Tailwheel training has begun!

[cjensen]

Fellow RV builder (and VAF user), Rob Johnson, and I started our tailwheel endorsements yesterday. We are flying a restored 1946 J3 Cub that a friend of ours has.

We had a blast, and can't wait to go back next weekend for more!!

[RVAddict]

That's great, Chad!!
I'm still trying to get the ball rolling on my PPL training. Weather sucks around here this time of year. But when the time comes, (Hopefully within my 40 hrs) I'll spend some time in my instructors Citabria. That way I'll have my tailwheel endorsement when I get my PPL.

What's it like flying a Cub? I think the whole flying really slow and really low with the doors open thing is awesome!

[robjohnson]

Chad and I definitely had a great time on Sunday flying this thing. I am SOOOOOOOO happy that I decided to build a conventional geared airplane -- there really is nothing like them. It is not some crazy, untamed beast -- just a bit different and a configuration that must be respected.

Flying the Cub is an experience that every pilot should have, in my opinion. This little airplane has so much history associated with it, and bottom line...it is a blast to fly! Bare bones stick and rudder flying --- no electrical system, no whiz bang gadgets, very simplistic. I think it simplicity is part of what makes it so much fun!!!

[tinman]

I flew the PA-11 Cub which can be soloed from the front seat. It was a true time machine...I felt like I had been taken back over 50 years in time. Those big goofy tires don't like paved runways, though!
I had a smile on my face for a week afterwards...
Don

[java]

Started building my 7 without having a minute of tailwheel time, so started tailwheel training in a Supercub. It is fun! The drag is amazing. With full flaps and a forward slip, it comes down like an elevator. Still getting used to having to use my feet all the time after 100+ hours in Cessnas and low wing "modern" Pipers.

Hmmm... maybe when I have a bunch of hours on my 7, I'll look into a Cub type kit for the low and slow

[Ironflight]

I learned to fly in a J-3 Cub....the wind of a Minnesota October whistling in through the cracks in the door.....the crunch of snow as skis touch down on a frozen lake....oh, wait a minute, fond memories?!

There is nothing like touching down on a green grass runway on a summer evening as the tires go swish - the mains and tailwheel touching at the same time as the wing sighs and gives up that last bit of lift. If the runway is new mown, you even get the smell of grass as the tires kick up the clippings. How can you quit now? The sun hasn't quite set, so add some power and take it around again to experience another perfect touchdown. I think my love of landings goes back to those early days with a Cub - it is almost sensual.

I didn't fly a taildragger for a decade or so, and then renewed my love when I partnered with a couple of friends on another J-3 in the 90's. The airframe was getting long in the tooth, but we just used it for knocking around the local grass strips anyway - we each had traveling airplanes in our hangars. I must have put another 300 hours on in a few years, and enjoyed chasing the airport dog with my shadow at the end of the day. Alas, we wore that plane out to the point it needed new fabric, so we took it apart, found other things to do, and it still sits in an ex-partners hangar, waiting for someone to come along and give it a little love...

When it came time to fly the -8 for the first time, Danny King gave me some good advice. "Paul, go find a J-3, get in the front seat (with someone in back, of course), and when you feel current, you'll be ready to land the -8". He was right - the view was good, and both airplanes are honest and true.

Recently, a friend and fellow -8 owner here in the south Houston area bought a Legend Cub, and invited me to go fly it any time I want. While it's a bit odd to see both left and right wheels at the same time (it has a door on each side), it also enhances that touchdown experience - the smells and sounds waft through the cockpit from both sides. It feels like home.

Yup, if you've never had any Cub time, go and get a little - even if you already have hundreds or thousands of hours in your own taildragger. Your soul will thank you for it!

Paul

[David-aviator]

Good show, Chad!

As was simply stated by a good instructor, keep the nose pointed down the runway and you'll be OK.

By the way, it may interest you in that I am returning the GEN2 PSRU to the EGG factory via a road trip to SNF after couple flight tests. The thing was running too warm so something is not right. With any luck at all I will return with the GEN3 by Sunday. dd

[pierre smith]

The enjoyment factor doubles without doors and yes, when you land you want more....kinda like white chocolate...can't have just one bite. The bare bones dash is just so WW11 and looks like it was borrowed from a 56 Pontiac...

The many hot Georgia days I spent spraying Clark's Hill reservoir for mosquitoes in the Super Cub are re-lived watching you guys and the yello Cub...memory lane days. The smell of malathion mixed with diesel fuel is almost here too!

A good friend has returned to the good old days with his new Zenith 701 after he sold the RV8....

Enjoy,

[longranger]

I got my PPL in a C-150, then learned to fly about 2 years later in a J-3. Learning the true purpose of the little pedal thingies in the floor improved all of my flying.

Rob and Chad, stick with it. Sometimes it can get a bit frustrating, but you WILL catch on.

Miles
2000+ Total
1800+ "Conventional" (I love that word!)

[Mel]

Got PPL in 1967 in C-150. Bought a T-Craft in 1968 and learned to fly.
BTW, you guys are making tail dragging sound simple. Keep this up and we will loose out Macho image.
Real Pilots Drag Their Tails!