plane with a change like this.
Obvious problems are finding the wheels, and finding the tires. That I can wrap my brain around. I would even consider making the wheels myself, since that's something I already know how to do.
What other factors would come up, though? Here's what I've thought of so far:
* Increased prop clearance (not particularly useful)
* Decreased visibility over the nose, but it's already impossible to see, so this seems like a non-factor
* Increased demands on the braking system (increased lever arm from the wheel)
* Increased tailwheel weight from higher stance
* Potentially increased empty weight due to heavier wheels/tires
* Maybe a lower natural "tail up" speed on take-off?
* Possible differences to landing procedure?
I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. I'll probably also model it in X-Plane, just to see what happens. I'll report back on the results of that.
I already know that I should stick to the plans, no need to repeat that advice. I'm just curious about the theoretical aerodynamic or ground dynamic forces on the plane with a change like this.
