Tail Wheel Training

[Jim CRQ]

Could someone give a brief outline of what is involved in getting a
tail wheel endorsement.

I'm interested in upgrading my skills and would like to know what type
of training is involved. I suspect its mostly landing and taxing.

Also how long did it take to master the tail wheel techniques.

Thanks

Jim

[Kyle Boatright]

I'm sure the training varies widely. My training started with 15 minutes
discussing the physics that make tailwheel aircraft behave differently than
the regular sort.

Then we climbed into a Taylorcraft, and off we went. My first lesson was low
speed taxiing. Waay different than in a nosewheel aircraft. Next, the wild,
swinging departure followed by a landing at a nearby grass strip.

At the grass strip we did several high speed ground runs, followed by
numerous full stop landings.

All of this took about 2 hours.

The next weekend, we spent another hour doing full stop (full stall)
landings on the grass strip, followed by an hour or so of wheel landings,
followed by a few circuits on a paved strip.

I figure 6 hours total spread over 2 weekends...

A dozen or so solo hours later, my takeoffs and landings moved from the
"spooky" category to the "be careful and it won't bite you" category.

Your mileage may vary.

KB



"Jim CRQ" > wrote in message
om...
> Could someone give a brief outline of what is involved in getting a
> tail wheel endorsement.
>
> I'm interested in upgrading my skills and would like to know what type
> of training is involved. I suspect its mostly landing and taxing.
>
> Also how long did it take to master the tail wheel techniques.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim

[BTIZ]

a good reading and studying of tailwheel aircraft.. "The Complete Tailwheel
Pilot" comes to mind.. and then a good study of the gyroscopic effects of
the propeller on directional control as you raise or lower the tail.. also
the changing effect of the p-factor on the prop as the angle of attack of
the blades change relative to direction of travel.

Then.. taxi practice.. a nice thing out here in the desert are lake beds..
and most will have a road of some type across it.. a desert trail... line up
on the road.. don't touch.. and crabbing not allowed.. fly down the road
barely inches (about a foot) with the wing low technique for crosswind
control.. and altitude.. attitude control..

then.. another nice thing about lake beds.. you can always land into the
wind.. so.. do some landings.. and then change the direction to get some
crosswind effects.. and another nice thing about lake beds.. the "dirt"
gives.. like grass would.. but we don't have grass runways here to learn
on..

then it's back to the paved runways.. all types, full stall 3 pointers..
wheel landings.. cross winds.. after about 5 hrs and about 40 landings.. in
a Super Cub.. the instructor deemed me ready for solo in the Pawnee..

same process.. high speed taxi first... just raise and lower the tail...
then.. off you go..
for those that don't know.. a Pawnee is single seat..

for me it was refresher training.. I had last flown J-3s about 20yrs ago on
a grass field..

There is/was a school in Chandler AZ that had a 10hr tailwheel course with
Super Cubs and Huskies.. and a Pitts..

BT
"Jim CRQ" > wrote in message
om...
> Could someone give a brief outline of what is involved in getting a
> tail wheel endorsement.
>
> I'm interested in upgrading my skills and would like to know what type
> of training is involved. I suspect its mostly landing and taxing.
>
> Also how long did it take to master the tail wheel techniques.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim

[Mark Evans]

"Jim CRQ" > wrote in message
om...
> Could someone give a brief outline of what is involved in getting a
> tail wheel endorsement.

I always started with MCA and stalls in any AC checkout, to help get a feel
of the AC in the landing posture.
>
> I'm interested in upgrading my skills and would like to know what type
> of training is involved. I suspect its mostly landing and taxing.
>
The bigest thing to me was learning that the throtel is a "primary flight
control", in most light trikes you pull all power and the plane setels when
it is ready, in a TD you can't let the plane decide, if you start to setel
to the ground and you'r not ready, a little goose of power will hold you in
ground efect till you have it straight and stable, then you can pull that
power out and land.

> Also how long did it take to master the tail wheel techniques.
>
don't know, I only have about 250 hr. in them, I would guise about 1000 hr.


> Thanks
>
> Jim

your welcome

Mark

[Maule Driver]

"Jim CRQ" > wrote in message
> Could someone give a brief outline of what is involved in getting a
> tail wheel endorsement.

Mainly takeoffs and landings. Grass, hard surface, xwind, different flaps,
3 pointers, wheelies. Full stall landings is a misnomer in the Maule.

Others have said that high speed taxiing was a big part of the training. I
still consider that one of the scarier exercises.
>
> I'm interested in upgrading my skills and would like to know what type
> of training is involved. I suspect its mostly landing and taxing.
>
Interestingly, my CFI would not tell me anything about basic taxiing. Only
that I pay attention to wind direction and speed while doing so. Me, "how
exactly do you taxi this thing?", Him "Let's go out to runway 22 and do a
couple of circuits. So I just did it.

> Also how long did it take to master the tail wheel techniques.
>
I have 900 hours in my Maule. Let's just say I feel very comfortable in it
most of the time but would approach any other mount with my novice hat on.

Paying attention is part of the skill. The minute you don't, whatever
mastery you have is reduced to "oh sh_t"

> Thanks
>
> Jim

[john smith]

Jim CRQ wrote:
> Could someone give a brief outline of what is involved in getting a
> tail wheel endorsement.

Ask what the minimum insurance requirements are. With no previous
taildragger experience, the insurance may require ten hours of dual, or
maybe 25, depending on the aircraft.

> Also how long did it take to master the tail wheel techniques.

Anyone who says they have mastered it is waiting for something to
happen.
You can get comfortable, but don't get complacent.

[Maule Driver]

"john smith" > wrote in message
...
> Ask what the minimum insurance requirements are. With no previous
> taildragger experience, the insurance may require ten hours of dual, or
> maybe 25, depending on the aircraft.
>
That's on target. If you plan to use it, find out not only what the min
insurance reqmt is, but check what you'll have to pay as a low time tail
dragger pilot. It may be prohibitive.

But if it's just skill building, have at it. You'll learn to use your feet.

[vincent p. norris]

>Also how long did it take to master the tail wheel techniques.

I soloed a J-3 after 7.3 hours of dual, and that was pretty typical in
the old days.

So it ain't all that hard.

A couple of years later, as a navy cadet, I soloed an SNJ after 12
hours, and so did the other cadets, most of whom had never been in an
airplane before.

But recently, a friend of mine who is a CFII was required by his
insurance company to get 20 (TWENTY!!!) hours of dual in his recently-
purchased Cessna before they would insure him.

I hope you won't have to deal with that kind of thinking.

vince norris

[Andrew Boyd]

vincent p. norris > wrote:

> I soloed a J-3 after 7.3 hours of dual, and that
> was pretty typical
>
> I soloed an SNJ after 12 hours, and so did the other
> cadets, most of whom had never been in an airplane before.

There is a school of thought, Vince, that it takes
fewer hours to teach someone the right way to do
something from scratch, rather than having to unlearn
bad habits previously acquired.

This is probably even more true for tasks performed
under stress, and people are more likely to revert to
their (incorrect) primary training, which on a
nosewheel aircraft, is to do pretty well nothing
with your feet.

Needless to say, I'm teaching my eleven year old
kid to fly on a Maule M4-210C:

http://www.pittspecials.com/images/maule.jpg

Another 3 years until he goes solo :-)

--
ATP www.pittspecials.com