Tail wheel Flying
Logie 101,
I had around about 500hrs on gliders, and 150 hrs on nose wheel aircraft when
I converted to a chipmunk. Took around 4 hours on grass.
Have over a 1000 hrs now on a Pawnee and Grob 109, and still hate landing
on a hard runway.
You will get to grips with it shortly, and will never stop learning.
I had around about 500hrs on gliders, and 150 hrs on nose wheel aircraft when
I converted to a chipmunk. Took around 4 hours on grass.
Have over a 1000 hrs now on a Pawnee and Grob 109, and still hate landing
on a hard runway.
You will get to grips with it shortly, and will never stop learning.
And last week did my first take-off from a hard runway in a Rollason Condor, didn't use enough rudder, early enough, and scared myself mildly as I nearly went off the side of the runway.
As you say, you never stop learning.
G
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Thanks for all the encouragement and advice.
I can relate to a lot of the comments made regarding use of the rudder. At the minute I am just not anticipating how much rudder to use.
I am keen to get back into the aircraft and hopefully start getting a better feel for the aircraft. I will have to learn to move my feet a bit quicker!
I can relate to a lot of the comments made regarding use of the rudder. At the minute I am just not anticipating how much rudder to use.
I am keen to get back into the aircraft and hopefully start getting a better feel for the aircraft. I will have to learn to move my feet a bit quicker!
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I can relate to a lot of the comments made regarding use of the rudder. At the minute I am just not anticipating how much rudder to use.
Remember my first take off in my YAK 50, having come off the 52. As you unlock the tailwheel, lots, and lots of rudder (LEFT), to keep the thing straight on the runway. Thankfully, you do not stay on the runway for long
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Two golden rules on using rudder to keep straight - especially in the latter stages of the landing roll when rudder authority is low (low airspeed, blanked rudder by fuselage):
1) ANTICIPATE! (Look deep. Use far peripheral vision if no view over the nose).
2) DO NOT OVER CONTROL! (You'll be correcting your own corrections!).
Might sound 'easier said than done', but believe me it will soon be natural!
1) ANTICIPATE! (Look deep. Use far peripheral vision if no view over the nose).
2) DO NOT OVER CONTROL! (You'll be correcting your own corrections!).
Might sound 'easier said than done', but believe me it will soon be natural!
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Something to be aware of: There are various types of tail-wheels fitted to tail-draggers and they need to be set up correctly. It wasn't until I owned such an aircraft that I realised that there was quite an art to setting them up correctly!
It's worth spending a bit of time during pre- flight making sure that the tail-wheel is working properly. Look at the differences say between: Chipmunk, Robin DR 220, Piper Cub, Yak etc..
It's worth spending a bit of time during pre- flight making sure that the tail-wheel is working properly. Look at the differences say between: Chipmunk, Robin DR 220, Piper Cub, Yak etc..
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Good point jxk. Also, on the more technical side of it, also ensure your feet reach the rudder pedals.
We were arriving one fine day, in a lovely open cockpit bi-plane, me flying from the back, owner in front. 'I have' came the shout from the front, as we went over the boundary fence. I gave it to him instantly. We touched down, ground looped, straight into the field at the side of the runway.
It all went by in a strange slow motion effect. WTF, I shouted as we came to a halt. He had not adjusted the rudder pedal length in the front cockpit, and his feet could not give enough purchase to grapple with the crosswind, that sent us ground looping.
Sky God Pride hurt, pretty embarrassed, but that's tail draggers for you......
We were arriving one fine day, in a lovely open cockpit bi-plane, me flying from the back, owner in front. 'I have' came the shout from the front, as we went over the boundary fence. I gave it to him instantly. We touched down, ground looped, straight into the field at the side of the runway.
It all went by in a strange slow motion effect. WTF, I shouted as we came to a halt. He had not adjusted the rudder pedal length in the front cockpit, and his feet could not give enough purchase to grapple with the crosswind, that sent us ground looping.
Sky God Pride hurt, pretty embarrassed, but that's tail draggers for you......
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No,exactly, but he has about 25000, TT, and I had a mere 850, on tail draggers, and between us managed to stick it in the fence.
Not the planes fault at all..
Best of it we had to get a lift back in a 182, with the instructor asking us, how did you manage that then?
Not the planes fault at all..
Best of it we had to get a lift back in a 182, with the instructor asking us, how did you manage that then?
