Tail Wheel Tips ???

[Pitts2112]

Similarly the "dancing on the rudder pedals" is a helpful reminder not to let your feet forget what they're supposed to be doing. However if you watch an experienced tailwheel pilot you'll see very little going on at the rear end of the aircraft. No furious pedalling to be seen.

You've never watched a Pitts land, have you? Great for the first 100 feet of rollout, then they'll try every which way to have a look over your shoulder!

[Them thar hills]

2112
Having flown one, truthfully not regularly, it didn't seem unduly hard !
But short coupled tailwheelers can be spirited.
Variety is the spice of life. Generally the smaller the aircraft the more difficult they are, and things happen much quicker. Not just Pittses.
I don't believe in pedalling for the fun of it !
tth

[Pilot DAR]

Yes, things happen quicker in smaller taildraggers than big ones, but when it happens in a big one, it takes a lot more time to get it right again. A DC-3 headed for the runway lights is a lot more scary than it looks, because its not coming right back when you get the pedal in!

[Chuck Ellsworth]

A DC-3 headed for the runway lights is a lot more scary than it looks, because its not coming right back when you get the pedal in!

So how did you get it back under control?

[Pitts2112]

TTHills, As you say, it's not unduly hard, but it also won't respond to small adjustments. When it gets down to lower groundspeeds it can take full rudder deflection and sometimes brake to keep the swing from developing. Hence you'll often see a Pitts' rudder flapping back and forth quite a bit in the waning moments of the rollout.

DAR, I'll guessing that DC-3 momentum problem is exaserbated by having no propwash over the tail, too?

[Pilot DAR]

Wide runway, busy feet, some brake, but that's not the smooth way of doing things in a DC-3! Locked tailwheel did not help...

PS for anyone, what command allows me to quote the post of another person? I see it done, but darned if I can figure it out...

[Them thar hills]

springs and things

2112
I agree with you.
But one thing that seems to give recurring problems on tailwheel assemblies is the steering springs themselves. Some look like they came off an old bed. Also the linking chains are often left too sloppy, no wonder steering is hard work !
Soft springs are nbg, you push the pedal and the tailwheel follows in a half-hearted fashion, so then it has to be big dollops of rudder and even some brake to keep control, which is untidy. A new spring kit need only cost £20 tops !
The tailwheel is the hardest worked item on the aircraft and often the most neglected.

[Pitts2112]

TTHills,

Concur. When I first got my Pitts, the steering chains were very loose and control on the ground was an iffy thing at best. I took a couple of links out to take out some of the slack (there's still some) and that made a lot of difference in controllability.

PDAR,

I seem to remember there used to be a "quote" botton on each post which would automically set up the quote in a new reply box, but that button disappeared some time ago (if it was ever even there - I could have dreamt it). It's messy but the only way I know is to type in the open and close quote tags and copy and paste the text I want between them. The tags are:

closing tag: [/quote]
opening tag: [quote]

(can't type the examples in proper order because they'll perform their function rather than show the tags).

If someone knows a better way, I'd like to learn!

[Tail-take-off]

barit1

I find it fascinating that after 50+ years of the aviation industry trying to convince us that tricycle gear is "conventional", we diehards still regard the taildragger as "conventional"!

The Wright Flyer looked like this:



So perhaps anything with wheels is technically unconventional depending on where you look at it from

[Dan Winterland]

Quote: "Remember fifty years ago initial training was taildragger." The RAF used the Chippy as their elementary trainer up until 1993. the EFTS got a new batch of students every month who hadn't flown before and went solo usually within ten hours. They didn't know any different. So based on this, I'm sticking my head above the parapet by saying that converts who find taildraggers challenging have too many bad habits to un-learn!

Just imagine you're new to flying and try to relax. Put away the notion that taildraggers are hard and just concentrate on using your feet and finding that three point attitude.

[SNS3Guppy]

I dunno about the notion that the more experienced one is, the les rudder movement there is. I've been spending a fair amount of time over the last few years in Dromaders and Air Tractors, and I've had many days when my knees hurt too much to get out of the airplane after a flight, or at the end of the day. No shortage of rudder work on takeoff, landing, or in the air.

A comparison between those two types, however, shows a considerable difference in the way they fly. The Dromader often takes full throw control movements in turbulence with rudder and ailerons while working; the air tractor takes frequent constant small movements and isn't tolerant at all of over controlling.

Even a simple Aeronca or Cub can keep you busy, especially if it's gusty or windy with obstacles near the runway such as trees or buildings. On a dead calm morning one might be able to let ones feet sleep, figuratively speaking, but generally they should be wide awake, and fairly active, such as they may be needed.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I dunno about the notion that the more experienced one is, the les rudder movement there is.

It's to do with over-controlling. Inexperienced pilots don't notice an incipient swing until it becomes obvious, then put in a load of rudder to correct it, but it's too much and a swing starts the other way, so a load of rudder... you get the picture. Looks like the aeroplane is being being propelled by the rudder, goldfish-style.

