Taildragger for Night and IFR flying?

[RV8iator]

Huh? Huh? What?

[MarkW]

Originally Posted by RV8iator

Huh? Huh? What?

+1 No difference.

[Ed_Wischmeyer]

The good news is that you can build your tail and wings before making even the slightest commitment. I'm not sure of all the details about changing landing gear in each direction, but it can be done.

[Veetail88]

Originally Posted by rzbill

Isn't there a mantra about using superior decision making to prevent the need to apply superior piloting skills?

I chose a nosedragger for this particular IFR reason. I did not want to be faced with a more difficult taildragger landing after flying in the ****, making a turbulent approach and then looking at the runway out the side window after breaking out of the clouds because of STRONG crosswinds.

Huh? Wouldn't superior decision making skills prevent you from making a flight that pushes your skills that far in the first place?

I don't like calling folks out on the forum here, but this really doesn't make sense to me.

[mbuehler]

Around Seattle you need to fly through the marine layer to reach the nice weather. Having an instrument rating / capable airplane has let me fly on more "sunny" days than I otherwise could have

Originally Posted by Polar

... the more IMC I flew in, I realized that I had no problem with only flying when it's nice out!! I finally let my currency lapse and haven't regretted it yet!

[iwannarv]

Practice, plus, with all these new LED landing/taxi light combinations I figure you can build a little overkill and light the runway up almost to daylight.

[CubedRoot]

Thanks for all the input so far. I have only just started my wings, so I am still a good while away from making a decision on the fuselage.

I am planning on getting some tailwheel time around the fall of this year, and also starting my IFR in the fall as well.

Its sounding like once you get the feel for the wheel being in the back, there isn't a very big difference in gear configurations on an RV-7. My main concern for IFR flying was landing in crosswind-y and wet weather.

[N941WR]

Good for you building the plane you want!

When you start on your tailwheel endorsement, it will seem impossible at first. No different than mastering the flair in a tricycle. At around 10 hours +/- you will wonder what the big deal was. Then you will start flying your RV-7, which will take 40 hours of test flying. By then you will have 50 hours of tailwheel time and should be comfortable in the -7.

Take a couple of day cross country flights just to get used to it. Then invite your TW instructor to get your night currency and you will be good to go.

Keep pounding! This world needs more tailwheel pilots!

[Dugaru]

FWIW, I'm in exactly the same boat, and chose a nosedragger for the same reason.

Until you get very proficient with a taildragger, and STAY that good, winds at your destination will likely affect your IFR travel planning and execution to a much greater degree than with a nosedragger.

I say this (a) even though I really like taildraggers and (b) after having partially owned, and traveled in, an IFR taildragger (a really nice Glasair Sportsman) over the course of a year and a half.

Surprisingly, the 5,000-hour taildragger devotee who is my hangar neighbor readily agrees with me about this. When he really needs to get somewhere, he goes in a nosedragger (he's lucky enough to own more than one airplane....).

Reasonable people can definitely differ about this of course. I have zero doubt that an appropriately trained and current taildragger pilot could equalize the situation between a taildragger and a nosedragger, making the whole thing entirely irrelevant. The DC-3 point is a good one! If you're that person, by all means have at it. But I appraised my personal situation and figured I didn't need the extra complication in my night/IFR/travel risk package.

Also, my zillion-hour brother-in-law once ground-looped a DC-3.

Originally Posted by rzbill

I chose a nosedragger for this particular IFR reason. I did not want to be faced with a more difficult taildragger landing after flying in the ****, making a turbulent approach and then looking at the runway out the side window after breaking out of the clouds because of STRONG crosswinds. I have had IFR days like this.

At that time a taildragger is not on my desired list. Could do it? Yes. Do I want the need for extra skill when I am tired? NO.

[BCP Boys]

This is really interesting thought process. I applaud any pilot that looks at his/her limits and stays within those limits. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. For myself in the -7, I would say my wind limits are probably going to be within a few knots of cross wind component. I don't think I would want to land a 7A in a 20 or 25 knot cross wind and wouldn't want to land my -7 in anything above 18 to 20... Would that be a "go, no go decision"? Not really sure about that.

But I know 1 thing for sure : The other 100 + hours that I'm flying the -7 during the year I certainly rather be in a TD than an nose wheel... even after my first 15 years of flying starting out in nose wheel planes.

It's all about Personal limits my friend.