Is tailwheel time an advantage?
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Well, that is settled then. I am going to have a go at dragging my ass and see how I go, even if it is just for the endorsement.
My next question is this - Anyone else going to hit up their instructor for the T/W endorsement?! As the late Big Kev would say "I'M EXCITED!!!"
My next question is this - Anyone else going to hit up their instructor for the T/W endorsement?! As the late Big Kev would say "I'M EXCITED!!!"
Too much Jet A1 fume intake today mate!!!
Originally Posted by George_of_the_Bungle
the firespotting in WA sounds like some fun flying.....does anyone know where they operate out of in WA? or do they have a few bases?
That's all I know, others feel free to add/correct.
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For my two cents...
I only currently instruct on tailwheels, my students vary in experience from 60 - 2000hrs and I thought I would have a chat to some of the commercial types to ask them what benefits flying a tailwheel has brought them.
I got a couple of interesting responses. Bear in mind that I'm talking about a Citabria in particular as I own one.
It surprised me that the main benefit was that they enjoyed the attitude flying and the responsiveness of the aircraft.
Next was, that they enjoyed the challenge of the tailwheel. You cannot plonk down a wheeler so you have to on your game for every single landing.
Lastly, they felt that it improved their situational awareness and airmanship, I encourage tight circuits 12+ an hour as we are only really focussing on the last 300' and that means that we are always overtaking Cessna's and cutting off twins etc... and they enjoyed the challenge of thinking about other aircraft in the circuit.
So that might help sway you, although I think you're already sold on the fire spotting stuff. I can strongly recommend doing you Champion rating with Curtis, at Camden. I think they do fire spotting as well…. You need to be taught tail dragging correctly or it will end in
.
I can't stress that enough.
Cheers
Wombat 35
I only currently instruct on tailwheels, my students vary in experience from 60 - 2000hrs and I thought I would have a chat to some of the commercial types to ask them what benefits flying a tailwheel has brought them.
I got a couple of interesting responses. Bear in mind that I'm talking about a Citabria in particular as I own one.
It surprised me that the main benefit was that they enjoyed the attitude flying and the responsiveness of the aircraft.
Next was, that they enjoyed the challenge of the tailwheel. You cannot plonk down a wheeler so you have to on your game for every single landing.
Lastly, they felt that it improved their situational awareness and airmanship, I encourage tight circuits 12+ an hour as we are only really focussing on the last 300' and that means that we are always overtaking Cessna's and cutting off twins etc... and they enjoyed the challenge of thinking about other aircraft in the circuit.
So that might help sway you, although I think you're already sold on the fire spotting stuff. I can strongly recommend doing you Champion rating with Curtis, at Camden. I think they do fire spotting as well…. You need to be taught tail dragging correctly or it will end in
. I can't stress that enough.
Cheers
Wombat 35
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Originally Posted by George_of_the_Bungle
the firespotting in WA sounds like some fun flying.....does anyone know where they operate out of in WA? or do they have a few bases?
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Don't have the POH close at hand ...... isn't the 7GCBC demonstrated XW 17 kts? Jim Drinnan at Curtis has put me through the wringer several times with XW wheelers on very windy days. Friggin hard work but very rewarding.
Low level ccts as Wombat35 suggests, so there is heaps of exposure to the hard bits in the hour.
Low level ccts as Wombat35 suggests, so there is heaps of exposure to the hard bits in the hour.
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Originally Posted by Like This - Do That
Don't have the POH close at hand ...... isn't the 7GCBC demonstrated XW 17 kts? Jim Drinnan at Curtis has put me through the wringer several times with XW wheelers on very windy days. Friggin hard work but very rewarding.
Low level ccts as Wombat35 suggests, so there is heaps of exposure to the hard bits in the hour.
Low level ccts as Wombat35 suggests, so there is heaps of exposure to the hard bits in the hour.
Yeah its amazing, just as you flare the wind always drops down to only17kts Xwind. Quite remarkable.
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God know that feelling, just back from a Spin ride..
Round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round.. rrr eee cccc ooo vvv eee rrrr
Ahh it's all good fun, and as for cutting off 172's, hey that why god invented the side slip
And yes the max Demonstrated X wind is 17Kt's its not actually a limit.... however..... the things stop on a dime just land across the strip
Cheers
Wombat
Round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round.. rrr eee cccc ooo vvv eee rrrr
Ahh it's all good fun, and as for cutting off 172's, hey that why god invented the side slip
And yes the max Demonstrated X wind is 17Kt's its not actually a limit.... however..... the things stop on a dime just land across the strip
Cheers
Wombat
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So!...shall we get back to 99's original question re tail dragger time?...
In this day and age, why waste your time and money mate!!
If you want tail wheel time go fly a Tiger Moth or a Chipmunk! Good fun, but it wont get you a job!
In this day and age, why waste your time and money mate!!
If you want tail wheel time go fly a Tiger Moth or a Chipmunk! Good fun, but it wont get you a job!
As mentioned earlier - value depends on where you'll fly in future.
If you intend to instruct - then it's a YES. If IFR/charter bound - probably won't help much.
But, if you decide to do it - then do it with a high t/w time instructor, or you'll end up too scared to make the aircraft do your bidding. Timidity leads to under controlling, which leads to loss of directional control, which leads to......
