tailwheel rating
 

so im thinking of doing some spin training plus get to fly a tailwheel plane and better my skills with the flight controls. but been pondering whether to spend a little bit extra and just bust out few days it takes to get a tail wheel rating .. was hoping to get some input on what you guys recon, worth getting it? will it benefit later on or just be something thats printed on my license and just ends up looking good being on my license than help me at all. so just go and do few hours spin training or add on top of that the tailwheel rating...
look for to hearing what you guys got to say

The rating is paperwork. The experience though is valuable. First of all your focus on the landings will improve. If on top of that you train in a plane that has more aileron drag you will become more pro-active with the rudder too. If after the first couple of hours you fly a C172 for example you will suddenly realise how comfortable and forgiving a plane it is. Overall a great experience, for me anyway. (There are several threads on this topic, read some of these)

I'd say it has significant value. Firstly, flying a taildragger - or more accurately flying take-offs and landings in a taildragger will develop and improve your handling skills to a large extent. Secondly, many of the most fun aeroplanes available to a PPL (to name just two, the SuperCub and the Chipmunk) are taildgraggers. Third, to anybody who cares to look it says that you are somebody with a passion for flying, rather than just somebody who likes being seen in an aeroplane.

Go for it.

G

Genghis basically said it, it also gives you the opportunity to sneer at Pilots with no tailwheel experience and talk about their "training wheel" :D (all in jest of course)

The reality is though that tailwheel teaches you some valuable handling but also it gives you some valuable experience in go-around decision making, one of the things you learn quite rapidly is that it's much harder to recover a rubbish approach and as such you are more comfortable with the concept of going around being a smart decision. There's a very common thought amongst inexperienced pilots that every approach is followed by a landing, no matter how crappy the approach is. You simply cannot afford to have this attitude in a tailwheel aircraft :).

To Clintonb and any other pilot wanting to spread their wings a little: DO IT! You will soon realise what rudder pedals are REALLY for and will never look back.

Thank us later.

Yes, go take the tail wheel training! For all the reasons mentioned....

It'll teach you to land properly (unless of course you already can!). Tailwheel aeroplanes will not tolerate sloppy technique when landing. Trikes will.

I have every intention of getting a tail wheel rating once I've got my PPL for all the reasons above! How else will I get to fly the Pitts?! :cool:

Some misguided glider pilots think that as well :-)

Every approach, to be fair, is eventually followed by the aeroplane being stationary on the ground. The shape and location of that stationary aeroplane is the matter in question.

G

Go for it Clintonb! I loved every minute of my tailwheel differences training (done in a Super Decathlon), and really felt my handling skills improving.

I still fly the Super Decathlon regularly (in addition to tricycle types), and nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than managing a really good landing in the Super Decathlon :ok:

I learnt to fly on a taildragger. Why is differences training not required to convert to nosewheel?

yeah its well wicked innit

The NPPL requires differences training to go from tailwheel to tricycle

Pitts
 

Ds3

It will change your life!

Stik


Aerobatic Display Team | Wildcat Aerobatics

Stik have sent you a PM :cool:

Even more illogically (to me at least), despite doing my skills test on a tailwheel, I (apparently) had to have a 'differences' sticker to fly tailwheel..

Either way, to the OP, in case you didn't get the message already: DO IT :ok:

Because if you can fly tailwheel, nosewheel is easy. The converse does not apply.

Mark1234 It's a JAR-OPS (or Jar FCL) requirement that you have a sticker, how you get that sticker is up to the instructor to satisfy himself that you're competent to fly a tailwheel aircraft, it's hardly a big deal :)

Mark 1, that's completely incorrect

The list of differences that require training as per LASORS 2010 is as follows.

VP prop,
retractable undercarriage
Turbo/Supercharged Engines
Cabin Pressurisation
Tail-Wheel
EFIS
Single Lever Power Control.

There's absolutely no need for differences training (which would necessitate a sticker in your logbook) on a nose-wheel aircraft. Although it would have been prudent for your flying club/syndicate to insist on some instructor time before flying an unfamiliar type.

Incidentally anyone that doesn't have a sticker should get one :)

Dan,

I have been flying taildraggers for years (on an old CAA valid for life PPL). I have never had a "sticker". Should I get one?