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Taildraggers vs cowboy boots

sansoneservices

sansoneservices

Well Known Member
My buddy recently ground looped his taildragger. Nasty whipping loop, much damage unfortunately and I'm not looking forward to making repairs. ANYWAY.. he swears it was the cowboy boots that caused the ground loop. We all smile and agree, mostly because he's quite shook up over the mishap. I'm a tricycle-boy but asking the group about "taildraggers vs cowboy boots" thanks
 
I wear cowboy boots most of the time and havent had any issues. BUT, I am flying a nose wheel but dont see how the boots would make a difference in either plane landing. Since I have never flown a tail wheel plane, my opinion is just a guess!! It is a creative excuse though!
 
I can't fly nearly as well with any kind of stiff shoe, and the excess bulk of boots would be a problem in a lot of airplanes with my extra wide size 12's. Tailwheel would just make good rudder control more crucial than a nose-dragger.
 
sansoneservices said:
My buddy recently ground looped his taildragger. Nasty whipping loop, much damage unfortunately and I'm not looking forward to making repairs. ANYWAY.. he swears it was the cowboy boots that caused the ground loop. We all smile and agree, mostly because he's quite shook up over the mishap. I'm a tricycle-boy but asking the group about "taildraggers vs cowboy boots" thanks
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As always, nothing is simple. This one depend on the airplane, the pedals, and the boots. I flown taildraggers in which you had better have very good feel (of the pedal/pressures), non-slippery sole, the ability to make subtle movements and the ability to react very quickly - most boots would be bad. Other taildraggers where it didn't matter too much and any type of semi-lightweight boot would be ok.
 
I'm under the impression the footwear probably DOES make a difference but as stated I'm affectionately called "tricycle boy" by my RV buddies 😆 .. I wear sneakers flying or riding the motorcycle
 
I could understand a light plane where there's a little space being an issue with cowboy boots, but on my plane I could wear those big boots they place on people with broken feet and I'd still have plenty of space !
 
I definitely agree…I wore hunting boots one time and literally got the heel and the floor wedged and had to completely stop and use my other foot to get the stuck one out. Always wear tennis shoes now. Fortunately I was taxiing out when it happened but definitely got my attention.
 
YellerDaisy said:
As always, nothing is simple. This one depend on the airplane, the pedals, and the boots. I flown taildraggers in which you had better have very good feel (of the pedal/pressures), non-slippery sole, the ability to make subtle movements and the ability to react very quickly - most boots would be bad. Other taildraggers where it didn't matter too much and any type of semi-lightweight boot would be ok.
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Not a tail dragger guy, but I once flew my 6A to a business meeting and was wearing dress shoes. Very ackward. Shoes wanted to slip around all over the place and didn't have a good feel for the rudder. Might have been different if I had carpet and rubber on the pedals. Future trips I always changed clothes at the airport.
 
sansoneservices said:
Not enough headroom for the hat, country music might be played at his home. Edit: common out here in the country 😜
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My nephew always wears a cowboy hat, and boots (but he's not piloting yet). I can confirm in the RV there isn't enough headroom to wear the hat, but can also confirm that it makes a great barf holder when said nephew got airsick 😁🥹 he still hears about it...
 
Mel said:
I've been flying for over 58 years. I have never flown in anything BUT cowboy boots.

Taildraggers from ultralight-types to DC-3 cover about 3/4 of my flying including Globe Swift GC1-B. NEVER had a problem.
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You ever fly a cub with boots? That I would have to see unless you have tiny feet! 🤣
 
Generally speaking cowboy boots are a thinner sole than a runner and Ive always had excellent feedback from the boots.

But, on my RV 4 there was no way I could wear cowboy boots safely. The pedals are too narrow and the boots would hang up. The same with running shoes.

I have size 10 and I could wear
Driving shoes or the very thin slipper like shoes from Walmart. Nothing else safely.

So yes. In a RV 4 I would believe the cowboy boots or larger runners would present a problem.
 
I won’t even let passengers climb into my airplane with any kind of a heeled boot or shoe.
 
