When Ryan stopped flying his "missionary" flights I wondered in which direction he would take his channel and if it would be interesting, all I can say is that I'm still watching and still enjoying his videos. Thumbs up from me.
Ryan, be aware that bare aluminum and straight steel (fasteners) do not mix, Galvanic is always the enemy. Coated bolts and hard coat anodizing will prevent a lot of that but the best solution is either stainless bolts or those Grade 8 Zinc coated bolts as long as the coating stays intact. As far as your conflict at going back to PNG, I can relate as I spent two long (3 Year) tours overseas in the military, the latter with a subsequent 1 year add on without coming back to "the world". Even though I loved Japan and Korea, after 4 years you just want to 'go home'. It is obvious from your video journals that you are/were doing very good work there and I could see no one better at doing it than you and Chelsea. Finally, I would not sell the aircraft, as you may or may not find the same economics of plane buying when you get back. I know the storage would be a drain, but there is no better place to store aircraft than Arizona. Take Care Sir and God Bless!!
Real glad you had the opportunity to share the heart of the work that you do in PNG and your heart for the Lord.. You've never HIDDEN the word MISSIONARY. So it's been quite clear. But this video is the first you've explained YOUR heart as a Christian believer and what the work is that you do. Wonderful!! Wind in your sails, brother!!
Just some basic suspension 101 FIY: You want about 25-30% of sag (negative suspension travel), so the wheel can follow the ground. Getting the right spring rate is the base for everything else. If you want maximum bottoming resistance you want a spring just hard enough to give you the right amount of sag without preload -which you probably won't get but thats the theory. But within reason, you want to use those 6" of travel after all. Then you can start playing with compression damping, I would recommend to start soft and turn it harder only if you have issues with bottoming. For rebound damping I would also recommend to start soft and try to stay on the soft side, again let the wheel follow the ground. Oh and I would recommend some sort of a bump-stop, when you bottom out, thats when the greatest forces are involved. Great project, hope you keep us updated on the development!
Your videos are of high quality, and this is a nicely designed tailwheel in FreeCAT! As a retired soldier I can confirm that I hardly saw my child grow up, luckily I was not on a mission when she was born. The woman is on her own and depends on the help of others! She is also far away from her family, so your partner is actually very important so you don't have to worry about it.
Ryan, thank you for your service as a missionary pilot! My wife’s foster parents were missionaries in South America (mostly Chile) for over 30 years! Your role is one I dreamed of but never pursued. Prayers for support and donations when able! Regarding your tail wheel great job! I’ve written a short article for our local EAA Chapter (Shelbyville TN) about the use of Lowe’s Aviation or Ace Aviation hardware on both certified and experimental aircraft. My recommendation as an A&P/IA is…don’t use it on any parts that are flight critical, that would include your landing gear! The make up of Mil-Spec hardware is controlled and use-specific (strength under tension or shear, etc.) Anytime your and your family are in middle TN, free room and board! God bless and fly safe! Ken
Thank you Ryan for being honest about your missionary work. Having spent many years, myself, in PNG I know exactly what you are talking about. God bless you and continue being bold for Christ!!
Ryan, I admire your ingenuity and tenacity. Your tailwheel is indeed a work of art. Before committing to merchandising your design, you should commission a real engineer (with an iron ring and all that entails) to perform a stress and failure-mode analysis on your design to CYA in case of product liability.
I understand how you feel about living in a foreign country Ryan. My wife is from the Philippines and I spent 10 months there from December 10, 2019 to October 10, 2020. My wife wanted to know how I felt by living there. From the dates it happened during the pandemic. We have a house in Silang, Cavite and on January 12, 2020 the Taal Volcano erupted. Our house is about 19km (12 miles) north of the main crater so I got to experience that along with so many volcanic earthquakes from the movement of the magma. All of the ashfall killed most of the plants because it was mixed with rain but the pine trees survived because they were bigger and we washed the ash off of it. Maybe I went through a little more than normal but it's not enough to keep me from wanting to go back. It's great that you want to share the word of God with others God bless you and your family Ryan.
I spent six years in PNG, the last 4 years in an AusAID capacity. I travelled to almost all parts of that spectacular country as part of the AusAID role. Yes, as an Australian, it was only a 2 hour flight to get back "home" to Queensland. However, after a couple of years, flying into Port Moresby was also like returning home. I met my wife there and our children, now in their teens, have those beautiful exotic mixed race looks.
Again, I love watching the progress of what you’re doing with your airplane and thank you for sharing your heart for Christ and what you do… Brother, you are an incredible man
Ryan, you are an amazing individual. You have talents that I only dream about. I believe you can accomplish anything you look to achieve. Best of all,you are a true missionary in every sense of the word. Always looking to help the less fortunate. I understand what attracted you to PNG! I watch every video you make. Good luck with your final decision and the direction life takes you!
Ryan I felt the call to mission aviation a year ago and am working on my commercial and my AMT to go into missions aviation. Your videos have been so interesting for me to see the life of a real missionary pilot doing what I want to do both on mission and on home assignment. Love your channel so much!
OMGoodness, I am so glad you got your new beefy tailwheel. I had gotten into a routine of saying a prayer before each video I knew you would be landing off airport, now I can have a more relaxed, less frequent prayer for you. Whew!🙄 Thumbs up Given!
Hey Ryan, thanks for the encouragement. I’ve been following you for probably a year or so. I’ve had the dream of doing what you do for years, so watching your videos has really inspired me. Thankful to finally hear your heart for the gospel and about the organization you are a part of. Keep up the great work!
I know it's a good idea to keep the shock from bottoming out, but the way the bolt hits the outside bracket in the circle creates a shearing motion that makes me a little nervous. I hope that the repetition of bumping hard against the aluminum doesn't eventually shear the head/nut off the bolt. And if it doesn't, it seems like it would scar up the aluminum... it may be fine, but I just kept looking at that.
I built one similar to that for a sky raider I built and the difference going across a field windrow was like riding in a covered wagon and a Cadillac.😂also the pivot point on the tail wheel has to be vertical when fully loaded otherwise ground handling will suffer.
I m very happy for your plans Ryan!!! You were connected so much with those people and life in PNG.. I couldn't imagine how it would be in USA for you and the channel, however you did it great and better than I thought...Keep doing your excellent work and hope to see you soon back on those Kodiaks
I assume you did a new weight & balance before you installed it or even designed it. A few lbs. that far on the moment arm is potentially a very big deal for shifting the envelope.
The envelope being the Centre of Gravity. Nice to be able to experiment, but better to know what happened to the CG by adding 5+ pounds back there, how does the plane stall characteristics change. Ryan knows what he's doing as a pilot, but there's stuff he doesn't know about the airframe, etc. I was surprised he didn't know the weight of the wheel assembly he removed.
Oh, he covered the weight differences around 25:00 and mentioned the aerodynamics didn't work very well with flaps but with the extra 5.2 pounds the plane flies better with flaps
@danblumel exactly. And don't fly super far away to test it, without some confidence all is well. Maybe Ryan didn't show all the boring safety stuff that went into his wheel design/change? He certainly knows all about W&B in PNG and the Kodiak!
@@mikeluckham5518 yes have that right about W&B for the Kodiak in PNG. But the way he spoke about the weight made me wonder. A few pounds near the CG is one thing, that far back is quite another.
Wow! That landing was a grease job! You have the touch my friend. I used to have to cement my fillings back in-place, after riding with a few of my Delta friends looking for a 3-wire!
Nice build. Piece of advice, keep a hammer, punch and spare bolt on board as I can see that "pivot bolt" potentially being sheared off at the most inconvenient time
Ryan, I agree with you. I’ve done work that has kingdom value and many people didn’t understand why I did it or it’s importance, but knowing people will come up to you in heaven and will thank you for sharing Christ with them is worth it all. So keep it up Ryan. Also, maybe just find someone you trust who can hold on to your plane while you’re gone and can do maintenance and fly it and just keep it safe until you get back.
Not a great supporter of the religious side of missionary work, but a strong supporter of efforts to help people in all other ways. Love the flying videos, especially PNG where I helped build Nadzab airport in the 1970s as a gift from Australia to PNG when PNG became independent. Cheers.
a simple scale under your tailwheel would tell you the weight, and then some basic free body calculations would give you the spring force required, which you can then translate to a given spring at a given compression.
