Tamed by the Tailwheel

On 13 Jan 2005 08:23:19 -0800, wrote:

I'll still maintain, most modern pilots don't know how to fly at the
lowest range of their aircraft envelope and that is a major contributor
to accidents.


Not to get into the middle of a potential squabble, but I learned from
an "old salt" and 90% of the BFRs I do focus on slow flight, pilotage,
and power off approaches. For a while I was always amazed at how much
time it took to get people relaxed at the controls while doing each.
Now I just accept the fact that most people have issues with this and
plan accordingly.

Not sure what happened as I came around when trikes were the norm, but
something did.

z

wrote:
Hell every landing is a unique animal and event

Grinning Best Regards
Ol Shy & Bashful

ol s&b ('least i think it was an "&" in the middle there...)

as a raw beginning tailwheeler, i'm a little confused about this stuff.
as i sit here thinking about it; what i'm doing is trying to put my
feet down at the numbers in the middle of the runway configured
straight enough to keep it rolling down the middle. seems to me that
what kind of landing is probably more up to the wind than to me.

on another note, i learned to hate tricycles when i was about 4 years
old. i usually land the little 152/172 planes i rent very nose high and
in fact like to work on t&g without letting the nose wheel touch at
all. should i be leaving that nose down a bit more on draggers???
thanx y'all


dan

wrote in message
oups.com...
Dudley
Of course not. Your points are well taken. Why not take a hard look at
my point of view as well?

I just did; in the personal email you sent to me telling me to "bite
you".

The problem here isn't that you're affronting me personally, or anyone
else for that matter, as is all that nonsense about numbers of landings.

It's that you are posting to a thread where the initial poster asked if
he was carrying too much airspeed on DOWNWIND!!!!!
He was answered by me anyway...on THAT issue.
Your entire post deals with an area outside the initial poster's
question, and presumes to lecture those who have answered with comment
not related to the issue they have addressed.
That's all there is to it; plain and simple. If you are saying that
carrying extra airspeed on downwind is improper procedure, I'm afraid I
have to disagree with you on that.
As for your personal email to me; if "bite me" is your idea of the
professional approach, I'll fly with someone else thank you. :-)
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/CFI Retired
for private email; make necessary changes between ( )
dhenriques(at)(delete all this)earthlink(dot)net

wrote in message
oups.com...
Dudley
Of course not. Your points are well taken. Why not take a hard look at
my point of view as well? I still think too many pilots simply are
afraid of working in the low airspeed region where most accidents are
developed and happen. Forget the high performance aircraft that you
are
fond of and think of the low speed stuff that most of the pilots here
fly.

What has this got to do with holding extra airspeed on DOWNWIND!?

Why are there stall/spin accidents?

What has this got to do with holding extra airspeed on DOWNWIND?


Because the pilots didn't know how
to fly in the low speed region and got crossed up.

What has this got to do with holding extra airspeed on DOWNWIND?


Was it because of
cruise speed? Nope. It was in the pattern and misuse of speed or at
least lower speeds.

What has this got to do with holding extra airspeed on DOWNWIND?



How about running out of runway? A blown approach
due to excess speed and unable to make the first 1/3 of the runway
(assuming it is shorter than 5000').

What has this got to do with holding extra airspeed on DOWNWIND? Nobody
even came close to hinting that extra airspeed should be held through
TOUCHDOWN!!!
What is it about the word DOWNWIND you don't understand?

I'll still maintain, most modern pilots don't know how to fly at the
lowest range of their aircraft envelope and that is a major
contributor
to accidents.

Although aircraft control in the left side of the envelope is critical
to flight safety, airspeed control in the left side of the envelope has
nothing to do with carrying extra airspeed on DOWNWIND!!!


Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/CFI Retired
for private email; make necessary changes between ( )
dhenriques(at)(delete all this)earthlink(dot)net

Dudley
Extra speed DOWNWIND is fine if you want to blow the pattern out of
shape for everyone else! Not every one has your immense experience and
wisdom.

wrote in message
ups.com...
And, as a pompous note, the 20-30,000 landings in tail wheel aircraft
do not take into account the thousands of other landings included in
22,000 hours of flying.

