Spin, baby! Spin!

genna

genna

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ТУ-104
Starting some aerobatic training this weekend. Maybe a tail wheel endorsement, but that's not a primary goal here.

Wish me luck!

In a Cetabria. I have exactly 1 hour of conventional gear experience from about 16 years ago.

Any pointers?
 
Relax and have fun, I've noticed that people who psyche themselves out are the ones that don't truly absorb the experience and learn from it because they're overwhelmed. Remember, you're with an experienced instructor that's there to prevent you from putting yourself in harms way, so take a deep breathe and enjoy the ride!

A spin a day keeps your hesitation at bay!

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Don't skip your breakfast, just don't eat a lot of greasy stuff :).
 
Skip the morning coffee. Stick with water. Your stomach will thank you (and maybe your instructor too).
 
You'll enjoy it. Citabrias spin very predictably. Pick a big landmark - big road, lake, mountain... , as turn reference, lets you easily count turns and stay in sync with the airplane. On the recovery you will be pitched down steeply, which is disconcerting the first time you experience it, just recover to level flight smoothly. It is easy put a lot Gs on the airplane if you pull too hard on recovery.
 
So. Spins were a blast. Did a bunch of those. And a few other maneuvers. Ended up in a Super Decathlon.. apparently he changed the plane, but not the website :). Fun plane. Happy to report that the breakfast stayed where is was supposed to. Although at the end came close to dislodging it.

No ailerons were rolled making this movie! :)
 
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Congrats! A tailwheel endorsement is a great way to make landings interesting again. Did you wear parachutes? If so, did you find them uncomfortable?
 
No chutes this time. Next time we'll wear them. My landings are always interesting :).... Actually, the landing didn't look that complicated. Landed on mains faster than I expected. But I think it was due to the runway that is a lot narrower and shorter than I typically fly. I was not taking of or landing. Taxing is interesting. Especially if the airport has hills on the taxiway that is only about 10 ft wider than main landing gear.
 
You might want to edit that. Aileron roll without chutes...definitely not legal.
 
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