Hello all, this is my first post from over here in Perth Australia. I have been flying lightly wing-loaded tailwheel aircraft for over 25 years, I currently own a 1946 Piper J3 Cub and a Jodel D11, but have previously owned; another J3 Cub, 2 Stinsons, a Pitts Special S1S, the late John Penny's Sopwith Triplane replica (G-PENY), a Fokker EIII 'Eindekker' replica, a Cessna 140 and 180, 2 luscombes, and a Stolpe SA300, all tailwheel types.
There is one very simple rule when taxiing a 'conventional gear' (tailwheel) a/c that goes back to WW1 i.e. "never let the wind see the underside of the upwind anything". Taxying downwind with the stick back does just that, presents the underside of the elevator to the wind. Further, the wind is pushing the a/c along from behind, and that may mean using brakes to slow down, brakes will put weight forward and apply a lifting moment to the tail, if at that point the wind gets under the elevator you are heading for a prop strike with no hope of recovery. It does happen, I have seen a Stinson 108 suffer a very expensive prop strike taxiing upwind, and it happened so fast you would not believe it. The pilot was a high time airbus captain with very little tailwheel time. These are very different aircraft, the old cliche' that "the flight starts when you open the hangar doors, and doesn't end until you close them again", really is true.
Last edited by VH-BOX; 5th Jul 2007 at 08:07.