The International Cessna 170 Association

Hi all -
I just bought a 1950 170A and am trying a post for the first time. I have a question about wheel
alignment. I understand the goal is zero camber and zero toe in with the plane loaded and on greased plates.
I'm wondering is it OK to do this with the tail wheel on the floor or should it be done with the fuselage level?
Would there be much difference in wheel alignment between the two configurations? Any help will be much
appreciated.

Jim

You can do it with the tailwheel down (3-point position). You can also obltain excellent results by using two heavy-duty plastic garbage bags, one laid upon the other, instead of greased plates. You will watch for the bags to twist against each other (or not). Hope this helps.

A great big welcome to the forum, Jim, and to 170 ownership! Looking forward to hearing about your aircraft, where you are based, etc.

Most Kind Regards -

Brian

Welcome aboard Jim. I checked mine with the tail down, first, with the garbage bag as mentioned above and later with grease plates. I found the grease plates released the tension better than the bags did and that's what I recommend. If the plane is less than gross weight there will probably be some toe-in and some negative camber. There should never be toe-out. These airplanes can be really rude on the runway when the gear alignment is wrong. Not off a little, WRONG!!