I learned to fly in the late '70s, on the by then ubiquitous C150s. Instructors were a mixture of ex-mil, and a few younger guys headed for the airlines. The ex-mil guys were highly experienced (one flew Wappities pre WW2 and had a lifetime of all types, another was Spitfire and V bomber). These guys inculcated 'airmanship', but I have to say a couple of the younger guys were very good as well (they themselves had been taught by the ex-mills).
I hated the C150. It was stodgy and unresponsive. Nothing like I'd expected an aeroplane to be (I'd come from gliding, and even the old Ka4 gliders had better roll response). A bunch of us were learning together, and we all qualified at around 35 to 40 hours. A wise CFI noted our less than impressed attitude towards the club fleet (C150s and 172s) and tried to persuade the committee to buy a Chipmunk he knew of. They refused, so he organised a group (40 members originally! You could do that back then). The Chippy cost £8K so that was £200 each. Even back then that was cheap!
Wow! Here was an aeroplane that did what I'd expected! I was in love! Still am, 35 years later.
I'm pretty sure that if only nosewheel spam cans had been avaialable I'd have been one of those who get a PPL, do few hours local in a hired aeroplane, then give up flying. And I wouldn't have been the only one. Why would one want to carry on paying to fly something that's basically less fun than many cars? Or any motorbike?
The great thing about tailwheel aeroplanes and training is that they TEACH YOU TO LAND! Sure, a good instructor can teach someone to land properly in a C152, but we humans are lazy, and nosewheel aeroplanes allow sloppy technique, so sloppy technique becomes commonplace. Stand by the threshold of any GA field and watch the spam cans arrive; how many are far too fast? How many don't properly hold off? How many touch down on mains and nosewheel together then stand on the brakes?
Most, I'd say.
But I think what taught me most about how aeroplanes fly and why they sometimes don't, was becoming passable at aeros. In a taildragger of course!
Last edited by Shaggy Sheep Driver; 6th Mar 2014 at 08:32.