Tail Wheel Instructor

[pipertommy]

How does one become authorised to sign off differences training on tail wheel aircraft ?

Thanks.

[S-Works]

Get tailwheel differences training and the required hours and you are good to go. However I would suggest you are a brave soul if you think the minimum hours is going to be enough to make you competent enough......

[pipertommy]

Just curious really. Obviously obtain a good level of personal experience beforehand.

Thanks Bose-X

[foxmoth]

Note, you do not only have to be able to handle TO and landings to a good standard, but also able to sort it when your student makes a mess of it, and some will make a MUCH bigger mess of it then you have probably ever done. Sometimes you also need to be able to sort it while laughing your head off!!

[nick14]

Didn't realise there was minimum hours? I thought if you hold the differences you can teach the differences?

[Parson]

Personally, I'd want a shed load of time and experience before teaching. There's alot more to go wrong here than some of the other FI add-ons such as night, IMC etc.

[Unusual Attitude]

Agree with the suggestions above to make sure you have plenty of tailwheel time under your belt before you try to teach it. I have about 150hrs tailwheel and its only now I've reached the point where I'm considering a CRI to teach tailwheel.

There would however be a very big difference between instructing on a Cub and a Pitts....when I jump from my Cassutt into a Supercub its like flying in slow motion!!

[dash6]

Sorry to "gatecrash" your thread.I'm not an instructor(well,not for 30years.) I've been flying tail wheel,and retractable/csu singles without any extra rating or training for years.Was this illegal? Is there a revalidation requirement? I would look it up on the CAA site but I don't want to lose the will to live! Rgds.

[FlyingOfficerKite]

when I jump from my Cassutt

Yes, and that's another problem - a lot of taildraggers are also single-seaters.

How would you go about signing someone off in a cassutt, jodel D9, titch, pitts etc!?

Although I had previous tailwheel training and experience on the Chipmunk, when I jumped into a single-seater there was not a lot to be said as no instructor on the airfield had flown my aeroplane and the previous owner wasn't an instructor!

Still here though - and no problems mainly due to extensive enquiry and self-briefing and the forgiving nature of the aeroplane.

[Stampe]

Dash..Grandfather rights though where you will find that written down nowadays (if it is) I havn,t got a clue.Your logbook is your friend and defence.I learnt on tailwheels in the early seventies and never did a formal nosewheel conversion amazing I,ve survived all these years and 20000 hours.I,m afraid all this differences training is yet another burden on GA and frequently given to a very poor level.When I was rising through the industry you sought the knowledge from those in current practise and focused study.Now another business opportunity for the shockingly bad UK training system.Hopefully Whopity the forum licensing Guru will be along to confirm the date before which grandfather rights apply.VBR Stampe

[FlyingOfficerKite]

Now another business opportunity for the shockingly bad UK training system

... and how will all those new instructors who have learned on spam cans with the sole intention of building hours ever get, or be interested in achieving, the more specialist knowledge and experience to undertake the required conversions on their way to the airlines?

Very few that I know ever had tailwheel experience - with VP props and retract gear being the only 'add ons' being taught through the ubiquitous Piper Arrow.

[Parson]

FOK,

I guess instructors will instruct on the a/craft that are available where they are working. When I was doing my PPL I used to walk past a Chipmunk on the ramp nearly every lesson, looking forward to flying it. By the time I got my licence, they had sold it

[doubleu-anker]

If you want to learn this dying art, wouldn't common sense dictate, tracking down an old ag pilot who has thousands of hours tail wheel, on many different types of A/C, on many types of airstrips, with different surfaces, uphill, downhill, x wind, tailwind etc., etc.

Oh I forgot, because he doesn't have an instructor rating, they wouldn't be allowed to empart the required information with any degree of safety.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Originally Posted by doubleu-anker

If you want to learn this dying art, wouldn't common sense dictate, tracking down an old ag pilot who has thousands of hours tail wheel, on many different types of A/C, on many types of airstrips, with different surfaces, uphill, downhill, x wind, tailwind etc., etc.

Oh I forgot, because he doesn't have an instructor rating, they wouldn't be allowed to empart the required information with any degree of safety.

Quite right. Instructing is a specific skill that needs learning.

To teach tailwheel you need tailwheel competency and instructing competency. But given that the CRI course takes a week and about £1500 - and everybody who has done it has got a great deal from that course, it's not a huge ask.

And it really isn't a dying art - it's just one that you need to hunt around a bit to find a good instructor for.

G

[dash6]

Stampe. Thanks for the reply.Rgds

[foxmoth]

How would you go about signing someone off in a cassutt, jodel D9, titch, pitts etc!?

You do not "sign people off" on aircraft they are legal to fly but have no experience on, though ideally they would have a check out. The Pitts is easy, use a two seater to start with!Anyone wanting to fly anything like this should have Tailwheel signed off which will be done on another type, ideally they should then have gained plenty of Tailwheel experience on a variety of aircraft. They then read any notes there might be (often non available), if possible get a briefing from others that have flown it and then go and fly it - start by climbing to height, get the feel of the aircraft, try some stalls and then see if you can land it!