Calculating app. speeds in gusty conditions

[Proteus9]

There's a lot of talk either way about landings and you've got to find what you're comfortable with. My limited tailwheel experience is all on Huskies so that is my reference for discussion. The basic Husky "bible" by Jeff Welch advocates the 3point type landing in everything but calm conditions where a wheel landing could also be used. His line of argument is that the more excess speed you are carrying the more susceptible you are to ground looping, secondarily followed by the fact that with the tailwheel planted you get a certain amount of stability and steering assistance. I must admit I favour the 3point landings too, and certainly when bringing it down in a crosswind, I two point with tail and one main. The only thing about the three point landing that is a bit of a concern is the extra beating it applies to the tailwheel when landing on rough strips. The consensus of the online husky community seems to be that a tail low wheel landing is the best compromise on the rough stuff to protect the tail as much as possible. lifting the tail up on particularly narrow strips after landing also gives you better forward vision. Another argument against wheeling it on could be brought in if you are running big props on rough surfaces, a three pointer would help keep that clearance. The Alaskan stol competitors nearly all come in for a three pointer then slam on the anchors as hard as possible which lifts the tail. If they came in to wheel it on they'd be carrying more speed than they need to which would lead to a longer landing run. I think you just need to experiment a little where it is safe to do so and find what works best for you. I prefer just to use two stages on the Husky in a reasonable crosswind whereas some people still prefer to use full. I'm not familiar with how Maules fly, but Huskies really don't like excess speed on approach, they just float and float. Most people agree the POH figures vary between vastly too high and a bit too much depending on individual dogs. As been said before, really it helps to be reasonable at either so you can choose what you think best suits the situation.