Originally Posted by
Kemble Pitts
Pilot DAR. Interesting view on wheelers versus three point landings. Not sure I agree (actually i am sure, I don't agree). Both techniques have their place and you can use either, to your prefence, in many situations. However, a tailwheel pilot should be proficient in both as sometimes only one of them will do. For what its worth, for the lighter (and more vintage) aeroplane I suggest that 'proper' pilots have always landed on three points.
Your suggestion that wheelers are less prone to bouncing also does not chime fully with my experience. Depending upon the undercarriage arrangement, wheelers can be more prone to bouncing than three pointers, e.g. in a Tiger Moth. On the other hand a Pitts is probably more likely to bounce during a less than perfect three pointer than during a wheeler.
Fairly good breakdown there, however I have to comment on your ‘lighter (and more vintage)‘ statement. Presumably you’re referring to Cubs, Champs, Tigers and the like.
Harvards, Stearman, Cessna 195s are also vintage but are heavyweights in their own right.
Wheelers or 3 points, this discussion is as old as the hills. There are so many dependent factors - type of a/c, loading, length of runway, hard or grass, wet or dry, crosswind, headwind, no wind, the list goes on.
It’s largely down to ability, experience and currency. Personal preference comes in to it a little bit but not much, more so with experience.
Aerodynamics dictate that a wheeler landing means that whilst the tailwheel is in the air and the aircraft is running along on its mains then the wings are developing lift, any rearward movement on the stick is likely to make the aircraft fly again, even if it’s slowing down. The most important thing is to keep feeding the stick forward until the tailwheel touches, try to keep the tailwheel in the air, full forward stick. Once the tailwheel is down the stick can come briskly back.
On the other hand, the aim of a 3 pointer is to land on all 3 wheels, stick hard back and at, or very slightly above, stall speed.
Too fast will result in a bounce and flying again.
Too slow and the a/c will stall above the ground resulting in a sharp drop and a heavy landing (not very graceful).
Both can be corrected with a trickle of power at exactly the right moment. Resist a PIO at all costs, if there is any sign of that, any doubt, power on and go round. Remember that powering up will lower the stall speed and you’ll be flying again, at your landing speed, just above the ground, let the speed build up then climb away.
A pilot, with a bit of experience, will be able to turn a slightly fast 3 pointer into a bit of a tail low wheeler, could be an embarrassment saver.
My personal rules of thumb are:
Tarmac - always a wheeler, runways are generally smooth, you can land at high speed and are better equipped to deal with crosswinds control wise.
Grass - you have a choice, unless it’s a short runway, if that’s the case then ‘drag it in’ as slow as is comfortable and 3 point it.
With all of that said, you won’t be wheeling a Tiger on to a hard runway if it’s got a skid, which goes back to my earlier comment regarding type of aircraft.
And then there’s tarmac crosswinds, that’s a whole different story.
A quick word about ground looping. Once again it’s a physics thing. On a tricycle the CofG is ahead of the main gear - natural tendency to track straight.
On a tailwheel the CofG is behind the main gear - prone to shopping trolley behaviour. Try pushing your wheeled carry on luggage at running speed, you’ll get the idea.
Before I get shot down, I speak as a current taildragging pilot, over 3 decades and multi thousand hours, from Cubs to warbirds.
People may not agree with the above but they are my personal views based on my own experiences.