Be sure that your instruction will include:
(1) 3 pointers using full flap and 'performance' speeds
(2) 3 pointers with nil flap
(3) Wheelers with full flap and 'performance' speeds
(4) Tail low wheelers
(5) No flap wheelers
All the no flaps stuff should include aggressive forward slipping down to 50ft
You should also be shown downwind ops, especially for t/o - where it brings up your x/w on the RHS - to increase the x/w you can handle.
As pointed out earlier, learning in a lightwight t/w such as a Cub or Citabria is not a 'licence' to fly a heavy t/w like a Cessna 185 - you'll need conversion help.
Good luck - it will make a better pilot out of you,
happy days
If you intend to instruct - then it's a YES. If IFR/charter bound - probably won't help much.
But, if you decide to do it - then do it with a high t/w time instructor, or you'll end up too scared to make the aircraft do your bidding. Timidity leads to under controlling, which leads to loss of directional control, which leads to......
Be sure that your instruction will include:
(1) 3 pointers using full flap and 'performance' speeds
(2) 3 pointers with nil flap
(3) Wheelers with full flap and 'performance' speeds
(4) Tail low wheelers
(5) No flap wheelers
All the no flaps stuff should include aggressive forward slipping down to 50ft
You should also be shown downwind ops, especially for t/o - where it brings up your x/w on the RHS - to increase the x/w you can handle.
As pointed out earlier, learning in a lightwight t/w such as a Cub or Citabria is not a 'licence' to fly a heavy t/w like a Cessna 185 - you'll need conversion help.
Good luck - it will make a better pilot out of you,
happy days
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Originally Posted by amos2
If you want tail wheel time go fly a Tiger Moth or a Chipmunk! Good fun, but it wont get you a job!
Don't think it'll really help with getting me onto twins though........
DC-3s maybe?BUT it's damn good fun!! Aeros all day yesterday AND got paid to do it!!!!
and 'performance' speeds
A Boeing 737 has a Vref speed for given weight and flap configuration and associated tables for runway length needed but Boeing don't call it "short field landing " speed. The original wartime short field landing speed was approaching on the point of stall with the propeller slipstream saving you from bashing it into the ground. The same effect occurs if you approach with intermittent beeps of the stall warning horn or reed in a Cessna with a serviceable stall warning system (a rare bird indeed).
Carrier landings were real short field landing affairs. I know because I came close to buggering a Sea Fury on my solo at Nowra when the sod of a young Sub Lieutenant who briefed me gave me the carrier over the fence speed instead of a safe over the fence speed. I closed the throttle before the flare instead of after the flare and the arse fell out of the aeroplane.
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In this day and age, why waste your time and money mate!!
If you want tail wheel time go fly a Tiger Moth or a Chipmunk! Good fun, but it wont get you a job!
If you want tail wheel time go fly a Tiger Moth or a Chipmunk! Good fun, but it wont get you a job!
Most of the guys reading this post are not going to be at the level of going to the QANTAS interview next week.
Yes I agree that it's wont get you a job with QANTAS, however I do think that it makes you a better pilot during the stage where you are still learning your craft say <500 hrs.
Most of my students really benefit from learning how to operate a Tailwheel aircraft and find that after returning to conventional types if nothing else the focus on attitude flying gives them more confidence and brings more accuracy to their everyday flying.
This should help them get the next job, well I at least hope it does.
Have you every flown a taildragger?.... and "flown in" doesn’t count.
Cheers
Wombat35
Centaurus queries about 'performance speeds' Sure they are not mentioned as such in POHs but in my experience most GA pilots do not fly the numbers to get max. performance from their aircraft. Typically speeds are +5 knots on those given in POHs. What Poteroo is saying is learn to accurately fly the aircraft using the numbers given to achieve max. 'performance' in the broadest context. Learning to fly a tail-dragger accurately using those 'performance speeds' will make you a much better pilot all round. I know it did for me. And in case you ask Poteroo has in excess of 10000 hours, the majority of which is in tail-draggers. He knows that of which he speaks - trust me.
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Did a tw endorsement whilst learning , for the same reason as chimbu though some years earlier. one thing led to another and I got fying in a super cub towing gliders, where i met my current boss. i still fly tailwheels but they have 1300 shp and weigh 8 tons now.
an aside, whilst flying the cub I had to land at the oaks in that ''Gusting 50kts'' westerly during the blue mountains fires years ago. the reasons are quite involved. any way thought I'd give it a shot flying it on and see how it felt. Flew the upwind mains on with the wingtip near the ground and drove along till near the taxiway at which time I let the downwind wheel onto the ground and it rounded up into wind at which point I just kept taxiing up into wind. Worked a treat. I have some great photos of less spectacular xwind work to remember those days.
an aside, whilst flying the cub I had to land at the oaks in that ''Gusting 50kts'' westerly during the blue mountains fires years ago. the reasons are quite involved. any way thought I'd give it a shot flying it on and see how it felt. Flew the upwind mains on with the wingtip near the ground and drove along till near the taxiway at which time I let the downwind wheel onto the ground and it rounded up into wind at which point I just kept taxiing up into wind. Worked a treat. I have some great photos of less spectacular xwind work to remember those days.
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Originally Posted by jon s gull
i still fly tailwheels but they have 1300 shp and weigh 8 tons now
R
