Intro to tail wheel

Tom-D

Tom-D

Taxi to Parking
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Feb 23, 2005
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Tom-D
Today I had the pleasure of allowing a young man (CFI) to taxi a taildragger for the first time. He had never been in a tailwheel before, but did great with the 170.

I took him to the wide paved area south of the 04 numbers at BVS and let him play with the aircraft. had it been a better weather day I'd have let him do some tail up high speed taxi, but the weather was really crappy light rain and low vis RVR of about 1000'.

Anyway we broke the ice so to speak.
 
Tom-D said:
Today I had the pleasure of allowing a young man (CFI) to taxi a taildragger for the first time. He had never been in a tailwheel before, but did great with the 170.

I took him to the wide paved area south of the 04 numbers at BVS and let him play with the aircraft. had it been a better weather day I'd have let him do some tail up high speed taxi, but the weather was really crappy light rain and low vis RVR of about 1000'.

Anyway we broke the ice so to speak.
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Sounds like fun! I can't wait for my chance to drive a taildragger!
 
We gotta TW plane here in town that rents out for the endorsement. Pretty pricey but not way out there. Amelia Reed out in San Jose also has had a TW transition or right from the start PPL program.

I think it's one of the best training plans for new pilots out there.
 
Look around at the LSA, Experimental, Home Built crowd and you will find great people, with tail wheel aircraft who will help you along the way.
 
When I was instructing I wanted to build a taildragger trainer. Basically a three-wheeled go-kart in the shape of a little airplane, with short wings, a high CG and a tiny motor driving a single wheel on the centerline between the mains. The pilot would be strapped in tight and wear a helmet. It would groundloop, tip over sideways in a rapid turn, and go over on its back with heavy braking or a vicious groundloop. Students get a much better idea of the hazards if they actually experience them. This thing would have been so twitchy that, once mastered, the real airplane would have been tame.

Of all the machinery I have designed and built over the years, this would have been the most fun. Never had the time to do it. No point, now.

Dan
 
Dan Thomas said:
When I was instructing I wanted to build a taildragger trainer. Basically a three-wheeled go-kart in the shape of a little airplane, with short wings, a high CG and a tiny motor driving a single wheel on the centerline between the mains. The pilot would be strapped in tight and wear a helmet. It would groundloop, tip over sideways in a rapid turn, and go over on its back with heavy braking or a vicious groundloop. Students get a much better idea of the hazards if they actually experience them. This thing would have been so twitchy that, once mastered, the real airplane would have been tame.

Of all the machinery I have designed and built over the years, this would have been the most fun. Never had the time to do it. No point, now.

Dan
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http://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/permanent_exhibits/world_war_i/breese_penguin.html
 
I am enjoying my Tailwheel training. Got taxing down, got the sight picture of the pattern and final down, still working on the control after touchdown and tail height on touchdown. In fact Tom I think you have been introduced to my CFI, he looked at your 24 when it was for sale by the insurance company, tall thin gentleman from California. I am lucky enough to train in a PT-19.
 
Tom-D said:
Today I had the pleasure of allowing a young man (CFI) to taxi a taildragger for the first time. He had never been in a tailwheel before, but did great with the 170.

I took him to the wide paved area south of the 04 numbers at BVS and let him play with the aircraft. had it been a better weather day I'd have let him do some tail up high speed taxi, but the weather was really crappy light rain and low vis RVR of about 1000'.

Anyway we broke the ice so to speak.
Click to expand...

I spoke with my CFI about getting an endorsement. Unfortunately, no tail wheel planes available at my airport.
 
I see a number of guys advertising TW training, including our own Ryan Short. As it seems I will need a TW endorsement before too long, I'm working hard now to shed enough weight to comfortably be able to get instruction in a Cub or Champ with an instructor bigger than a jockey.
 
rbridges said:
I spoke with my CFI about getting an endorsement. Unfortunately, no tail wheel planes available at my airport.
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Outside of major metro areas it is becoming very rare. The insurance is just too high to justify the occasional student.
 
When I learned tail wheel in the 50's I was told never to taxi any faster than a fast walk, ( for obvious reasons.) Later as I accrued time became familiar with cross winds, etc. I would taxi a little faster until many year later I sometimes taxied just on the mains which is impressive to on lookers but can cause a lot of expense if you screw up. It's not a wise idea.
 
Dan Thomas said:
When I was instructing I wanted to build a taildragger trainer. Basically a three-wheeled go-kart in the shape of a little airplane, with short wings, a high CG and a tiny motor driving a single wheel on the centerline between the mains. The pilot would be strapped in tight and wear a helmet. It would groundloop, tip over sideways in a rapid turn, and go over on its back with heavy braking or a vicious groundloop. Students get a much better idea of the hazards if they actually experience them. This thing would have been so twitchy that, once mastered, the real airplane would have been tame.

