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Old 16th Apr 2014, 07:48
  #44 (permalink)  
Unusual Attitude
 
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: The frozen north....
Age: 49
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Quote:
Concerning wind direction, just remember while taxiing, to keep to stick in the downwind direction.
I was taught to hold the stick back when taxiing into wind, forward when taxiing down wind and into wind when taxiing across wind.

BP.
I'd suggest that really depends on type, the tail on my Cassutt gets very light with the stick anywhere other than full back regardless of the wind direction. I suspect the slipstream over the tail is probably of a similar velocity to a strong wind up the chuff.

In the Supercub I never move the stick further forward than neutral when taxiing with a tailwind. Forward stick in a taildragger in my book is asking to bring the tail up, indeed look what happened to poor Nigel Lamb on Sunday.

I guess everyone has their own way of doing things however the above has worked for me in the last couple of hundred hours of taildragging so I'll stick with it!

As for into wind controls, totally agree with using into wind ailerons (reversed with a rear quartering wind) as they are out of the slipstream. (mostly)
Also agree turning off the runway in a strong wind can be fun, was flying on sunday in 20-25kts + gusts and the turn off was a bundle of fun, full into wind aileron, full rudder still wasnt enough and repeated dabs of brake were required to keep straight!!!

All good fun and taildragging in my opinion can be one of the most rewarding types of flying once you master it....

Regards

UA

Last edited by Unusual Attitude; 16th Apr 2014 at 08:00.
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