Grass Strips, Landing Technique, etc.

In article . net,
Dave S wrote:

Dylan Smith wrote:


The other instructor said, "First solo? Off a GRASS runway? Is it
SAFE!?" with a tone of isn't-that-irresponsible...

A firm grass runway for a tailwheel plane is much safer than paved -
it's a lot more forgiving of slight crab angles on touchdown.


AMEN Dylan...

Don Cooper solo'd me at Wolfe.. a field he knew well.. Again.. a well
maintained grass runway is a NON event..

To all the other naysayers and nit pickers, its not like im advocating
setting down in a pasture dodging cows and ant-hills, or on a beach.. or
on an unmaintained back-country gravel road.. I'm talking about a well
constructed and maintained grass runway at a FAA registered airport..

It's actually kind of sad, dylan, the instructor's comments that you
have on tape... He was likely the latest in a generation of flight
instructors who have never operated off grass, trained by someone who
had never flown off of grass, and likely never in a tailwheel either.

It's a shame.
Dave

He is probably also one of those flight instructors that teach long,
drawn-out patterns, "stabilized approaches" (under power, of course) and
heads buried in the cockpit.

Stefan wrote:
Dylan Smith wrote:

A firm grass runway for a tailwheel plane is much safer than paved -
it's a lot more forgiving of slight crab angles on touchdown.

And the drag of the grass helps *a lot* to keep the tail where it belongs.

Imagine the furore if you were flying a 'tailskid' off their perfect
surface :-)
And a grass Field/paddock is good to cut the crosswind component way
back to almost nothing