Of all the machinery I have designed and built over the years, this would have been the most fun. Never had the time to do it. No point, now.

Dan
Click to expand...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8

lol....
 
Like to give it a try, that's on my list of aviation endorsements to get. Still working on getting the sea plane rating.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
http://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/permanent_exhibits/world_war_i/breese_penguin.html
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Interesting. Mine wouldn't use a prop, since it would be intended to nose over and so on without damage. It would have had rubber bumpers all over it. It would have had enough fabric on it, like the Breese, to make it squirrely in a crosswind, and would have had three-axis control surfaces.

The one drawback I can think of is that it might instill the idea that losing control is fun and inexpensive.

Dan
 
Jimmy cooper said:
When I learned tail wheel in the 50's I was told never to taxi any faster than a fast walk, ( for obvious reasons.) Later as I accrued time became familiar with cross winds, etc. I would taxi a little faster until many year later I sometimes taxied just on the mains which is impressive to on lookers but can cause a lot of expense if you screw up. It's not a wise idea.
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Many of the aircraft are touchy about nosing over any faster than a walk, but the 170 isn't one of them, it requires a lot of speed and really good brakes to get the tail to come up on a 170.
 
Luvrv8 said:
I am enjoying my Tailwheel training. Got taxing down, got the sight picture of the pattern and final down, still working on the control after touchdown and tail height on touchdown. In fact Tom I think you have been introduced to my CFI, he looked at your 24 when it was for sale by the insurance company, tall thin gentleman from California. I am lucky enough to train in a PT-19.
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I never met any of the bidders on the 24. that was all done south of Seattle at the crest air park.
 
Luvrv8 said:
I must have misunderstood him, I thought he did meet you. My bad.
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Not your bad, a lot of people came by and petted that aircraft. he may have bid on it, it sold for 25k.
 
Luvrv8 said:
I am enjoying my Tailwheel training. Got taxing down, got the sight picture of the pattern and final down, still working on the control after touchdown and tail height on touchdown. In fact Tom I think you have been introduced to my CFI, he looked at your 24 when it was for sale by the insurance company, tall thin gentleman from California. I am lucky enough to train in a PT-19.
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So is he only teaching you wheel landings? Don
 
At this time yes. I am new to this thing, is it common to land a PT19 three point? I have never seen it done that way in this type of plane,but again I am new to this.
 
Luvrv8 said:
At this time yes. I am new to this thing, is it common to land a PT19 three point? I have never seen it done that way in this type of plane,but again I am new to this.
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Yes it's common to three point the 19. Most instructors start out teaching three points and then transition into wheel landings. When I do a check out in the N3N I don't let them do wheel landings until they have the three point down pat. The N does really nice wheel landings but I still three point it most of the time. The other problem with learning to fly a piece of history is that your instructor won't let you get too far out of shape before he takes over. I'll let a guy get a lot further in something like a Cub or Citabria than I will in the N. There are several good tailwheel courses in your area. You might do yourself a favor and go to one of those also. Don
 
Trust me, he lets me get out of shape, a few times I thought it was not coming back.

Not saying it does not happen but at our airport we have a couple PT-19's and I have nerer seen a 3 point landing, but he did say I will learn them. I do know that others who flew the C-46 wanted 3 point landing but my CFI always did wheel landings, I am guessing that is what he prefers.
 
Tail wheel accidents, a bit of thread creep.

A owner of a C-120 with out wheel extenders was a very good tail wheel pilot who had plenty of time in his 120, cut a corner about 2" short and caught a wheel on the curb coming out of the grass at OKH, He knew it took a bit of power to get up onto the ramp, so he gunned it, up she went, whack whack. bye bye prop.

It happens way too often, and way too quick, being a good tail wheel pilot is more than being able to land it.
 
yakdriver said:
Yes it's common to three point the 19. Most instructors start out teaching three points and then transition into wheel landings. When I do a check out in the N3N I don't let them do wheel landings until they have the three point down pat. The N does really nice wheel landings but I still three point it most of the time. The other problem with learning to fly a piece of history is that your instructor won't let you get too far out of shape before he takes over. I'll let a guy get a lot further in something like a Cub or Citabria than I will in the N. There are several good tailwheel courses in your area. You might do yourself a favor and go to one of those also. Don
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I had a Stearman in the 80's. I was checked out by a former navy corsair pilot from WW2 who trained in them. I already had over 2000 hours in taildraggers, champ, t craft, Cessna 180, etc. he said, " do not wheel land this Stearman until you are very familiar with it and taxi it slowly. It's expensive to repair and you don't know how the wings are unless you take the fabric off." Unquote. As a result, I flew it 500 hours and never had even a scratch. It's high with a narrow gear and waits for your mistake. Dumb to fast taxi, not only from nosing over but losing directional control as a beginner. I never wheel landed it but did with the others. Wish I still had the Stearman, lots of noise and fun.
 
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