I recently picked up an old "Pilot Report" type magazine article from the mid-sixties. While doing the write up on the virtues of used C170s, the author also made mention of some of the STCs available - this included the (gulp ) conversion to tricycle gear and even included a picture! I've often heard of this aberration, but had never actually seen it. What a sad thing to do to a fine airplane I ran the tail number in the photo (N9202A) and it's a '49 still on the books in CA. Anyone ever see it? It'd would be interesting to see if it still bears the indignity of a nosewheel or if someone has converted it back to conventional gear.
I once saw a 140 that had patches on the fuselage where it had at one time been tri-cycle. But at least someone save it from its past and converted it back.
I ran into a guy at Oshkosh that showed me pictures of his before he owned it and it had that tri-gear convertion. LOOKS AWFULL! Glad he has it converted back!
The tricycle gear conversion of the C-170 is what prompted Cessna to build the C-172. They decided that if customers wanted a nose wheel on the airplane they would build them that way. It resulted in the most popular aircraft ever designed and over thirty five thousand (35,000) of them have been built.
Let,s face it. Tailwheels are a gone goose! None are being built and it is extremely unlikely that that any more of them will be. Even the bush operators prefer the C-206, except that some of them need a plane to put on skis in the winter and you just can't do that with a nose wheel.
I have seen one of the trigear 170's @ a couple of the 170 conventions. I have forgotten the name of the conversion, but like others who have replied, I didn't much care for it as it was painted flat black. However, I can't say too much as I have a C-172 that has been converted to conventional gear-------guess its what pops your cork!
*** Update ***
I've been contacted by the current owner of N9202A and I'm happy to report she's in good hands. She's been restored to her original polished/red trim finish and also has her tail back on the ground where it belongs.
my 170A, N1364D, was converted to nosewheel in '56, then back to t/w in '64. The last vestiges of it, nosewheel mods to the engine mount, I removed during a rebuild.
This is an interesting topic. Back in 1972 when I was a student pilot, one of the local pilots had a tri-gear Cessna 140. It wasn't nearly as ugly as the 170 conversions look in the pictures. The all-time ugly champ was the Met-co-aire Stinson 108 conversion - hideous beyond belief!
I'm beginning to wonder if any of these erstwhile nosedraggers are still extant. Russ Farris
Used to be a all aluminum 170 with a nosewheel, behind some buildings and chain link fence at Chandler Field, Fresno, CA twenty some odd years ago. Don't know if it is still there or not.
There is still a tailwheel aircraft being built. It is the Taylorcraft which is built in La Grange, Texas, Home of the old Chicken Ranch. I toured the factory today and they have sold three new ones. They build both the tailwheel and the nosewheel model. Not a bad price either. They use the same old jigs that they used in the 40's.
Bill
That's right,"conventional gear" airplanes aren't quite dead yet,there are still a few being made: Husky,American Champion (Citabria),Taylorcraft,Maule, supposedly soon to include the Renaisance Luscombe 8. Maybe some others if they ever get those new sport pilot/light-sport aircraft regs in place.
And don't forget most homebuilts and aerobatic types.
I think it'd be very interesting for a 170 which left the factory with the tri-gear mod to be judged alongside other 170's at the convention. If it were a pristine airplane, I think Dan Linn and me and a few other original contestants would be out in the cold if the rules were religiously enforced. Heh?
It'd certainly be a real contender for the custom award also? We'd have to consider a best custom/original award and then ...what if it were the one to arrive from farthest away?
I'd love to see one. It'd be like looking at an old Edsel, no?
That Cessna 170 at Chandler air field was converted back to it's tail on the ground were it belongs N9202A thats the aircraft that Doug was talking about and it's base in Tranquillity Ca. and looking good .
When I was living in Jamaica, back in the 60's a fellow had a rag wing 170 and converted it to a trike. It looked awful; I never flew it but those who did loved it !
I guess the 170 is a great airplane even with a training wheel.
Rudy
) conversion to tricycle gear and even included a picture! I've often heard of this aberration, but had never actually seen it. What a sad thing to do to a fine airplane 
I ran the tail number in the photo (N9202A) and it's a '49 still on the books in CA. Anyone ever see it? It'd would be interesting to see if it still bears the indignity of a nosewheel or if someone has converted it back to conventional gear.