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Closest I ever came in 35 years taildragging to scratching an aeroplane (actually, writing off a lovely L4 Cub and possibly us as well) was when I gave the landing to a multi-thousand hour professional pilot who had no significant tailwheel experience.
Suffice to say that to this day I don't know how that wing tip didn't dig into the runway and cartwheel us as I grabbed it back - later than I should have done.
I sure learned a lot about flying from that.
Suffice to say that to this day I don't know how that wing tip didn't dig into the runway and cartwheel us as I grabbed it back - later than I should have done.
I sure learned a lot about flying from that.
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Well I had a birds eye view of that very wingtip scraping and bending into the runway, and thinking, I wonder if it would cartwheel? It did not.
The after analysis, should I have reacted and grabbed it back off him. I decided not to, and went along for the ride. We had a policy of....if I don't like it I will take, and if you don't like it, same...
We had been Cub flying all morning, prior to going for lunch in this thing, and that was into a 300 mtr grass strip, large trees either end. All very satisfying. Smug over confidence and complacency abound..
The after analysis, should I have reacted and grabbed it back off him. I decided not to, and went along for the ride. We had a policy of....if I don't like it I will take, and if you don't like it, same...
We had been Cub flying all morning, prior to going for lunch in this thing, and that was into a 300 mtr grass strip, large trees either end. All very satisfying. Smug over confidence and complacency abound..
All good useful comments from everyone.
I don't know if the OP has driven a (rear-steer) forklift before but I always reckoned the groundwork part of flying a taildragger was much akin to trying to keep a turbo'd forklift straight at 50mph over a bumpy field....
Thinking more on this I wonder if in fact there may be some advantage to be had if one picked up an old forky, took the pointy end mechanicals off, converted it to pedal steer and used it as a 'ground based tailwheel simulator'. Given a cheap forky over here could be got for £500 - £1500 it could be a go - would need side mounted training wheels tho' methinks
FP.
I don't know if the OP has driven a (rear-steer) forklift before but I always reckoned the groundwork part of flying a taildragger was much akin to trying to keep a turbo'd forklift straight at 50mph over a bumpy field....
Thinking more on this I wonder if in fact there may be some advantage to be had if one picked up an old forky, took the pointy end mechanicals off, converted it to pedal steer and used it as a 'ground based tailwheel simulator'. Given a cheap forky over here could be got for £500 - £1500 it could be a go - would need side mounted training wheels tho' methinks
FP.
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First_Principal
Borrow a shopping cart from a homeless person and push it backwards. Same concept, good price, and the homeless person will feel valuable.
Wax on. Wax off.
Borrow a shopping cart from a homeless person and push it backwards. Same concept, good price, and the homeless person will feel valuable.
Wax on. Wax off.
Borrow a shopping cart
Maybe in your neck of the woods, but don't try that in the UK! For some completely unfathomable reason, shopping carts in the UK are equipped with four castoring wheels and are impossible to steer!
This ludicrous design has even made it to the airports. I remember struggling with 60 Kg of luggage on a cart going down a zig-zag ramp at Gatwick. The newly-arrived American passengers faced with the same control problem, were loudly commenting on the stupidity of the design.
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We don't have crosswind gear on our shopping carts here in the colonies...but then we have indoor markets and more than our share of bad drivers...i.e. dumb down the carts.
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Hi logie101
I read whatever I could get and watched the videos, which was helpful, but only by flying with a good instructor did I start to "get it".
I found joining a group flying a permit tailwheel the cheapest way to more economically develop the skills, which are of course, still developing!
I find this on almost every very different type I fly, but it gradually comes with time and is very rewarding.
I read whatever I could get and watched the videos, which was helpful, but only by flying with a good instructor did I start to "get it".
I found joining a group flying a permit tailwheel the cheapest way to more economically develop the skills, which are of course, still developing!
I find this on almost every very different type I fly, but it gradually comes with time and is very rewarding.
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Didn't they make an Auster once with three castering wheels. It was supposed to overcome the problem of crosswind landings.
It was the Goodyear self-aligning wheels on the 1949 Autocrat
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I used to fly a DC3 with crosswind landing gear, it worked very good and allowed us to touch down crabbed into wind and roll out crabbed into wind.
They finally went back to a normal landing gear because of the extra weight of the crosswind gear.
They finally went back to a normal landing gear because of the extra weight of the crosswind gear.