Light Aircraft Association

I operate a tailwheel microlight from a grass strip. Farm drive is concrete so taxi 200 yards to the grass.
Currrently have a 6" solid Matco tailwheel but have seen a 6" pneumatic of the same make for sale.
Would there be any noticeable advantage of having the pneumatic version - or even disadvantage? Wouldn't mind a slightly smoother ride as the solid is well solid and on a pretty stiff tailspring. Equally don't want anything prone to bursting easily or needing replacement.

Any advice gratefully received!

Sean Hi.
I know what you mean about it feeling very hard on the concrete but....
I have the same tailwheel and its solid too but very little maintenance other than checking freedom of rotation and some grease via the nipple on the swivel. A pneumatic version is another piece of checking to be done and will wear being a softer compound. Tire pressures to play with too. Finally. If it punctures you'll get a very squirrely control.
I wonder if mounting the tailwheel spring to fuselage using rubber mountings might help?
Regards
Gerry
White Ox Mead

Hi Gerry,
I know what you mean about he solid being easy to look after. Pneumatic can cause its own issues obviously. I hadn't considered the mounting to be honest. I'll have a look to see what is possible. I asked the same question on the Flyer forum and someone there uses the pneumatic and likes it. He carries the old solid one as a spare which makes good sense!
Sean

Hi Sean,
When I was building my VP-1 a few years ago I toyed with the idea of a pneumatic tailwheel but eventually settled for a solid one and after 12 years of flying her , I can tell you it was the right decision as it has performed faultlessly on both hard and grass runways/taxiways.
Gerry is quite right , a pneumatic tyre is just one more potential bit of unplanned maintenance which just could bite you unexpectedly in the rear,,,,and if it bites whilst away from base....

During my build , I bought a lightweight Italian manufactured soft rubber tailwheel, I believe it was at Cranfield '97. I was dead chuffed with it , as it was light as a feather. Unfortunately it had about the same structural integrity as a feather and became ripped to shreds before I had even finished taxi-testing.
Believe me mate , if you've got a weak tailwheel, your aeroplane will very soon find it.....................
And as for going looking for advice on that other forum.......Really..

Interesting Chris. I had more or less come to the same conclusion that it is not worth changing. My strip is pretty level and will need another roll before winter. I haven't as yet landed on tarmac or concrete (in anything as it happens) but certainly don't want a puff of smoke and sparks if I do.
As for enquiring on the other forum it must have been late at night and I was 'tired'

Had a solid one on our Luscombe when we bought it.

When we moved it to Sleap with hard but bumpy / seamy runways and taxiways it was very loud and very bumpy. Also tracked seams in the runway like a stylus.

Changed to a pneumatic Maule assembly and it was easier handling, quieter, smoother and seemed much kinder to the airframe.
Worked better on grass too - less prone to sinking in if parked somewhere a little soft and being taller than the old solid one was less prone to picking up grass when said grass was more than 3 inches long.

You pays your money and takes your choice, depending on your circumstances.

We initially started with a Pneumatic tailwheel on a RV6
but soon changed back to a solid one as it became impossible to keep it inflated. The volume of air it contained was so small that any side force rapidly depleted it and the tyre came off the rim.
We rapidly reverted to a solid tyre which we have used for 5 years operating off both grass and hard runways.
Colin