My Ground Loop

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Selway, Deb...
I am having difficulty understanding what you are saying.
If you are slow-flighting with power, the nose is high.
How do you land on the mains and prevent the tailwheel from touching
first?

John,

In the "wheel landing" configuration, our Luscombes are just about level.
When/If we land, our stick is gently pushed forward, and the tail doesn't
fall until our stick reaches the forward stop.

Henry's quote (as he is the master of this in our household), "This is not a
full stall landing. You can make it a full stall by pulling the power off at
the right height. I prefer to do this on grass as that surface absorbs the
energy."

I can add these comments. Henry's 8A has an A-65. The airplane stalls at 39
mph. He can fly slow without having to pull the nose up. Also, he has owned
this airplane since 1978 and knows it better than he knows me.

My airplane is heavier and has a C-85. I do need to pull the nose back to
slow down. I can't do the slow flight down the runway as well as Henry. Nor
can I land as slow with a wheel landing. I keep practicing though! I do use
the same approach speeds for both three-point and wheel landings, but the
level attitude of a wheel landing doesn't allow me to land as slow.

Hope I haven't confused you too much ;-).

Deb

--
1946 Luscombe 8A (his)
1948 Luscombe 8E (hers)
1954 Cessna 195B, restoring (ours)

I know how to wheel land my 1945 7AC Champ with an A65-8.
I do not experience the flat attitude with power as has been described.
The only way to obtain a flat attitude is to increase airspeed and "fly"
the wheels onto the ground.
Forward pressure on the stick then keeps the tailwheel up.
I need 70 mph for level attitude wheel landings vice 55 mph for normal
three point landing. Below 55 mph the sink rate gets too high and the
gear hits the stops of the oleos.

George Patterson wrote:
john smith wrote:

George, which M-7 model has the small ailerons?
I have heard it will not handle as much crosswind as the other models.

As far as I know, the ailerons have always been the same size on all
M-7s and MX-7 planes. That's the way it was certified.

I too have read accounts from people who say that crosswind capability
is handicapped by the size of the ailerons. I've never understood this,
or even understood how that could be possible. In any case, I've always
run out of rudder long before running out of aileron when slipping that
plane.

I don't get that either. Crosswinds are ultimately limited by the
rudder (MX7). I tend to setup the slip on long final just to get the
'ol limbs warmed up. I flew one into Key West with a direct xwind of
over 30+. Definitely beyond the capability of the a/c until I got down
to less than a wingspan off the ground. Just as I was going to execute
the abort, the wind gradient gave me just enough of a break to get it
straight for a touchdown. Filed that one away.

Maule Driver wrote:

I tend to setup the slip on long final just to get the
'ol limbs warmed up. I flew one into Key West with a direct xwind of
over 30+. Definitely beyond the capability of the a/c until I got down
to less than a wingspan off the ground. Just as I was going to execute
the abort, the wind gradient gave me just enough of a break to get it
straight for a touchdown. Filed that one away.

I also would set things up early, 'cause I like a stabilized approach. I flew
one into Kupper when Trenton (a few miles away) was reporting a crosswind with
gusts over 28 knots. I could not keep it straight enough on approach, even with
the -7 degrees flaps setting, all the rudder I had, and a fistful of power. I
aborted. Much later I started wondering if I might have been able to get down if
I had waited until just above the runway to try to get it straight. Don't think
so, but who knows.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.