PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Demonstrated X wind a pointless figure ?
View Single Post
Old 8th Feb 2016, 07:57
  #82 (permalink)  
foxmoth
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Oop North, UK
Posts: 3,076
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Many pilots hold the stick back while taxing to keep the tail on the ground
Consider the position of the elevators and think what is going to happen in
a good tailwind. The instinctive reaction when the tail lifts is to haul back
harder. BAD MOVE.
If they have been properly taught they will know "CLIMB INTO a headwind, DIVE AWAY from a tailwind", so for a headwind, stick back, ailerons into the wind, tailwind is stick forward, ailerons away from the wind - but with the rider that stick back only applies in a tailwind over approx 15kts as the slipstream will be stronger than the wind, between 10 and 15kts I usually recommend stick neutral as you really do not know if you have wind blowing back due to slipstream or forward due to the tailwind.
The real problem comes when you taxi a taildragger that has no brakes, in a strong tailwind that overcomes the slipstream you put left rudder on, what happens? One solution is a burst of power, but remembering that you are being pushed along by the tailwind anyway this might not be such a great idea, this is why you will often find aircraft such as the Moths with wing walkers in strong winds.

Last edited by foxmoth; 8th Feb 2016 at 08:09.
foxmoth is offline