Aluminum Overcast tail wheel

[gmilty]

Just wondering when if ever will Aluminum Overcast's tail wheel be made retractable?
Such a beautiful aircraft just does not quite look right with the tail wheel hanging down as it flies overhead.
After all these years I would have expected this to be corrected!

Just wondering.......................

[krw920]

I've been told it is not retractable because of the seating arrangements on it. So it isn't retractable on purpose, not due to a hardware problem.

[rwanttaja]

I've been told it is not retractable because of the seating arrangements on it. So it isn't retractable on purpose, not due to a hardware problem.

That's possible, I guess. The aftmost seats are just aft of the entry door, and just (barely) forward of the tailwheel. They're atop a big box that might house the retract mechanism. Could be that the box/seat obstructs access to the mechanism that would allow manual lowering of the tailwheel if it were to jam.

Here's a picture I shot about six years ago, showing a pair of passengers sitting on what is probably the cover over the tailwheel.

Ron Wanttaja

[gmilty]

That's possible, I guess. The aftmost seats are just aft of the entry door, and just (barely) forward of the tailwheel. They're atop a big box that might house the retract mechanism. Could be that the box/seat obstructs access to the mechanism that would allow manual lowering of the tailwheel if it were to jam.

Here's a picture I shot about six years ago, showing a pair of passengers sitting on what is probably the cover over the tailwheel.

Ron Wanttaja

If there is a will, a way can be found.

[Rod Schneider]

The box has nothing to do with the retract mechanism. All of that is behind the bulkhead where the rear seats are mounted, including the hand crank mechanism. To crank the tail wheel down, you'd have to crawl around the tail wheel since the hand crank plugs in from the back.
The rear set arrangement probably does affect it since the top of the strut and the upper retract arm would move forward during retraction, and would protrude several inches forward between the back seat passengers shoulders. It would come through about where you can see the piece of plexiglass that is bolted to the bulkhead uprights. On Liberty Belle and The Movie Memphis Belle, we did not have a seat across the rear, but we did have a double seat along the left aft sidewall. Both ships had/have retractable tail wheels.

[67jwbruce]

I hope those seats are really cheap. Looks like the view wouldn't be much to brag about