This tailwheel got me puzzled. Why is it placed so much forward? Is it just to get the airplane more level on take-off so it will accelerate quicker? Was it to make it possible to create a lighter tail section. If the tailwheel is at rudder, the total tail needs to be able to take the bumps of the landings. Here the rear section does not have to take those loads.
Ok, that was my own thinking. Here a few quotes i got on forums about this type of "tail wheel".
Topaz mentioned in HBA: "Probably the simplest structural location. This tailwheel location was a fad for some reason in the 30's-50's. It went so far as to be a "reverse nosewheel" in some cases. I never heard of any particular advantage in ground operations."
Victor Bravo mentions: "Since the main wing of the Pou pivots, there is no need for the entire aircraft to "rotate" or have a nose-up angle for takeoff like conventional aircraft."
DaveK mentions: "For the Flea to get the same deck angle with the wheel all the way back would require a much longer spring / support. That location makes some sense, shorter support and lined up with major structure.
The reverse nose wheel layout did provide some advantages for retracting the wheel into a normally empty area. Obviously not the case with the Flea."
Ragflyer mentions: "It would seem to me the idea of moving the tailwheel forward has more to do with loading the tailwheel more (make it share more of the weight) than anything to do with a more flatter attitude. For a given strut height, putting the tailwheel further back (not forward) would in fact result in a flatter attitude.
Perhaps the reason for the forward position of tailwheel is to reduce the ground looping tendency as the rear wheel carries more weight (closer to a tadpole configuration of motorcycle trikes). Given the two axis controls this may seem an important consideration in cross wind landings."