logie101,

Lots of good advice here.

I'll reiterate one piece of advice already given by piperboy84. Fly the aircraft any time the engine is running. In particular, do not relax when you touch down. You might get away with that in a Cessna or Piper most of the time, but a taildragger will bite you.

The closest I've come to ground-looping, in over 2000 landings, was when trying to turn for a back-track while still braking at a fast walking speed. A good lesson learnt there!

Concerning wind direction, just remember while taxiing, to keep to stick in the downwind direction.

Taxiing taildraggers
 

Hi Logie101,

I was taught to hold the stick back when taxiing into wind, forward when taxiing down wind and into wind when taxiing across wind.

BP.

Tail dragger tactics by Imeson is very practical.

Ensure your tailwheel endorsement course includes solo time. Quite a few schools don't allow you to solo which then proves awkward when wanting to join a syndicate and you have no solo time.

Insurance normally is looking for 25 hours on tailwheel experience.

Typically a minimum 8 to 10 hours is required for your endorsement, if you are going to cover wheel landings and crosswind technique. Taxying in a crosswind is interesting.

Stay current.

I'd suggest that really depends on type, the tail on my Cassutt gets very light with the stick anywhere other than full back regardless of the wind direction. I suspect the slipstream over the tail is probably of a similar velocity to a strong wind up the chuff.

In the Supercub I never move the stick further forward than neutral when taxiing with a tailwind. Forward stick in a taildragger in my book is asking to bring the tail up, indeed look what happened to poor Nigel Lamb on Sunday.

I guess everyone has their own way of doing things however the above has worked for me in the last couple of hundred hours of taildragging so I'll stick with it!

As for into wind controls, totally agree with using into wind ailerons (reversed with a rear quartering wind) as they are out of the slipstream. (mostly)
Also agree turning off the runway in a strong wind can be fun, was flying on sunday in 20-25kts + gusts and the turn off was a bundle of fun, full into wind aileron, full rudder still wasnt enough and repeated dabs of brake were required to keep straight!!!

All good fun and taildragging in my opinion can be one of the most rewarding types of flying once you master it....

Regards

UA

The closest I came to groundlooping in well over 30 years taildragging was returning to flying the Chipmunk after 3 years on the (easy to land) Yak52. I turned off the runway while still going quite quickly, and felt the back end stepping out; full rudder and a touch of appropriate wheel brake held it, but it was close!

Just like a tricycle aircraft you can land a tail-dragger in almost any windspeed so long as it's on the nose; a wheelie is easiest when it's very strong.

But unlike a tricycle, that's when the fun begins; there will be moments when a wing-person is essential to help you turn away from the wind, due to "weather-cocking".

I was once stuck, humiliatingly, right at the end of the Bahrain runway for nearly 10 minutes, effectively closing it, while a team was assembled to be driven to help me turn onto the taxiway. The wind was about 25 Kts, and the aircraft was a Prentice with poor brakes (there was no other kind).

Good idea to keep the brake reservoirs topped up as the pads wear. Running low on fluid and losing a brake will probably happen at the most inopportune time. Taildraggers, much more than nosedraggers, need good brakes.

I landed my old T31m in a 20knt/G30knt 90degree crosswind on the 250m strip I used to have once. Virtually had the wingtip on the ground as I landed but it was very controllable. Then .......................... I had to jump out and hold the wing, phone the house and get help in order to taxy back to the hangar!!! :eek:

SS

I used to have a share in a Piper Super Cruiser. I didn't really like it, especially the landing. Much prefer a PA28 !

What's a Piper Super Cruiser? Just curious to know what flying machine is less likable than a PA28? ;)

The second best airplane Piper ever made. :ok:

The first best was the PA11. :ok::ok:

Here is a super cruiser. I did like it, especially on landing.
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...nthewinter.jpg
Bryan

Three seat Supercub. (Double bench seat in the back)

We tend to call them 'FatCubs' around these parts.


MJ:ok:

Sure looks a lot more fun than a Cherrytree!:ok:

All tailweelers have an innate dislike of tarmac runways, but they can prove to be illuminating. I shall admit to coming out of hibernation this week, and did my compulsory 3 t/o and landings prior to carting the family off on a jolly.
My circuit session was at a local hard runway as our grass place doesn't let us do circuits.
I thought that I was as rough as an amateur, despite having clocked up 250 hours on this plane. After my second squirrely landing I twigged that I was kicking off drift, but laying down the wrong ailerons. All because the runway I took off from was 20 degrees different to the one I was landing at.

Not all tailwheel aircraft are going to bite you. Some will teach you how to fly.