Tail dragger techniques

motoadve

motoadve

Pre-takeoff checklist
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motoadve
Pretty new to tail draggers, getting close to 30 hrs now, lots to learn.

Few questions.
Taxi and ground roll on gravel bars, land tail low keep the tail light, pushing yoke down, that gets elevator closer to the rocks, so when tail wheel touches down, pull back on the yoke? or keep the tailwheel light on ground roll and taxi?

Braking, Landing tail low, push yoke a bit , touch down, I am on the mains, lower the tail for braking? Apply light braking when on the mains? (tried that and was a bit scary).

Any tips advice or critique is welcomed.
 
motoadve said:
I am on the mains, lower the tail for braking? Apply light braking when on the mains? (tried that and was a bit scary).
Click to expand...
Depends.
Crappy grabby brakes or an airplane with a particularly light tail- best left alone.
Reliable, predictable, controllable brakes? Use as desired. I mash on mine when doing a stop-and-go.
 
Just fly it and keep it controlled. If you're going to operate off gravel you have to put up with gravel damage, and trying too hard to avoid it might end up damaging the entire airplane.
 
I am another low timer, and I've never flown off gravel, but I was taught to get on the brakes while the tail was still up, balancing the brake torque with elevator while you still have airspeed to play with, then gently placing the tail down without banging it, then more brake...
 
Go back to basic principles of taildraggery.

1. The tail wants to swap places with the nose.
2. Must have positive control of the tail to prevent #1.
3. Can accomplish #2 with airflow over tail surfaces, or by tailwheel contact with ground.
4. Transition between methods of #3 is high risk.

I don't have bush pilot experience, but the presence of gravel does not change the physics of a taildragger. Whenever I see people talking about lightening the tailwheel, tail low, etc etc etc, I get worried that they don't understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. With 30 hours of TD time you are probably not yet ahead of the aircraft enough to make up your own techniques, so I suggest you stick to the two proven landing techniques: 3-point, and wheel.

With 3 point, the objective is to control the tail by tailwheel contact with the ground.

With wheel, you initially control the tail by airflow, then transition to tailwheel contact when airflow is too weak for control. Substantial stick forward when on 2 wheels ensures you know how much airflow you have. When you don't have enough airflow to hold the tail up, you don't have enough to control the tail, and you need to transition decisively to 3 point.

Decide one or the other, and execute. "Tail low", "lighten the wheel", and other such methods are a deliberate decision to stay in the transition zone. Once you have a good feel for your airplane and several hundred hours you can develop specialized methods, but IMO at this stage in your skill development that is the path to a ground loop.

WRT your specific question about braking in 2 point attitude, airflow on the top of your elevator is going to hold your tail down and prevent you from nosing over. You can land fast on 2 wheels, get the stick firmly forward, and stand on the brakes and you won't nose over. UNTIL you slow down and lose airflow. Then you risk a prop strike.

That's why I'm opposed to mixing techniques until you are really experienced. I have known several pilots who had prop strikes in Citabria/Decathlon types. All were in 3 point stance, minimal airflow, not paying attention, poked the brakes, tail came up and nose went down. "Light tail" is just a recipe for that, especially on a rough surface.

BTW, my original CFI had 30K tailwheel hours. His advice: if you start losing it on the ground, first step is add power to get airflow. That gives you more control. Too few TD pilots understand that basic principle.
 
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Tail low until mains touch, then full yoke forward if you have space to brake easily, or dump flaps (the tail will drop instantly) and use aggressive brakes. Beware of brake use on sand. With any brake application the mains will sink in. Lots of taildraggers have ended up on their backs from that. Gravel is usually not a problem.

Whether coming or going, the tail is easier to hold up with flaps out. Retract flaps and the tail becomes heavier. Use it as a tool.

I operated 100% on gravel for 25 years. Now it's 50/50 gravel and grass. Damage isn't a big deal unless the temp-humidity makes gravel stick to your tires and the tires spit gravel into the tail and prop. Watch your tires as you start to taxi and you'll see if it's a problem.
 
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Nope. SOP. You can't lift the tail high enough to do any damage even at full throttle. Keeping the tail high provides a better view and often times dodging driftwood, rocks, etc is more important than stopping quickly.
 
Every taildragger driver will experience using brakes and feel the tail lift as a result. The higher you hold the tail the more likely it is for brakes to to it. When holding the tail high go easy on brakes. If the tail starts coming up to where you're uncomfortable? Add power to blow it down. But don't overthink it. Unless you have no feel for the airplane these actions and responses are very subtle. A Cessna with Bushwheels has excellent braking authority and little tendency to lift the tail with brakes. A Cub is a different animal. Much more caution is warranted in a Cub. Especially a light Cub with a big motor and prop.
 
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