Mel said:
I've been flying for over 58 years. I have never flown in anything BUT cowboy boots.

Taildraggers from ultralight-types to DC-3 cover about 3/4 of my flying including Globe Swift GC1-B. NEVER had a problem.
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Mel, I fully believe what you said. The key of course is "58 years". I have been licensed 54 years. Learned in a Luscombe 8A. (notorious, no?)
Yes, I was in cowboy country (Phoenix) but only owned cheap tennis shoes. Just my demographic in those days.
Jump to the present. As a CFI, I have given endorsement training for tailwheel transition. Those guys don't do well in big shoes. Boots or otherwise. To one guy with size 14 feet, I asked him to fly the lessons in socks only. He did much better. (his wife"s Cessna 140) He is an airline driver. So, you know where his feet are on every flight....

Had I had cowboy boots on when I began my journey, I bet I would be just like you. In other words, mastered the art of the three point and full stall even with the boots. And avoid ground loops at all costs.. by "dancing" with the rudders.
But in general, to answer the original pilot here who asked... I would have to say to them.... don't go the boot route.
Have a great week out there!
 
flightlogic said:
Mel, I fully believe what you said. The key of course is "58 years". I have been licensed 54 years. Learned in a Luscombe 8A. (notorious, no?)
Yes, I was in cowboy country (Phoenix) but only owned cheap tennis shoes. Just my demographic in those days.
Jump to the present. As a CFI, I have given endorsement training for tailwheel transition. Those guys don't do well in big shoes. Boots or otherwise. To one guy with size 14 feet, I asked him to fly the lessons in socks only. He did much better. (his wife"s Cessna 140) He is an airline driver. So, you know where his feet are on every flight....
Had I had cowboy boots on when I began my journey, I bet I would be just like you. In other words, mastered the art of the three point and full stall even with the boots. And avoid ground loops at all costs.. by "dancing" with the rudders.
But in general, to answer the original pilot here who asked... I would have to say to them.... don't go the boot route.
Have a great week out there!
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I was simply responding to the people who said a "HARD NO"! Never said I recommend them.

The only time I'm not wearing my boots is when I crawling through as aircraft during an inspection.

Been wearing cowboy boots since I was 10 years old. So that would be 72.75 years.
 
Mel said:
Your choice!
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It’s more about not having someone step where they shouldn’t with the weight concentrated in the small area of a heel.
If you’re comfortable flying with boots ,
“Yee Haw” cowboy!
Never found them comfortable myself but my Dad sure loved ‘em.
 
IMHO there's a mistake in the thread title, and the words cowboy and taildragger should be swapped 😉
 
Not all cowboy boots are created equal. I've got a pair of "real" cowboy boots that I've had since around 1980-ish. Back then nobody had ever heard of ropers and the heels are probably an inch tall, maybe a little more. I can totally see how that could jamb a guy up depending on the geometry of the pedals and if he was used to flying in them or not.

On the other hand, a couple of years ago I did an annual insurance checkout in a club 172 for one of our factory demo pilots who's typed in a whole bunch stuff coming out of Textron. She was wearing a pair of ladies boots with probably 3" heels. I asked how was it to fly in those and she said something to the effect of "hey, you do what you gotta do when you're only 5'2"." :)
 
Desert Rat said:
Not all cowboy boots are created equal. I've got a pair of "real" cowboy boots that I've had since around 1980-ish. Back then nobody had ever heard of ropers and the heels are probably an inch tall, maybe a little more. I can totally see how that could jamb a guy up depending on the geometry of the pedals and if he was used to flying in them or not.

On the other hand, a couple of years ago I did an annual insurance checkout in a club 172 for one of our factory demo pilots who's typed in a whole bunch stuff coming out of Textron. She was wearing a pair of ladies boots with probably 3" heels. I asked how was it to fly in those and she said something to the effect of "hey, you do what you gotta do when you're only 5'2"." :)
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I learned to fly in Montana in a PA-18-90 Super Cub taught by an amazing, very tall Norwegian from North Dakota. I have never seen him in anything but cowboy boots regardless of what activity he is involved in (flying, music, field work, etc.). He probably has over 60,000+ hours in Cubs of various types including his PA-12 as he flew oil pipelines for a living, starting in the late 60's in his J-3 Cub. He is nearing 90 and still flies at least once a week. In his cowboy boots! 😊 He helped me find my J-3 that I have had since 1972.

