Sorry, Roscoe, I wasn't referring to your post. I should have made that clear. Please forgive me. It has been my experience that most folks think all little vintage airplanes fly like a Cub.
The biggest difference I have found I'd that my 8E is hard to slow on final. Drop the nose a tad and I'm screaming at 90 mph. Pull back too far and I'm stalled. It is not an airplane that you can pull the stick to your gut all the way down on final. My stick doesn't come all the way back until my wheels are about inch off the ground.
Every time I have my flight review, my instructor, who has zillions of hours in everything, wants to pull the stick back too far too soon. I always end up screaming at him that it ain't a Cub!
He has a hard time slowing it down as well. I've shown him that our old friend, the slip, pegs the nose perfectly on 70 mph. I do wish I could trim my airplane for hands off for final. It is a characteristic of the 8E and her lard nose to need pressure all the way down.
That said Henry's lighter 8A trims well for final.
As for wheel landings we don't adjust our speed. If you want to three point pull the stick back. Lester runs out of speed and plops down. If I want to wheel land, keep the stick just shy of neutral until the wheels touch and pin it with a little forward stick. Increase forward stick until the tail touches. In mine, this means complete forward stick to the stops. Then pull back gently to pin it. I have rolled to a complete stop with the tail still up and full forward stick.
If the airplane, like all TWs, lands straight with the direction of travel there are no issues. The Luscombe gear does not handle side load well.
However, as the Luscombe slows is where the issues happen. My airplane can feel awful at that point. Most passengers think the landing is over and start chatting, but in reality it has just begun. I think this where most folks get into trouble. They start over controlling and make the situation worse. Using the brakes at this time is risky. If the pressure on the brake(s) is not steady, flipping is a good possibility. Most Luscombe owners don't use them at all. I have seen several flipped.
This is where I have read some really bad Internet stuff. Not all two-seat vintage airplanes are STOL with a jacked up engine capable of leaping a tall building in a single bound. I can't land on a dime and stomp the brakes. I don't have flaps to help me slow, but a good slip gets the job done most times. I only climb about 1000 fpm but I can easily cruise at 115 mph.
Not sure if I answered your question, but it has been a pleasant change to have some one to talk Luscombe with. Seldom happens on a non type specific forum.
Deb
1948 Luscombe 8E
"Lester"
But he gathered it up, unlike this guy who seemed to sit and watch it happen...no aft elevator when the tail was down and no rudder correction when the tail started coming around:
