By Vincent on Jan 13, 2009
Readers Poll – Tail wheel ?
For this month’s poll, I’d like to know about your relations to tailwheel aircraft. I’m not rated for any taildragger type but it’s on my long term aviation todo-list. There are lot of a priori assumptions about tail-wheel aircraft and I’d like to read more about which ones you consider true, but it from personal experience, or reports from other pilots.
Here is a short list as starting point:
- Taxiing a taildragger is much harder than a nosweheel plane
- Take-off requires extra care to avoid a flip-over
- Landings tend to be bouncy
- It’s harder to maintain directional control after landing
- Flying taildraggers is lot of fun…
What do you think about it ? Are you rated ? Do you like it ? Are you afraid of learning it ? Do you think these things are true ? False ? Have some experience to report ? Let’s express yourself.
6 Comments, Comment or Ping
Nolan Feintuch (twitter @feintuch)
There are a lot of myths about taildraggers. An old saying is “the only time you are finished flying one is when it is tied down”. There is a lot of truth to this saying. Flying a taildragger requires a pilot to fly the airplane at all times and not get lazy like one can do with the a tricycle gear plane. One needs to learn how to work the rudder and be aware of the wind direction during landings, takeoffs, and taxiing. I transitioned from a C150 to Luscombe after I got my license and really had no problem. Although, I had an occassional hairy landing. The takeoff were no problem for me. I enjoyed mastering wheel landings and got pretty good landing on one wheel during a crosswind. I might have scared a passenger or two while I did that. I think that people should learn to fly with a taildragger and then transition to tricycle gear planes. Before C150’s, pilots learned to fly with taildraggers. For one purpose only to get taildragger checkout is that it makes you a better and safer pilot.
Jan 13th, 2009
daveg
Taxiing a taildragger is much harder than a nosweheel plane
– Mostly false, although it can be harder to see over the nose. There are benefits in tight turning radius, though, if you have a full swiveling tailwheel.
Take-off requires extra care to avoid a flip-over
– False. You might want to be careful about heavy braking on landing, though.
Landings tend to be bouncy
– True. Once the tail drops, you add a bit of angle-of-attack to the wing. That’s mostly true on anything but a true 3-point landing. A 3-point landing is in a full stall, so you don’t get the extra lift.
It’s harder to maintain directional control after landing
– True, but depending on the airplane it may not be all that much harder. Short coupled planes are more skittish.
Flying taildraggers is lot of fun…
– True. They’re better for landing on grass runways, etc. without having to worry about damaging the nosewheel.
Another benefit, at least with my plane, is that I have never had to have the prop dressed. Early in the takeoff roll, where most gravel rash happens, my prop has much more ground clearance than a training-wheel plane. The edges of my prop feel brand new, even after almost 400 hours.
Jan 13th, 2009
Sanjeev Bhadresa
I have very little time in a tail-dragger (I suspect 2-3 hours in total a LONG time ago!).
From memory, taxiing was slightly more difficult, but that minor quibble considering how much fun I had flying one!
Maybe I should add more tail dragger time to my list of ‘09 wishes!
Jan 14th, 2009
pat
I agree with DAVEG.
Maintaining directional control on ground with the taildragger I fly is very easy. As easy as with any tricycle gear aircraft.
It’s soooo much more fun to fly a tail-dragger!
With a tricycle gear aircraft I tend to fall asleep during takeoff, just waiting for the plane to take off
With a tail dragger you don’t have time to fall asleep. You have to be fully awake with you hand and feet to keep the aircraft on the centerline.
It might sound more difficult to you I agree but it’s not. It’s really fun, not difficult!
Jan 14th, 2009
mitch
Of my 500 hours in the air, about 120 are in various types of taildraggers, and they are by far the most fun and rewarding 120 hours in my book. It is not very difficult once you get the hang of it, but it doesnt allow you to become lazy like a tricycle airplane can. Give it a go, why not rite?
Jan 14th, 2009
PlasticPilot
Thank you all for your feedback. Flying a taildrager is in my aviation todo list and I hope I will one day be in a position to confirm what you said. From a passenger point of view my flights in SuperCub were memorable, also for the possibility to fly with the windows open…
Jan 16th, 2009
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