PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Tailwheel tips anyone?
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Old 9th October 2002 | 18:30
  #38 (permalink)  
slim_slag
 
Joined: Jan 2001
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From: He's on the limb to nowhere
SSD

For a wheeler.... AS the aeroplane slows, keep straight with rudder... Gradually ease the stick further and further forward as you slow, to maintain the tail-high attitude. Eventually you will run out of forward stick and the tail will gently descend to the ground.

One has to be careful on the ground with these beasts, especially when the airspeed over the control surfaces is not enough to hold the tail up. The same principle applies to the rudder, and more than one person has ended up in the dirt when a gust of wind has arrived from nowhere, and there is not enough airflow over a fully deflected rudder to keep the monster on the centreline.

Sometimes it might be sensible to smoothly bring the tail down yourself while you are carrying a little bit of speed. It still looks and feels good! Taildraggers are always waiting for that moment to let the pilot know he/she is not as smart as they think
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