My First Tailwheel Lesson

[Low Pass]

The -8 is as honest and responsive conventional gear plane as you'll find, but it likes to wheel land naturally. Be proficient, don't feel like you have to force the 3 pt every time.

Also, with the stiff -8 gear legs, don't forget that if you land with excessive sink rate there's a good chance you're going airborne again. Be preparred to add power to stabilize the sink, or just keep easing in the power and go around.

Good luck with the -8. It's a fantastic plane!

[grantcarruthers]

For x-wind practice try going out and just fast taxi ~ 40kts down the length of the runway with the tail up. You'll really get a feel for the contributions of aileron and rudder and which one you need and when. If it gets out of hand ease the power on as fast as you can without upset and just take off (much safer and more dependable than trying to slow back into control).

If you think about TnG's you get a few seconds of experience in this critical phase and at this critical speed for each circuit. By practicing at a fast taxi you can get minutes of experience in no time.

Ease the speed up to near flying and alternate from rolling on the right wheel to the left. In no time you'll have a feel for your plane and how she responds to inputs.

I'm amazed at the cross winds I can land in the -4 as long as it's not too gusty.

It's fun too.

[Louise Hose]

Originally Posted by Howie

For me, what I wear on my feet definately effects my
feel for the airplane.

I completely agree. I didn't begin to master my -6's landings until I got the interior properly set up (the previous owner had been about 10" taller than me) and I started using very light-weight cross-country cycling shoes with a very thin but stiff sole. The shoes caused the quickest and biggest change. After awhile, I transitioned to regular tennies, loafers, and such. But, at first, I needed the thin, flat (and heel-less) sole to "feel" what I was doing.

[BlackRV7]

Originally Posted by grantcarruthers

For x-wind practice try going out and just fast taxi ~ 40kts down the length of the runway with the tail up.

It's fun too.

There are two differing thoughts on taxi testing. I did a lot of tail wheel up taxing in preparation to fly Black Magic. By the time I started my tailwheel training, it was obvious to my instructor I knew how to ground handle the airplane so we just went flying and landing. Looking back on all I did, the taxi testing was actually the most "precarious" of the two training regimens. One thing to remember with these airplanes, if you do want to go fast taxing, be prepared to fly it, as these things will get off the ground in no time.

Congrats on your training....now just remember the secret tailwheel handshake and keep the notion going that a taming a tailwheel airplane is just like slaying the dragon so you can win the princess...

[MattSR]

Tailwheel flying is awesome fun - I've got about 75 TW hours and no two hours are the same..

Just wait until you step into an S2 Pitts or similar - its the most fun you can have in an airplane

[N8RV]

Originally Posted by BlackRV7

Looking back on all I did, the taxi testing was actually the most "precarious" of the two training regimens. One thing to remember with these airplanes, if you do want to go fast taxing, be prepared to fly it, as these things will get off the ground in no time.

Several years ago, I was at my hangar one evening piddling around and only half-watching a guy who was doing high-speed "taxi testing" of his newly acquired, single-seat, underpowered, overweight(him) homebuilt. He'd go up and down the single runway, back and forth, each time getting faster and bolder.

He began to let the airplane get off the ground about 5 feet or so, then chop the power and land. At one point, he got a little higher than he'd planned, and started to sink pretty fast when he chopped the power ... so he hit the gas again ... then chopped it again.

Unfortunately, he was rapidly running out of runway, so he hit the gas again and took off.

As he disappeared behind the trees, a crowd began to gather at my hanger facing the runway. I turned to the guy who'd been giving him instruction and asked, "He IS going to go up to altitude and do some slow flight before he tries to land, right?"

"Gentlemen," he answered prophetically, "you are about to witness the first and last landing of that airplane."

Indeed, the pilot never gained much altitude above the trees and lined up for a landing. He got slower as he got lower, and started to veer off centerline -- right toward a lone tree on the edge of the airport property. He managed to catch the right wing on the tree just as the plane was stalling, and fell from about 15 feet to the ground. As we all raced to the scene, he was scrambling to get out of the plane, unhurt.

Lesson learned the easy way (watching someone else be stupid).

[Andrew M]

Thats what my flight instructor kept firmly telling me, louder and louder as we approached the left side of the runway. Then one day, as I was turning left into the airport for my next lesson, someone ran the light. I managed to steer, brake, and push in the clutch, avoid and accident and not kill the engine. I figured if I can do that, I should be able to keep the airplane straight. Thats what it took for me.
I have found it easier to let off excess right rudder when powering up the trying to add it in after veering to the left.

Andrew
-4 started and sold
dreaming again
11AC Chief with cable Goodyear brakes (no brakes at all!)

[RV7Guy]

Hi Rick,

I was in the same boat as you. I got my endorsement and transition from Mike Seager. Man, I felt out of place for that first hour. Now it is quite easy and natural.

Two comments though. If you don't feel 100% ready, let someone else do that first flight in your 8. You'll have a new plane, new engine, new prop, new avionics, new tail endorsement, all a receipt for a problem if something goes wrong. Believe me, I'm glad I did it this way. My first flight was just as exciting as seeing it fly for the first time with me NOT at the controls.

The best piece of advice I got on tail wheel flying was from Dan Checkoway. He told me, on take offs, to keep my left foot off the pedal but cover it, only use the right pedal, lots of it. Instead of pushing the left pedal if the plane is going right, simply let off the pressure on the right pedal. From that point takeoffs were straight and predictable.

Good luck. You'll have lots of fun!!!

[Rick6a]

Originally Posted by RV7Guy

.......If you don't feel 100% ready, let someone else do that first flight in your 8.......

I hear you Darwin. As of 01/10/09, I have accumulated 10 hours of tail wheel experience in the Citabria and feel "reasonably" confident in my ability. Yesterday, landing repeatedly into a true 90° 10-12 KT crosswind proved not all that difficult. Still, it is undeniable that the tail wheel airplane demands much more precise control than a nose dragger. A past thread once asked how many go arounds you have had to make since receiving your license. I was not bragging when I said never because of a botched approach or landing. That was then and this is now. Grass landings tend to be forgiving of less than perfect technique and it has been humbling to occasionally screw up wheel landings on hard surfaced runways in the stiff legged Citabria, some salvageable and others not. Sheer necessity has improved my go-around skills.

I flew my -6A on its maiden flight so I've experienced that singular and memorable thrill. This time I will defer first flight duties to 25000 hour pilot DAR Frank Baldwin. Shown here a few weeks ago, he is the first and only pilot I have ever allowed to fly my RV from the left seat after he handled the plane so naturally and so well that upon landing at a nearby airport I impulsively directed him to pull off the runway and shut down so we could switch seats.

The second photo was taken days later as he taxied the -8 around for the first time to familiarize himself with its systems and develop a feel for its ground handling characteristics. He reported it tracked well, everything felt good and is looking forward to making the first flight sometime in the upcoming weeks. That will happen when I am cleared by the insurance company. I happily defer to his 5000 hours of tail wheel experience and plan to fly chase in "Darla!" photographing the event when it happens.

[Danny7]

Rick on your 8 did you remove the blue plastic where the rivets go? I don't see the common 1" wide (or so) strips missing, did you do it all with the plastic on, or figure out a way to remove just a little bit?