When I first started flying, I wore whatever I got to the airport in, mostly some type of walking/hiking boot. I graduated to "ropers" ('real' cowboy boots with a 2-inch heel; see above) that I find give me much more authority on the heel brakes that the Cub has. Never had any problems with rudder control with them on and I probably have 1500+ hours flying the Cub in those boots. They are well-worn and probably come from the early '80's. Still fit; still comfortable; still fly in them.

In SuzieQ I fly either with LIFT shoes that are specifically for flying or Simpson racing shoes: both have a pretty soft feel on the brakes and rudder pedals. Like 'em! I probably would not fly SuzieQ in my ropers. Harder to get on the toe brakes with them on.......... I know a lot of people who fly in socks or bare feet!
 
Aden Rich said:
I NEVER fly with anything but sneakers. No boots! Especially on taildraggers. Need to feel the feet and not have any obstructions on the pedals.
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Not just cowboy boots but any bulky shoes like running shoes. I fly in low top Converse All Stars, narrow, thin soles and cheap.
 
I find this thread a little humorous...
Up here in the parts of the world where we get REAL winter, all those fancy "flying shoes" would likely result in many pilots having their frozen feet amputated.
Boots are a necessity.
Yes, one has to adapt to a different "feel". Yes one ABSOLUTELY has to make sure the aircraft floor, rudder pedal structure, interior parts etc are all compatible with larger, warmer footwear.
Flying without boots... Or freezing one's feet off. Not much of a choice to be made there.

(Now lets not talk about the joys of operating heel brakes in boots which effectively stiffen the pilot's ankles!)
 
Canadian_JOY said:
I find this thread a little humorous...
Up here in the parts of the world where we get REAL winter, all those fancy "flying shoes" would likely result in many pilots having their frozen feet amputated.
Boots are a necessity.
Yes, one has to adapt to a different "feel". Yes one ABSOLUTELY has to make sure the aircraft floor, rudder pedal structure, interior parts etc are all compatible with larger, warmer footwear.
Flying without boots... Or freezing one's feet off. Not much of a choice to be made there.

(Now lets not talk about the joys of operating heel brakes in boots which effectively stiffen the pilot's ankles!)
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Is still like to see how you get boots to work in the backseat of a cub; there is literally no room between the front seat and the sidewall…
 
The last pair of Tony Llama's I bought would not have been good flying boots. The soles at the point where they would have contacted the rudder bar would've been slick and with my heels on the deck would possibly slip off the pedals. I wouldn't want to wear them while flying. Now, my good winter flying boots with the wool felt insoles and full grain leather were great to fly in. No feel whatsoever. But when its that cold, I'm not doing competition level aerobatics.
 
Between growing up chasing cattle in east Texas, and a career that kept me in boots, I definitely am comfortable in them. Or no shoes. I hate hot feet. I was known for walking around the office in my socks. It wasn’t uncommon for my assistant to call me to tell me to put my boots on before she sent someone in. That said, I definitely prefer to feel the pedals. While I’ve flown in cowboy boots (mostly roper style) I usually fly in “tennis shoes” as we used to call them. Occasionally even those are removed in flight. I can definitely see potential for issues depending on sole and heel type with “cowboy” boots.
 
Roadjunkie1 said:
I fly either with LIFT shoes that are specifically for flying or Simpson racing shoes: both have a pretty soft feel on the brakes and rudder pedals.
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Same here, but I use no-name "fire-resistant" driving shoes. I used to fly with topsiders, but prefer the heel comfort of the driving shoes. No way I could fly comfortably with my boots, even though they look awesome. 😄
 
My boots are in the baggage compartment! I love the feel of my pedals with my crocs on! Tennis shoes when its cold!
 
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