jestes

jestes

Active Member
RV Pilots

If you are building a tailwheel RV or looking to buy one please note that most insurance companies are now requiring pilots to have 200 total hours and 25 tailwheel hours to quote flying coverage. If you are buying a used tailwheel RV and you are under these hours there are still markets that will quote you, these are our transitional markets and they will insure you when others may not. However if you are building a tailwheel RV there are only 4 insurance companies that will cover the test phase period and they are not the same transitional markets. The carriers that will cover your test phase are the ones requiring these higher hours. With that said we may still be able to get one of these markets to quote you but its not guaranteed as they have become more strict and its not as easy as it was in the past. So don't be surprised if you are a lower time pilot and can't get a quote.

Please take the time to prepare yourself so you not denied coverage when it comes time to buying flight insurance. Try to build up as much tailwheel time as you can during your build stage as this will help you in the end. :)

Please contact me at [email protected] with any questions you have.

Regards,

Jenny Estes
NationAir - Sales Manager Light aircraft office
 
Tailwheel hours

Thanks Jenny,

That is great info. It is always a bit of a mystery how many and what type of hours are required to get over the insurance hurdles. I recently purchased a Cessna 120 to fly while I build. I received quotes on the 120 from my long time trusted broker and Nationair. Much to my surprise, Nationair was more responsive and provided better and cheaper options. I purchased my insurance from Nationair.

At the rate I am building I think I will have about 4,000 hours of tailwheel experience by the time the -8 is done :rolleyes:
 
DaAV8R said:
Thanks Jenny,

That is great info. It is always a bit of a mystery how many and what type of hours are required to get over the insurance hurdles. I recently purchased a Cessna 120 to fly while I build. I received quotes on the 120 from my long time trusted broker and Nationair. Much to my surprise, Nationair was more responsive and provided better and cheaper options. I purchased my insurance from Nationair.

At the rate I am building I think I will have about 4,000 hours of tailwheel experience by the time the -8 is done :rolleyes:
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Thanks Robert that is good to know. Yes we hear that all the time, if only you could just work on building the aircraft all day every day :)
 
This is valuable info...I had checked with Jenny about a year ago and she recommended 200/25 to me back then. Consequently, as I close in on my first flight I have 200/40 so mission accomplished...but I had a year to get there, which helps a lot. Plan ahead.
 
I also find this helpful, although I got this message over a cold beer in a back yard last week. The beer delivery method of insurance info was much more enjoyable :). Thanks Jenny.
 
that's why I bought my RV-4 which I'm now selling, great way to do some weekend RV style trips and get TW time while building

My RV-7 is getting closer to flying now and I've got plenty of tailwheel time built up
 
Looks like I gotta keep my Citabria time up ... It's a bit underpowered, but it does have a stick and it's sure fun to fly!

(just checked the log book ... 244 hours TT, with 70 in the Citabria and 4.5 in a Super D ... half of that upside down!)
 
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wjb said:
Looks like I gotta keep my Citabria time up ... It's a bit underpowered, but it does have a stick and it's sure fun to fly!
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I'm in the same position 240/20 tw in a Citabria. Working on the wings (can't get enough of that stick stuff):D
 
I was surprised, couple hundred RV hours ( almost exclusively instrument instruction in A models), 30 hours tailwheel (champ, citabria, tailwind) and I'm insured. Still going to get some 7 tailwheel time prior to fist flight.
Another hour or 5 is always beneficial for the pilot and the insurance company with the right instructor.
 
issu14 said:
I'm in the same position 240/20 tw in a Citabria. Working on the wings (can't get enough of that stick stuff):D
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+10 on the stick stuff! Whoever thought a yoke was the way to control a mighty flying machine was a bit messed up in the head!
 
15 hours is a good minimum for tailwheel flying

(Full disclosure - I run a tailwheel flight school and am an advertiser on VAF)

I have found that a non-tailwheel pilot needs about 15 hours of time before they are fully comfortable in flying tailwheel aircraft. One can learn to fly a Champ/Citabria in 8-10 hours, but in order to develop transferable skills (that transfer over to OTHER tailwheel aircraft) one needs to put in the additional 5-7 hours.

I also think that the Decathlon is a great trainer for faster/heavier tailwheel aircraft. The Champ and Citabria have low wing loading and high lift wings that do not demand use of power in the approach/landing. The Decathlon having a symmetric wing demands the coordinated use of power to be flown well in those regimes. We use the Decathlon (150 hp constant speed) to do our tailwheel transitions at Training Squadron (www.trainingsquadron.com - my flight school). I also place my students in the back seat during the last portion of their training to develop the skill to use peripheral vision during landing.

My recommendation would be to fly something like the Decathlon (if you find one in the area) for 15 hours before doing RV transition training. The Decathlon is a tough trainer and you want to make sure your RV doesn't suffer with your "learning curve". If you can't find one within your area, we would be happy to help. Tell your S.O. that you are taking her to a vacation to California wine country! ;-)

I have written an article in Air Facts Journal about why tailwheel flying demands more of us. It is here http://airfactsjournal.com/2013/08/why-you-must-fly-a-taildragger/

Happy flying!
Anandeep
 
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