gmcjetpilot
Well Known Member
KIDDING
Seriously tail wheel planes, called "conventional gear", training and knowledge makes you a better pilot even if you have a tricycled gear plane.
I found a good video on youtube. There are 100's but these I though were informative or fun. Books I recommend
The Complete Taildragger Pilot - LeRoy Cook
Tail Tactidragger - Sparky Imeson (he had a VHS to go with it I recall)
As a CFI I break down teaching conventional gear training into two parts, ground school and practical stick and rudder.
1) Is a full understanding of the dynamics, forces, physics and fundamental techniques of landing. Strangely enough conventional or tricycle share a lot in common, like good approach, speed control and side slip for cross winds. If you are boss in a C172 with cross winds, landing in strong gusty cross winds with competent and confidence it will go a long way in a TW plane. TW planes will increase your skill as they want to WEATHER-VANE more than tricycle plane as the gear is further forward.
2) The other can only be learned in the plane. From your ground school on TW you know the CG is behind the mains and this means it wants to swap ends and vertical velocity at touch down causes the tail to go down, increasing angle of attack causing the plane to fly again. Tricycle then plane wants to self center more or less and the CG being forward of the mains makes it want to de-rotate (although you can bounce and with pilot induced oscillation (PIO) you can still get in trouble. Bottom line poor technique in a TW plane is amplified and less forgiving. The only way to learn is practice. Always be looking down the runway. Maintain directional control even the smallest deviation is correct quickly and without over control. Don't do anything until slowed to a walking speed and even then don't stop flying until it is tied down.
There are dozens of videos on youtube about taildraggers
This was shot on VHS in the 80's I guess but it is a great over view. There are many clips of planes landing. Watch them over and over. Look at the rudder. It is moving constantly, small quick inputs going back to natural, like you are dancing on rudder pedals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B78vtDKATTg&t=1065s
I love old military training videos but it has some good tips, don't let the silly presentation throw you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3hRFCP40F4
Sometimes watching good and bad landings from the ramp is informative. Starting at 3:31 it shows a Citabria and DC3 landing which are actually very good but the audio and pop up text indicates this is not proper. I would say the DC3 was a little exaggerated but that is the correct technique, holding the upwind wheel down and downwind wheel up until you run out of aileron. The ground loops look un-controllable but they are totally controllable until they are not. Once the aircraft mass (at CG) starts moving laterally from direction of travel it may reach a point that main gear drag plus centrifugal force exceed rudder control. Some "intuitive" control inputs to the untrained/unskilled/unprepared make it worse. Differential Brakes can sometimes be used to "save it" but the whole idea is not let it get to that point you need to jab the brake*. If you keep CG tracking inline with main gear in direction of travel it is fairly easy to control. Again quick accurate corrections with rudder and back to neutral. Don't get distracted until almost stopped and keep eyes down the runway for alignment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5trygRQaV0
Seth is Da man. His 10 tips are great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XQ5OVDaZ10
(* In really strong cross wind as you slow the plane may still weather vane, turn into the wind, as rudder becomes less effective and you reach max travel. The whole side of the plane and vertical stab acts as a sail. No air over rudder means no control. So dragging the downwind brake may save the day and be needed. Normally you stay off the brakes until almost stopped. When it's windy, strong cross wind, you may exceed the planes X-wind capability or your undershorts capacity. ha ha. I landed once on a wet runway in a RV-4 and was almost stopped on the runway ready to turn off, and the wind slid us sideways, not weather vane but sideways. It was raining and gusty. That was why we landed. Coming from Oshkosh going back to Seattle, a line of oh my gosh weather made us land for the night, so a storm front was approaching this airport. However down wind brakes helped, but we did get pushed sideways. If I did not use the brakes it would have been a minor ground loop at very slow speeds. However you should never be a passenger, use all the controls properly and timely fashion and make the plane do what you want. I had a passenger and bags so the extra weight helped keep it planted.)
