It will be nice to one day get past all this basic stuff like steering which shouldn't be a chore.Anyway, I have the CH pedals and while this has been a problem itwas really an issue when I tried to fly the Extra.I could not keep it straight on the runway. Even when I would right rudder to move right as it began to veer left on the takeoff run it seemed that sometimes it would continue left while at other times, even with what I thought was a little rudder it goes wide right.What gives with that and what do I need to know about rudder and steering???Thanks.Louis

It just occured to me - would the steering problems in the Extra haveanything to do with it being a taildragger?Louis

There are a LOT of factors with taildraggers and steering. Some have casting tail wheels (think shopping cart wheels), some have steerable tailwheels. There are also aerodynamic issues regarding the prop that create difficulties. The mere fact that the center of gravity is a ways behind the main wheels causes problems in control on the ground.Casting wheels won't turn it by themselves, and the rudder requires a good airflow over it to work, so your toe brakes are going to be your best friend for taxiing and the early stages of take off until you have the airspeed for the rudder to work. This castering wheel will continue it in a turn until force is applied to change the direction of turn. Since the weight of the plane is mostly behind the main wheels, momentum will cause it to swing around in the direction of movement. This is why a little goes a long ways with a taildragger.The next consideration is that the prop spining in front of you has four turning tendancies: Torque, Gyroscopic Procession, Asymmetrical Thrust, and Spiraling Slipstream. These four forces are always effecting you, but are most noticble in different regimes.Torque simply comes from the fact you have a rotating wing infront of you that is subject to all the forces of your fixed wings sticking out the side. This is an example of Newton's third law of motion, "For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction". Since the prop spins clockwise (as viewed from the pilot's seat) and is subject to drag, attempts to spin the aircraft counter clockwise in equal force to the drag.The next force, Gyroscopic Precession, is a major consideration in the take off roll of a taildragger. The spinning prop acts as a gyroscope and thus makes it subject to precession. Any force applied to the rim of a gyroscope will react approxemately 90

Fabulous!!!Thank you.Louis

Hi. sometimes i get a similar effect when the fuel tanks have unequal fuel in them. the plane will drift to the heavier side. yeah, just driftin' to the heavy side.