Taildragger Training

Well, I decided the time was right to get my TD endorsement so it was off to see my local CFI and his 1941Interstate. After 2.3 hours of flight instruction I can honestly say I have a ton more respect for the tail dragger pilots and their machines. I had a ton of fun learning how to plant the tire in a 15 MPH cross wind, taxing on the ground with said wind, and a few "assisted" wheel landings. I kept her pretty straight, but was sure glad the instructor was there.

Any tips for the new / old student TD pilot? I'm reading Tail dragger Techniques.

Practice, practice, practice, and then more practice.

Never, Ever,

quit flying it until it's in the chocks..
what fun, eh

Do as many takeoffs and landings in as many varied conditions and configurations as you possibly can over the shortest time interval that you can...then don't stop.

Like the man said, practice, practice, practice. But especially spend a lot of time in the pattern at different locations and also concentrate on precision ground work - like you are on a police motorcycle drill team. Pay attention to the state of your body and mind, and stay relaxed, but always stay on your guard. Don't let a little excursion turn into a big one by learning to recognize it and stop it NOW with the appropriate control input.

I'll bet your instructor already told you all that stuff, didn't he?

Use those feet!

Geico266 said:

Any tips for the new / old student TD pilot? I'm reading Tail dragger Techniques.

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I'll second the practice comment but there are a few things you need to think about. First and foremost, think about the dynamics of a taildragger. The center of gravity is behind the main gear. Landing a taildragger is a little like trying to shoot an arrow tail first. The airplane wants to put the CG in front of the gear. Your main job is to keep that from happening. The easy way to do it is keep it as straight as possible. Takeoff is a little easier because you are accelerating, but while landing the tail really wants to lead the parade. Remember too that there will be 'P' factor issues on takeoff as the tail comes up. The angle of attack lessens as the tail rises, requiring less right rudder. So in practice, you blast down the runway as long as the tailwheel is on the ground the rudder will be fairly neutral. Then you raise the tail and the sucker wants to go left but as the tail rises the left tendency lessens. Here's a tip, don't sweat all the above, focus down the runway a ways and keep the airplane straight!!

Bottom line, don't sweat it. It will make sense soon and then it will be instinctive.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

MacNab said:

I'll bet your instructor already told you all that stuff, didn't he?

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Well, yes, .....but to teach an "old dog" new tricks takes repeating things several times, or a 2x4.

I can see why the better tail dragger pilots at my airport spend hours in the pattern. Pratice, Practice, Practice, then Practive some more.

It is totally fun though. This old "41" Interstate is a really cool old machine. No starter, no electrical, no mixture. Just carb heat below 1,500RPM, throttle, mags, cabin heat. 75 HP, 75 MPH max cruise, 37 MPH stall, no flaps. Most fun flying I've had in months. Low & Slow is the way to Go.

My head will be spinning for days. I know I could have done better!

John Clark said:

Bottom line, don't sweat it. It will make sense soon and then it will be instinctive.

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Great advice! I did pick up on it becoming easier looking down the runway. I'm gonna stick with it, as long as the instructor puts up with me! This has been an aviation goal of mine since I started flying. Tail Dragger Pilot.

It does force you to be a better pilot.

TD's

Geico266 said:

It does force you to be a better pilot.

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Dont say that-----You'll start another ND vs. TD war!

Lesson #2

It was a no wind day so I got to get some good wheel landings in. What a difference it makes when you don't have to correct for a cross wind. I did pretty good on the rudder, but I need to learn to neutralize them each time I "stab" for a correction. Got a tad squirreling a couple of times, but always was able to keep her under control. There was a couple of times the ossolations started (pilot induced) and I was bale to get ahead of them quickly without making them worse. CFI says I should be done soon, but he will not sign me off until we get some more cross wind landings in. Fair enough.

What are some suggestions for three point lands? I know look down the runway and not in front of the plane seems to work really good for me.

Keep those tips coming!

Look at the horizon..

Hi Larry,
The next time you taxi out onto the runway, look at the relationship between the cowl and the trees or whatever is on the far end. I mean the height of trees or buildings in relation to the cowl. My buddy's -4 will have the trees about two inches below the top of the cowl...this way, during the flare to land, you know when you've put the airplane in the same attitude it was in on the ground and all three wheels should touch down together.

Yep...practise, practise,

3-pointers? I get best results by breaking the glide earlier than for a wheelie (above ground effect) and trying for a single smooth, progressive pull to 3-point attitude. If done right, you'll arrive at the runway with no energy left for the floating, ballooning, or bouncing that make a good 3-point difficult when you enter ground effect at too high an airspeed with too much attitude change required. Just use good judgment when wind/turbulence picks up.

pierre smith said:

Hi Larry,
The next time you taxi out onto the runway, look at the relationship between the cowl and the trees or whatever is on the far end. I mean the height of trees or buildings in relation to the cowl. My buddy's -4 will have the trees about two inches below the top of the cowl...this way, during the flare to land, you know when you've put the airplane in the same attitude it was in on the ground and all three wheels should touch down together.

Yep...practise, practise,

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Great advice! I just completed lesson #3. Brushed up on all skills and tackled 3 pointers. They are pretty straight forward. I had several dead on, tail wheel touched 1/2 second before the mains. Felt really good & solid, no lift left. This has to be one of the best things I learned flying.
Definatly makes you a better all around pilot, and I won't look at tail draggers with a sense of dread anymore. I can fly taildraggers! Yahoo!

sandifer said:

3-pointers? I get best results by breaking the glide earlier than for a wheelie (above ground effect) and trying for a single smooth, progressive pull to 3-point attitude. If done right, you'll arrive at the runway with no energy left for the floating, ballooning, or bouncing that make a good 3-point difficult when you enter ground effect at too high an airspeed with too much attitude change required. Just use good judgment when wind/turbulence picks up.

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Great technique to try next time I go up in a TG.

Thanks all for your advice, and encouragement. For anyone else sitting on the fence about getting your TG endorsement, just do it. You'll be a better pilot for it.

Well boys & girls, I am the worlds newest Tail Dragger Endorsed Pilot. After 8.5 hours of doing pattern work I was signed off this AM. We finally got enough good winds of 5-12 MPH to get the conditions right for good cross wind training. He was tough, but I feel ready to transition to another TD, and fly in cross wind conditions. This is Nebraska, and the winds do blow.

Thanks again for all your encouragement and advice. I read every post and mentally took note of several tips, they came in very handy.