Seriously tail wheel planes, called "conventional gear", training and knowledge makes you a better pilot even if you have a tricycled gear plane.
I found a good video on youtube. There are 100's but these I though were informative or fun. Books I recommend
The Complete Taildragger Pilot - LeRoy Cook
Tail Tactidragger - Sparky Imeson (he had a VHS to go with it I recall)
As a CFI I break down teaching conventional gear training into two parts, ground school and practical stick and rudder.
1) Is a full understanding of the dynamics, forces, physics and fundamental techniques of landing. Strangely enough conventional or tricycle share a lot in common, like good approach, speed control and side slip for cross winds. If you are boss in a C172 with cross winds, landing in strong gusty cross winds with competent and confidence it will go a long way in a TW plane. TW planes will increase your skill as they want to WEATHER-VANE more than tricycle plane as the gear is further forward.
2) The other can only be learned in the plane. From your ground school on TW you know the CG is behind the mains and this means it wants to swap ends and vertical velocity at touch down causes the tail to go down, increasing angle of attack causing the plane to fly again. Tricycle then plane wants to self center more or less and the CG being forward of the mains makes it want to de-rotate (although you can bounce and with pilot induced oscillation (PIO) you can still get in trouble. Bottom line poor technique in a TW plane is amplified and less forgiving. The only way to learn is practice. Always be looking down the runway. Maintain directional control even the smallest deviation is correct quickly and without over control. Don't do anything until slowed to a walking speed and even then don't stop flying until it is tied down.
There are dozens of videos on youtube about taildraggers
This was shot on VHS in the 80's I guess but it is a great over view. There are many clips of planes landing. Watch them over and over. Look at the rudder. It is moving constantly, small quick inputs going back to natural, like you are dancing on rudder pedals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B78vtDKATTg&t=1065s
I love old military training videos but it has some good tips, don't let the silly presentation throw you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3hRFCP40F4
Sometimes watching good and bad landings from the ramp is informative. Starting at 3:31 it shows a Citabria and DC3 landing which are actually very good but the audio and pop up text indicates this is not proper. I would say the DC3 was a little exaggerated but that is the correct technique, holding the upwind wheel down and downwind wheel up until you run out of aileron. The ground loops look un-controllable but they are totally controllable until they are not. Once the aircraft mass (at CG) starts moving laterally from direction of travel it may reach a point that main gear drag plus centrifugal force exceed rudder control. Some "intuitive" control inputs to the untrained/unskilled/unprepared make it worse. Differential Brakes can sometimes be used to "save it" but the whole idea is not let it get to that point you need to jab the brake*. If you keep CG tracking inline with main gear in direction of travel it is fairly easy to control. Again quick accurate corrections with rudder and back to neutral. Don't get distracted until almost stopped and keep eyes down the runway for alignment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5trygRQaV0
Seth is Da man. His 10 tips are great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XQ5OVDaZ10
(* In really strong cross wind as you slow the plane may still weather vane, turn into the wind, as rudder becomes less effective and you reach max travel. The whole side of the plane and vertical stab acts as a sail. No air over rudder means no control. So dragging the downwind brake may save the day and be needed. Normally you stay off the brakes until almost stopped. When it's windy, strong cross wind, you may exceed the planes X-wind capability or your undershorts capacity. ha ha. I landed once on a wet runway in a RV-4 and was almost stopped on the runway ready to turn off, and the wind slid us sideways, not weather vane but sideways. It was raining and gusty. That was why we landed. Coming from Oshkosh going back to Seattle, a line of oh my gosh weather made us land for the night, so a storm front was approaching this airport. However down wind brakes helped, but we did get pushed sideways. If I did not use the brakes it would have been a minor ground loop at very slow speeds. However you should never be a passenger, use all the controls properly and timely fashion and make the plane do what you want. I had a passenger and bags so the extra weight helped keep it planted.)
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