Tailwheel checkout: part 6- worthy at last?

[rottydaddy]

More dual yesterday morning... round and round, crashes and dashes until my stomach started growling for lunch and the tank was down to about 3 gallons.
The radio was more readable after being serviced, but unfortunately it now picked up a lot of FM stuff out of Tijuana... sigh.
But it was a lot of fun. Best part was when the very hands-off and quiet Bob yanked the power on me, and I had an excuse to drop off downwind into a big forward slip on final to make a good 3-pointer, all without touching the throttle. Feeling a little mastery now, although I am still not entirely sure how to turn this airplane in the pattern or in cruise... the more subtle rudder movements will take a while to polish up.

Bob was less reserved with the praise than usual, and after we tied down the Champ he signed me off.




Ate some lunch, then saddled up again for a solo hop. The wind was worrying me, so I decided to stay in the pattern and not overdo it. I did four good landings, two of each, and got it back to the ramp in one piece with the wind steady at about 15 knots.



Here's a couple of pictures... midfield downwind for Runway 26L at Brown, and the "office" of the Champ.

 

[tonycondon]

congrats! first solo in a taildragger for me was in the supercub and i think you can relate now that it is as good as the first first solo!

is that a wind up clock on that panel? do they want to sell it?

 

[Greg Bockelman]

Can't imagine why a Champ would need a wind up clock. LOL

 

[tonycondon]

me either but thats certainly what it looks like, second from the right on the bottom.

 

[Troska]

Thanks for posting these updates, I've really enjoyed reading them as I've been going through my own TW training. Got mine last Saturday in a 7ECA Citabria - and I agree with what Tony said about the first TW solo comparing very well to first solo.

Did you hit a point where you transitioned from X-wind wheel landings on pavement being "white-knuckles and sweat" to "white-knuckles and fun"?

Congrats to you!

Tim

More dual yesterday morning... round and round, crashes and dashes until my stomach started growling for lunch and the tank was down to about 3 gallons.
The radio was more readable after being serviced, but unfortunately it now picked up a lot of FM stuff out of Tijuana... sigh.
But it was a lot of fun. Best part was when the very hands-off and quiet Bob yanked the power on me, and I had an excuse to drop off downwind into a big forward slip on final to make a good 3-pointer, all without touching the throttle. Feeling a little mastery now, although I am still not entirely sure how to turn this airplane in the pattern or in cruise... the more subtle rudder movements will take a while to polish up.

Bob was less reserved with the praise than usual, and after we tied down the Champ he signed me off.




Ate some lunch, then saddled up again for a solo hop. The wind was worrying me, so I decided to stay in the pattern and not overdo it. I did four good landings, two of each, and got it back to the ramp in one piece with the wind steady at about 15 knots.



Here's a couple of pictures... midfield downwind for Runway 26L at Brown, and the "office" of the Champ.

 

[rottydaddy]

is that a wind up clock on that panel? do they want to sell it?

LOL, no- it's a G-meter (between the VSI and the volt meter), believe it or not. I have no idea why it's there or if it even works.

 

[tonycondon]

darn.

 

[rottydaddy]

Thanks for posting these updates, I've really enjoyed reading them as I've been going through my own TW training. Got mine last Saturday in a 7ECA Citabria - and I agree with what Tony said about the first TW solo comparing very well to first solo.

Both of you guys are right: as I suspected, it was a Big Deal Personal Milestone, like the first solo or first solo XC.

Did you hit a point where you transitioned from X-wind wheel landings on pavement being "white-knuckles and sweat" to "white-knuckles and fun"?

Tim

Heck, yeah!! All it took was getting over my "never fly on or apply forward stick on touchdown!!" brainwashing.
That and the view thru the tall windshield making it appear that I was about to put it on its nose. That was SO HARD for me, getting to the point where I could just throw that stick forward. I was terrified, even when Bob demonstrated. It seemed like a crazy thing to do.

But now I love it! I've even been able to gently squeeze it onto the upwind wheel first and hold it like that a sec. I can't wait to do that again... that feels good.

 

[twofivexray]

Congratulations Rotty, now watch out and don't try those wheelers when you get back in a nose dragger!!

Roger

 

[rottydaddy]

Congratulations Rotty, now watch out and don't try those wheelers when you get back in a nose dragger!!

Roger

D'oh!... thanks for reminding me that I will have to do a "reversion" at some point.

Actually, I'm working on a plan to avoid trikes for quite some time...