Tri gear stooge

[Roger Altizer]

Folks,
I completed my first tri gear airplane (Pathfinder) last fall and was wondering what you guys are doing by way of using a stooge with tri gear?  I tried several different things without a lot of success: hooked the stooge to the inside wheel, model turned way in; hooked it to the outside wheel and it turned way out.  I didn't try the nose wheel as I would have to deal with the inside wheel running over the "trip" string.  I came up with a tall stooge to attach it to an eye hook that I installed near the tail of the fuselage.  It worked, but is quite a heavy and "gaudy" rig.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Go Mountaineers!
Roger Altizer
Frankford, WV
AMA 17351

[Dan McEntee]

  You need something that looks like football field goal uprights that pick up both sides of the stab, and pivots at the base plate. I rigged something up from 1/2" PVC pipe and one hole J-straps that works pretty well but don't have pictures. Do a search of the forum for tricycle gear stooges and I'll bet something comes up. If it works for tricycle gear it will work for a tail dragger also. Any of the other methods you described tend to be hazardous to the model if not to yourself. I've tried them! You just need two padded uprights, and secure way to latch and release them. There is a YouTube video for everything, I would look there also!
   Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[Tim Wescott]

The nicest one I know of was done by my flying buddy.  It was originally some cover for something, but you could use a large cutting board.  Cut a big square "U" out of one end, then a "U" inside of that (to make the "goalposts" that Dan talks about).  Then hinge it along the line to the inside of the board, and rig up the release mechanism.  The nice thing about it is that if you're careful with the hinge, a plane with a tailwheel will just roll right over the hinge without noticing.

[Crist Rigotti]

Don Ogren has designed a real good trike gear stooge.  He's on this Forum.  SH Stunter is his handle.  Shoot him a PM.

[peabody]

Yup
Don's stooges are available from Brodak, tooo!
MUCH better than a tailwheel type....
http://brodak.com/stooge.html

Have fun!

[Larry Fernandez]

I used to fly with a stooge, but he moved to Reno

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

[Dave_Trible]

All my planes regular or trike gear use a lead out wire launch cable attached securely in the tail, long enough to reach down to the stooge.  Make a small loop in the free end to engage the stooge.  It also is how I hang the planes on the wall at home from a screw or nail.

[john e. holliday]

I have that Brodak stooge and it is worth every dollar I spent for it.   Was too lazy to build one when Don wrote the article years before.  I still use my regular stooge once in a while.  

[Roger Altizer]

Thanks, folks, for all of the good suggestions.  I knew I would get some good info here.