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Don't get Complacent!

sailvi767

Well Known Member
Flying home from Tripletree yesterday I made a last minute decision to make a quick fuel stop. Landed at a airport with a 100' wide runway. Wind was 10 gusting to 15 about 50 degrees off runway heading. Decided to wheel land the six and rolled it on very nicely. Held the tail up until it slowly dropped down on its own while patting myself on the back for my suburb airmanship! That's the point where the fun started! I was not expecting or mentally ready for the aircraft to take off for the weeds. By the time I got my feet in the proper position and stabbed the brake to save the day the aircraft was moving to the edge fast. Took another stab of brake on the opposite side to sort it out. Not a fun ride.
The point of this is to remind everyone to expect the unexpected. It turned out my rocket link broke. The bolt coming out of the ball that ties into the control arm had snapped. I think had I been more alert my ride after tailwheel touchdown would have been less interesting. I had grown complacent with the easy ground handling of the aircraft. In 300 hours in the aircraft only one other time did I need brake for directional control on rollout and that was after dragging the right main through a puddle of water on a grass strip. This story could have had a different outcome if I had continued home to a 30' wide strip. Stay alert!!
 
Ditto Brantel, we are not finish flying a tail dragger until it is not moving anymore.

Bird
 
little wheels at the back of a triangle

Tailwheel time WILL keep you sharp.... or will cost you money. But it sure is fun. And you can sneer at the Cessna pilots as you taxi past them. Just don't buy too big a watch. It throws off the CG and makes wheel landings harder.
 
Get some Stearman time, George. They KNOW when you aren't paying attention!

BTW Nick, Cessna and tailwheel aren't mutually exclusive terms.;)
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Flying home from Tripletree yesterday I made a last minute decision to make a quick fuel stop. Landed at a airport with a 100' wide runway. Wind was 10 gusting to 15 about 50 degrees off runway heading. Decided to wheel land the six and rolled it on very nicely. Held the tail up until it slowly dropped down on its own while patting myself on the back for my suburb airmanship! That's the point where the fun started! I was not expecting or mentally ready for the aircraft to take off for the weeds. By the time I got my feet in the proper position and stabbed the brake to save the day the aircraft was moving to the edge fast. Took another stab of brake on the opposite side to sort it out. Not a fun ride.
The point of this is to remind everyone to expect the unexpected. It turned out my rocket link broke. The bolt coming out of the ball that ties into the control arm had snapped. I think had I been more alert my ride after tailwheel touchdown would have been less interesting. I had grown complacent with the easy ground handling of the aircraft. In 300 hours in the aircraft only one other time did I need brake for directional control on rollout and that was after dragging the right main through a puddle of water on a grass strip. This story could have had a different outcome if I had continued home to a 30' wide strip. Stay alert!!

I have the rocket link and wonder just how much load the device can sustain. The AN3 bolt should be strong enough in shear but yours broke, obviously it wasn't strong enough.
 
The link had 800 hours on it. The bolt did fail in shear just above the nut. We are going to put a completes new link on based on time in service.

George
 
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