I'm not specifically doubting you on this old boy, but I do have a few
words on it if I may without seeming TOO disrespectful!! :-)))

I'd say that estimating between 20 and 30 thousand landings (just in
tailwheels :-) gives a pilot an odd ten thousand landings or so that
he's "just not quite sure he has or hasn't" made :-)
Are you telling us you have 10 grand in landings (just in tailwheels
mind you :-) playing around in the old log books that you're not quite
sure you made?
I've been fairly active in tailwheels myself since the fifties old boy,
and I can tell you you have ME beat by a country mile here.....why I'm
duly impressed!!! Of couse, this IS Usenet!! :-)))))))))))))

Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/CFI Retired
for private email; make necessary changes between ( )
dhenriques(at)(delete all this)earthlink(dot)net

wrote in message
ups.com...
Dudley
Extra speed DOWNWIND is fine if you want to blow the pattern out of
shape for everyone else! Not every one has your immense experience and
wisdom.

I don't think you need any special wisdom or even my experience to know
that you can carry extra airspeed on downwind WITHOUT blowing the
pattern for everyone else. I would assume that every fairly good pilot
knows this.
Naturally, if traffic dictates, you would fly whatever airspeed that
traffic calls for. Your assumption that I, or anyone else wouldn't know
enough to do this, or fly a higher airspeed that conflicts with traffic
is a bad stretch old boy!
Now calm yourself on down, and if you want to discuss extra airspeed on
downwind, come on back in nicely and we'll discuss it like good little
boys. If not, go play elsewhere.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/CFI Retired
for private email; make necessary changes between ( )
dhenriques(at)(delete all this)earthlink(dot)net

Dan
You'd be surprised at how many pilots can't seem to hold the nose off
on landing with trikes and just let it bang down like they were all
done flying for the moment.
If you continue to use your skills as you describe, you'll end up with
good technique regardless of what you are flying I think.
As for taildraggers, each different type will take a little different
approach in how to land or takeoff. I think most of that is related to
forward visibility in addition to individual skills and experience. For
example, in some very limited visibility aircraft at flare or
touchdown, a wheel landing is easier for both seeing the runway, and to
flare on touchdown. Others can take a much more flat attitude for a
three point landing. Stick a big nose or engine out in front of you and
you'll be using your peripheral vision a lot more during operations
either on the ground or in the air. Biplanes for example are not the
best for visibility either to the front or to the sides with visibility
being restricted by a. engine and cowling, b. overhead and lower wings,
c. flying wires and/or struts.
I'm rather used to looking out both sides for visual clues and forget
the view ahead. Perhaps its just from a lot of experience? That isn't
to say I completely ignore ahead of me...I'm talking about on takeoff
and landings.
Ol S&B (some say just plain ol SOB)

Dudley
As for the general posting, I think I referred to the general line of
thought by more than just you. You always seem to be so overly
sensitive on issues these days.
As for professional attitudes, I kind fo thought our personal or
private emails were just that. Thanks for letting me know.
As for my posting any numbers, its a way of qualifying my posts just as
you post your various memberships.
Why do we keep butting heads? Its obvious it ain't gonna go away
anytime soon. And when I said "bite Me" I also did it with a grin. If
you don't like it you can bite me again and I'll refrain from
discussing anything with you again.
Hows that?!

wrote in message
oups.com...
Dudley
As for the general posting, I think I referred to the general line of
thought by more than just you. You always seem to be so overly
sensitive on issues these days.
As for professional attitudes, I kind fo thought our personal or
private emails were just that. Thanks for letting me know.
As for my posting any numbers, its a way of qualifying my posts just
as
you post your various memberships.
Why do we keep butting heads? Its obvious it ain't gonna go away
anytime soon. And when I said "bite Me" I also did it with a grin. If
you don't like it you can bite me again and I'll refrain from
discussing anything with you again.
Hows that?!

Suit yourself. I have no issue with it either way. This is Usenet, not
the pilots friendship society. And I don't post my "memberships" to
qualify my posts either. I post them in case there are those out there
who would wish to contact us about something pertaining to us. I don't
need memberships to qualify things I say as a pilot. My posts deal with
that directly, as should yours without all the crap about 22 thousand
hours and 20 to 30 thousand landings (just in tail wheels mind you :-)
As I said, you have ME beat :-)))
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/CFI Retired
for private email; make necessary changes between ( )
dhenriques(at)(delete all this)earthlink(dot)net