What if you are a city slicker and don't want no springs......

[way_up_north]

I know nothing of tail wheel aircraft....I need a good education on this
if someone is thinking of the bearhawk as a commuter aircraft rather then on off road stol....mainly paved runway to paved runway...the odd grass strip....could you get away with just a straigt tube and tail wheel...save some weight on the tail....

[jaredyates]

There will be forces applied to the tailwheel, and you'll end up with a spring somewhere... in the tire, in the airframe, in the straight tube as you say, etc. Bob has specified a method to direct the forces experienced by the tailwheel into a structure that is equipped to handle them. The "best we know" at the moment is not far from what you propose. We make the "straight tube" a solid tapered piece of steel, heat treated to a specified hardness. That makes it springy. But you don't have to call it a spring if you don't want to.
I'm currently running the leaf spring, but only because experience has shown that we should not convert leaf spring airplanes to round spring airplanes, after a few developed tail post cracks. If the fuselage has the modification specified here: http://bearhawksafety.com/4-place/march2018.html or is built to the model B plans, then it is ready for the round spring without reservation.
If someone finds the round spring to be inadequate, expects to operate on rougher surfaces, has too much money, etc, then there is the fancy shock absorbing option. This is also an option worth considering for folks who have leaf springs that have relaxed in operation and are due for replacement or repair, and aren't able to modify the tail post for a round spring.

[nichzimmerman]

Jared, my fuselages is setup for a leaf spring but I have an adapter to use a tapered rod. In your discussion with Bob, do you think this is now an unwise idea without the tailpost mod?

[jaredyates]

That is correct, please follow up with Bob for the latest.

[rodsmith]

You need a spring. The options are either a flat leaf spring or a solid round spring. The round spring may be a little lighter. First hard landing a straight tube would collapse.

[Bdflies]

I know nothing of tail wheel aircraft....I need a good education on this
if someone is thinking of the bearhawk as a commuter aircraft rather then on off road stol....mainly paved runway to paved runway...the odd grass strip....could you get away with just a straigt tube and tail wheel...save some weight on the tail....

A conversation I had, years ago, comes to mind. Discussing merits of metals, I was told "pound for pound, aluminum is as strong as steel!" After digesting that statement, I got a big grin... No matter how smooth the runway and how skilled the pilot, landing gear is occasionally subject to abuse. I think one might say that a tail structure could be built that might be capable of absorbing the bumps and bounces that springs regularly absorb. That structure, however, would likely be heavier than the spring.

Bill