Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt
Are taildraggers really that demanding on the rudders even without winds and if so, is that a result of a free-castoring tailwheel that can be mitigated by locking it in place?
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They
can be, it depends on the aircraft. I'm really basing most of my comments on the Pitts, which has a power/weight ratio approaching (not quite though) that of the earlier WWII fighters, but obviously much less weight all told and designed with a different purpose in mind - I doubt that any WWII fighter would have the kind of control authority that the Pitts posesses. All the taildraggers I've flown have had steerable or locking tailwheels, so I can't really say what effect a free castoring tailwheel would have. The Harvard (AT6) is reputed to be a bugger on the ground though, and I think that has a free castoring TW.
W.