@@MissionaryBushPilot The weight of the aircraft resting on the tailwheel gives you the torque acting upon the tailwheel arm (weight acting straight up x arm perpendicular to the weight, measured from the pivot). Use a ratio of weight and lever arms to determine the spring force needed to hold up the tail acting on the smaller lever arm of the bellcrank. Then it's down to choosing a spring of the appropriate spring rate and length to give you the tail position you need (spring length at the require compression force, and preload), while leaving enough remaining travel in the spring and shock before hitting the solid length of the spring, or the travel stop of the shock, to handle additional forces during landings. Torque = Force * arm Force on wheel * long arm = Force on Spring * short arm Spring Force = spring rate * compressed length Springs should have a specification defining the free length (uncompressed), spring rate, and solid length. May take a few tries to find the right spring. Plenty of simple videos online showing how to do basic torque and spring rate calculations. (Force on wheel * long arm)/short arm = spring rate * compressed length
Ryan your an awesome pilot husband and father I love your channel and if you go back across the pond always keep your trust in God and I know that your always safety first, if it's supposed to happen it will. 😊 But please keep doing your videos everyday I open my RU-vid I'm looking to see if you posted any new videos your work is so relaxing and easy to understand. Your very good at doing your videos. Thank you Ryan and may God bless you and keep you 🙏 😊 ❤
You did it!!! (((Ryan))) So happy for you. I'm sure once you put the proper screws in there and fine tune your adjustments, it will be an even smoother landing. Thank you for explaining to us each step that you were doing before you did it, when putting that all into place. Glad to hear you say you will be returning to PNG in the summer, but I can totally sympathize with the internal struggle caused by being back home with family and friends. God bless you for discerning and making the right decision. One last thing. That blue sky is so amazing!!! Stay safe in your travels!!! ❤️
Awesome work Ryan, it looks so sturdy👍Hopefully the 1500lb spring will get you the 6" clearance and hopefully you can sort the taxi problem out, I'm glad it worked out for you👍It sounds so much quieter also!
I'm happy to hear your plan to return to Papua New Guinea this summer and I agree it's probably best to sell the "upgraded" Kitfox. After all, you are Missionary Bush Pilot. I'm also glad the Kitfox is giving you some R&R during your renewal leave. Looking forward to the rest of your adventures in the States and then back in PNG.
Hey Ryan. What ever direction you take is all good. You are a good soul, Difficult to find nowadays. Thank you for an insight into the real you. Happy new year to all, Bless................ :-)
It must be great to have an experimental so that you can "experiment" with systems such as this and the VGs. Love your videos, thanks for all the enjoyment.
Great work. Very much appreciate the background on your mission work and your faith. No, not everyone here shares the same values, but it's obviously an important part of your family's lives.
As I told you at Christmas I've been waiting for this video, good job on the design. I've also heard about the coffee table incident..... If you decide to go to PNG you're welcome to store your plane in my hangar, you'll just have to fly it to Texas. I'll even fly you back home. My CAP Colonel has about 20,000 hours, lots of tailwheel time, and will be happy to fly your plane once in a while. We can arrange to keep it in annual too. It will just be a 900 mile flight down here....
Hey Ryan, well done on your first prototype. Looks good. I'm sure you'll find the right spring to. Well done on your missionary work. I pray the Lord bless you and your family in your endeavors.
Great job on the tail wheel! And I did never think you was never going back because of your love for what you did in PNG your love of doing good in life and aviation is such a great passion!! I can not wait to see ya go back!! Sad that you are going to sell the plan! I know that was a hard decision!
Excellent job designing your own tail wheel. I know your a modest guy, but you should be proud of what you designed. I have been watching for a year or so and love your content. Keep up the great work Ryan.
Good morning from Minnesota!! I think its amazing that you and your family are doing what you feel led to do!! Serving others is a gift and I think you're good at it! Don't be afraid to tell us what you need, you have really fantastic followers!!
God bless and keep you, keep being obedient and He’ll give you the desires of your heart. I worked for MAF in Africa for a number of years and was so sure I wanted to fly full time in the missions but being young and aviation obsessed I don’t believe my heart was ready but now I yearn and wish I saw it through. It’s not at all too late but God would have to open the doors I said He would open for you if I can just be more obedient. I’m single and able to work anywhere in the world and more mature now as a believer but God’s will be done. Blessed landings brother
Now that is looking the part! Some tweaking to be done as you anticipated but the concept looks sound and you really can now call it an Adventure Fox as sitting on that tailwheel it looks at home in the bush. Seems to behave well on landing and hopefully you can sort out that right swivelling tendancy so that taxiing is easier. The angle of attack looks way better. Certainly worth looking into marketing it for other planes from what we've seen so far. Well done with learning FreeCad so quickly to produce a real, working product. I've dabbled with it for a couple of years on and off but never really put in the time and effort to master it despite having an engineering background! Looking forward to seeing the next video landing on the rougher ground - don't doubt it will be fine.
I just wanted to say that I appreciate the fact that you generally leave the religious stuff out of your videos. I'm interested in the aviation part (only).
God bless you with all of your decisions and accomplishments! Like the way you talk to us, especially the ones of us with aviation interests but don’t fly.
