PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Tailwheel/crosswind advice please!
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Old 7th June 2004 | 19:25
  #18 (permalink)  
QDMQDMQDM
 
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,795
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From: New South Wales
That's why I concentrated on the actions after landing (predominantly the aileron, since that's the one which I suspect most of us, me included, completely ignored until we'd been bitten once or twice!) in my reply.
I have about 300 hours tailwheel out of 400 TT, so I'm no expert and my crosswind landings generally resemble crazy barnstormer flying routine, but the problems seem to be when you slow down in a crosswind, at which point only a jab of brake will work. Don't be shy of using it.

Someone wondered whether you were doing wing down or de-crabbing as your technique. Well, if you're flying a small taildragger you can only do wing-down. De-crabbing in a light taildragger in any kind of crosswind is a recipe for disaster, especially on tarmac.

I have groundlooped a Super Cub on tarmac, following a wheel landing with too much power. Got her down, chopped the power and let the tail drop suddenly. Whoosh! Round she went. Gyroscopic precession and loss of P-force, I guess?

Anyway, read Stick and Rudder by Langewiesche, then re-read it. Bit longwinded, but packed with gems.

QDM

P.S. On Saturday night, I came into a markedly uphill strip with a slight tailwind, flared, put in a bit of power to cushion the landing on the uphill, gently tried to tease her down, gently, gently, gently, little bit of power, flying up the hill, pulling back, pulling back, power still on, aiming for a nice smooth landing... then she went, dropped a wing to the right, thankfully from only two feet or so and no harm done. Lessons: even Super Cubs bite, and do so with no warning; don't drag out the flare to a ridiculous degree with power on an uphill, just get it down -- they're designed to arrive firmly sometimes.
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