Quote:
Originally Posted by N941WR
BBQJON, think about what Angelo said, "15 hours to start feeling comfortable."
Think way back to when you were first learning to fly. Didn't it take you between 10 to 15 hours to solo? Same thing with a taildragger. Only now you have to unlean years of bad habits before you can learn new techniques. No big deal, besides, who among us can't use some additional training?
I'm not saying you are a bad pilot, don't take me wrong. I flew with Angelo for some of that 15 hours and he was fundamentally a good pilot but like most high time jet pilots, he would start his flair at 50'. That presented its own set of problems. Once past that he was fine. Two things I liked about Angelo, every turn was coordinated and he always landed on the centerline.
|
Bill R., You are correct. It did indeed take 10-15 hrs to solo and create a "second nature" skillset and level of comfort that was acceptable for solo flight. I love to learn so I am fully willing to put in as much time as necessary to become a proficient tailwheel pilot. I have zero time in a tailwheel at present and about 350 hrs TT in C-172, 172RG, Beech Duchess. I put safety first and value knowledge from instructors and from this forum. I really feel like I can do this. My point for posting this thread was/is to decide if the -14 would "eat me for lunch" so to speak, or if I could safely transition (after the appropriate training) and build and fly this beautiful experimental. I took a test flight in the RV-7A at Airventure a couple of years ago and liked the handling characteristics. I really appreciate your comments and insight here. Thanks!