The experienced pilot moves the rudder to just the right position as he applies power, and little if any subsequent correction is needed (unless there's a fickle x-wind).

As with the other primary flying controls, over-controlling is eliminated by experience (hopefully!). It might take longer with the rudder for an experienced nosewheel pilot because some poor rudder technique has to be 'un-learned'.

SSD

[barit1]

While overcontrolling isn't exactly desirable, it's probably better than undercontrolling; once a swing reaches the point of no return, you'll wish you had been more aggressive.

But experience tells you how to split the difference.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

Quote:


As with the other primary flying controls, over-controlling is eliminated by experience (hopefully!).

Quote:


I dunno about the notion that the more experienced one is, the les rudder movement there is. I've been spending a fair amount of time over the last few years in Dromaders and Air Tractors, and I've had many days when my knees hurt too much to get out of the airplane after a flight, or at the end of the day. No shortage of rudder work on takeoff, landing, or in the air


I believe the message to be absorbed here is one will tend to over control less as one gains experience.

I would like to comment on tired legs flying an airplane that is heavy on the controls used in the fire suppression business but it would not really pertain to this subject where private pilots are asking for advice on how to fly light aircraft in normal weather and turbulence conditions.

The answer to flying tail wheel airplanes is find a good teacher and you will very quickly become proficient and comfortable flying them....

.....Remember certified airplanes were designed so people of average ability can fly them.

[White Shadow]

Learning to fly in the R A F many many years ago, for a glide-approach landing (power approaches came later) my Tiger-moth instructor used to say through the earphone tubes -
"When you can see the blades of grass, stick back s l o w l y.
Now keep-it-flying-keep-it-flying-keep-it-flying"
Then, when the stick was right back in your crotch and you were down - "keep-straight-keep-straight-keep-straight-keep-straight".
Seemed to work most times.
If you bounced - "full throttle-full throttle-keep-straight-keep-straight".

Ah, happy days.
WS

[Them thar hills]

WS
But no-one had told you how difficult it all was supposed to be !

[SNS3Guppy]

I would like to comment on tired legs flying an airplane that is heavy on the controls used in the fire suppression business but it would not really pertain to this subject where private pilots are asking for advice on how to fly light aircraft in normal weather and turbulence conditions.

Sure it does, chuck. Flying is flying. The airplane doesn't know who is at the controls.

I assume that was a bit of a cheap shot on your part, however misplaced. I described a couple of light tailwheel airplanes, neither of which are heavy on the controls, flown in a general aviation environment.

Flying a conventional gear airplane isn't particularly difficult, but it does demand attention. It seems demanding when coming from a tricycle gear airplane at first, but only because the tricycle gear airplane has been doing it's job; making a safe, comfortable platform to fly. The conventional gear airplane is also safe, but it requires the pilot to make it safe and keep it safe. The comparison is somewhat like an automatic transmission vs. a standard stick shift; one goes without any real effort on the part of the driver, whereas the stick shift requires proper use of the clutch, proper shifting, selecting the right gear...it requires driver input to make it work, or it won't go at all. Convntional gear flying, much like learning to drive a stick shift, quickly becomes a natural act without requiring thinking about it. It just doesn't seem that way at first.

[White Shadow]

TTH -
No, we didn't think at the time about what we were doing with the stick and rudder, we just did it.
But we'd had lectures and tests on Theory Of Flight, and simulated circuits blind-folded, in a grounded Tiger without wings, before they let us anywhere near a real live aircraft.
At night we used a gooseneck-flares landing-strip laid into wind across a bumpy grass field.
Great stuff.

[Bigglesthefrog]

An "experienced pilot" is not necessarily the best tailwheel pilot. Anyone who watched the unfortunate commercial Jet jockey trundling down the runway at Woburn a few years ago, only to take the lovely old Gypsy Moth for a swim in the lake off the end of the runway will realise that. It's all down to practice on type and a good instructor.
My tip is to seek out Pete Thorn and have a few hours dual with him.
I swear he could teach a Banana to three point a winged wheelbarrow!!
Although I suppose technically a wheelbarrow has tricycle gear.... Oh well

[betterfromabove]

Tiger-ing

WS.

Wonderful!! Sounds about right...simple, reassuring instructions are what I found best. And keep highish on final too....you can always slip it in if you need to.

Even today 2-way communication in a Tiger is a bit hit & miss at best. Had a big sortie scrubbed in a DA40 the other day because the instructor couldn't communicate with ATC....jeez in a Tiger, on navex's, there always seem at least one of the two pilots (you need two these days....) who can't hear what's going on beyond the cockpit!?!

What struck me on the Tiger is how much a role peripheral vision plays in the flare. Following the lead of the instructors, I now find myself peering over the side when she's about ready to touch....in fact, I notice they usually prepare themselves for that very thing by opening the bijou little door Mr DH provided.

Whatever works....god I miss taildragging...think I need to phone the Tiger Club....where's that mobile?!?

BFA