Love your videos! I was with SIL in PNG working on the Ogea New Testament in the Madang province. Glad to hear you are going back! You are so right about the internal stress of living in a foreign culture that can exist even after years of being there. It is only after returning home you realize it.
Nice job, Ryan! To have your first CAD design come out that well is amazing. I've been working in CAD for several years and rarely have a first prototype come out that good. 👏
Ryan, Thanks for sharing the video. I am very happy your new tail wheel is working out. Please don't use grade 8 bolts They are too hard. They will break not bend. Aircraft bolts are grade 5 with rolled not cut threads The are definitely not grade 8.
Fantastic Ryan! Think about::: getting your Aircraft Checklist box for MSFS as a Add On Mod.....I think it would be a great addition to all the Flightsim planes!!..beat printing out checklist...or reading pop up tabs on screen.
That wheel looks like just what the Doctor ordered. It is wonderful news that you are heading back to PNG in the summer. We trust God will bring the supporters that you need to return to the field. God bless you and your family……Roger
Great work, great video! Let me make a few quick comments. First, many people living for a long time in other countries report cultural and personal fatigue after a few years. However, many of those people eventually get over it. Second, I guess because you have an experimental aircraft you won't get hassled by the Feds. But if you form a company to sell a key part of an airplane, I suspect that you will have to do a lot of expensive and careful analysis and testing. Third, you mention as a positive that if the spring bottoms out then a hardened steel bolt will jam against the aluminum structure of the rear wheel strut. That's a good approximation of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. I have seen springs backed up by a rubber buffer to keep things from shattering. Your family and you are leading adventurous lives and doing a lot of good for humanity. I wish you all well!
Ryan, on the bolt that bottoms out inside the circular cutout to prevent full spring compression, you should be using a socket head cap screw (SHCS), grade 8 or better with zinc chromate coating. After many landings, you might experience enough wear on the bolt head that extraction could prove impossible.\
Awesome engineering job! As some others have said, I would be concerned about Galvanic corrosion between the steel bolts and aluminum bracket. Coating or even some dielectric grease can help. I would also use safety wire on the bolts.
That's awesome it works so well. Very cool and smooth. Maybe a hard rubber bumper where the bolt hits the frame would help longevity? Just a thought. I'm a retired Prosthetist and we use some hard durometer rubber bumpers on knee units when the knee is fully flexed and hits the frame.
Good work on the tail wheel. Just got the T3 for my Sportsman. It does not look like it’s has a 1:1 ratio. More like 1:2 if you look at the level length. In terms of bottoming out, there is a rubber ring that should prevent it. People do complain about the bolt bending over time.
Great mod Ryan, I forgot to mention when you have the inspection/access covers off the rear make sure to take a close look at the elevator control rod. I had to replace the tube as it had buckled and upsized it to .058 from .035 in hopes that it would stop the flexing.
The new tail wheel is a fantastic achievement, well done, whilst watching, it made me think, would it be possible to modify it with a some kind of bearing, to enable it to swing from left to right, hence it would solve the issue's when taxiing?? I am no engineer, just a thought! Great job, and interesting video.
Huge respect for you Ryan and your calling in life. Really appreciate being to share your experiences. Question is whether you go back to flying Kodiaks?
Sweet setup! If you would like to visit us here in Alamos, Sonora, we are close by to you and are doing lots of flying to mission outreaches. We have many more places to go to than we have days of the week or people to go there. Thanks for sharing your desire to go back to the field. So, you have a wide open door to visit anytime and if you want to work here as well, it's a quick trip to visit Arizona! God bless you and keep up the good work :)
Love it, question the mounting brackets, look like they would create quite a bit of drag. I wouldn't under estimate the effect of a flat area even that small?
I was thinking when it was compressed like that on the ground that would be OK landing since the weight wouldn't be on it until slowing down. The stiffer spring will keep it from bottoming out, but probably won't be as smooth landing. Nice work.
Hey Ryan, my wife and I live in Thailand now, my working/serving days pretty much long gone at my age but watching your other RU-vid video about what to do with the KitFox it came across that you'd be sad to have to sell it but couldn't afford to store it. So why not appeal for a sponsored storage? You said the wings come off or fold, so would it go insiode a shipping container? Because if so why not ask for a sponsoired shipping container owned and kept by a business owner supporter in a corner of their lot somewhere until you want it again? Just a thought - it would be something to come back to on your next furlough. Most farming or transport enterprises got containers and space in a corner. God Bless your efforts, lovely to see you giving a testimony on the other Ethnos channel.
