Starting to instruct tailwheel

Douglas

Douglas

Old School KSUX
Do you tailwheel instructors have any advice for an instructor that may start giving dual in a huskie.

I have zero tail wheel time now, how much tail wheel time would it take before you would feel comfortable giving tail wheel instruction?

I'm basically wondering how much this is going to cost to get myself to a tailwheel proficiency from zero.
 
I've given a lot of tailwheel instruction and it's truly my favorite type of instruction to give. I think I had a few hundred hours of tailwheel time before I started instructing.

Step one for you is to get the endorsement and see how it fits you. Read all that you can from reputable sources on tailwheel technique. The key word there is REPUTABLE. I recommend Plourde's The Compleat Taildragger Pilot and Imeson's Taildragger Tactics. Both of those volumes are phenomenal references and will really help you acquire an understanding of the physics involved as well as some potentially life (and airplane) saving techniques. Find the most experienced tailwheel instructor you can and pay him what he wants. Take copious notes and don't be in a rush and you'll be fine. Study can only make up for so much experience though.

I was fortunate enough to start flying taildraggers for a commercial glider operation with only the endorsement. It was there that I gained the experience that I felt was necessary to instruct and mentor beginning taildragger pilots. I had a few harrowing moments at the controls that I was able to relay to my students and call upon to correct their mistakes. Had I seen those situations for the first time while giving dual in the back seat of a Citabria, I may not have had the time or expertise to make the right call. I will advise you to get as much practical experience as you possibly can. Environmental conditions play a huge factor in the successful outcome of your flight.

In the end, it's all based upon your comfort level. Don't listen to anybody who tells you that you should have a certain magical number of hours tailwheel before you start instructing. Before you start taking students do a thorough, honest analysis of your skills and knowledge and determine if you have what it takes. Once you sign off that student his life is in your hands.
 
Thanks for the great write-up, links and advice ollie.

I think this may be my way into taildraggers.

I'll get the endorsement then, check my comfort level and take it from there.
 
I hate to be overly cautious, but I wouldn't commit to teaching in tailwheel aircraft until you've done whatever it takes to get both proficient and confident. What I mean is, don't set a budget or timeline. Just fly until you feel like you *really* know the limits of the plane. That might mean 10 hours, or it might mean 100.

I'd also get really comfortable in the plane you plan to teach in, not any old tailwheel. When you're starting out, one tailwheel plane will handle totally differently than another make and model. The landing gear geometry, construction (bungees vs spring steel, etc.), weight, speed, seating position (front or back) all make a big difference in how hard or easy a plane is to land.

I got my initial endorsement after about 6 or 7 hours in a Citabria. Then I bought my 140. It took me a full 10 hours in my 140 before I was even good enough to solo it, let alone teach in it. It felt like I started all over again.

Then it took me another 50 hours or so before I felt like I really could handle anything that came my way. Not necessarily teach to the limits in it, but that I was comfortable flying to the limits for myself. Any crosswind, any touchdown point, you name it.

When I had 100+ hours in tailwheels, I tried to teach a guy how to fly his Piper Super Cruiser. I found out I had gotten in over my head when we went off-roading during a crosswind landing on our third flight together. I just didn't know the limits of the plane well enough. No damage to the plane, but it freaked me out. That's probably why I'm gun shy when it comes to tailwheel instruction now. I'd teach somebody in a C-140 without hesitation, but I also have 250+ hours in my plane now. I won't hop in a random tailwheel plane and start teaching the way I'll get in any tricycle gear plane and fire it up.

Whatever you decide, good luck to you. Tailwheel flying and teaching is a lot of fun. Just make sure to take your time, be patient, and get really proficient.
 
Ollie said:
I've given a lot of tailwheel instruction and it's truly my favorite type of instruction to give. I think I had a few hundred hours of tailwheel time before I started instructing.

Step one for you is to get the endorsement and see how it fits you. Read all that you can from reputable sources on tailwheel technique. The key word there is REPUTABLE. I recommend Plourde's The Compleat Taildragger Pilot and Imeson's Taildragger Tactics. Both of those volumes are phenomenal references and will really help you acquire an understanding of the physics involved as well as some potentially life (and airplane) saving techniques. Find the most experienced tailwheel instructor you can and pay him what he wants. Take copious notes and don't be in a rush and you'll be fine. Study can only make up for so much experience though.

I was fortunate enough to start flying taildraggers for a commercial glider operation with only the endorsement. It was there that I gained the experience that I felt was necessary to instruct and mentor beginning taildragger pilots. I had a few harrowing moments at the controls that I was able to relay to my students and call upon to correct their mistakes. Had I seen those situations for the first time while giving dual in the back seat of a Citabria, I may not have had the time or expertise to make the right call. I will advise you to get as much practical experience as you possibly can. Environmental conditions play a huge factor in the successful outcome of your flight.

In the end, it's all based upon your comfort level. Don't listen to anybody who tells you that you should have a certain magical number of hours tailwheel before you start instructing. Before you start taking students do a thorough, honest analysis of your skills and knowledge and determine if you have what it takes. Once you sign off that student his life is in your hands.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Well said.
 
Good points. I think after I get my endorsement and after I decide to proceed, I will have to take his plane solo until I feel good with it.

It is a huskie. Any opinions on that airplane?
 
I also recremend "The Compleat Taildrager Pilot" and have all your students read it before you endorse them.

I started giving dual at 50 hours tailwheel time and had a few close calls.

It will keep you on your toes with takeoffs and landings when with a student.
I like to mix tailwheel instruction with a low level mountian flying course for the fun of it. You will find more and more tricks as you teach just like you learned as you CFIed in a tricycle.
 
Huskys are made about 25 minutes from where I live, they fly like a cub with more power. Its one of the easier planes to fly in my opionion, although most of the bush pilots around here will say a cub is so much better, stable, etc etc.
 
Fly_Unity said:
I also recremend "The Compleat Taildrager Pilot" and have all your students read it before you endorse them.
Click to expand...

Definitely. That's my "textbook" for tailwheel endorsements. I don't loan mine out, I make my students buy it so they'll have it to refer to in the future because it's that good.

JRH's advice about getting comfortable in that particular type is spot on. Things can get pretty sporty in a hurry if you're behind the airplane for even a second.

As far as the Husky goes, I've only got one flight in an "A" model but it was a good flying, well mannered airplane. It's got plenty of power and plenty of rudder authority to get the job done. To me it flew exactly the same as a 150/160hp Super Cub it just had more goodies in the panel.
 
Instruction from a quality tailwheel instructor is a must. Around here I was lucky enough to know a instructor who has over 7000 tailwheel hours in everything from WWII birds to pitts. The things I learned from him sure saved my butt more than once when I found myself in a sticky situation. Dont just go out and do the minimum to get the endorsement. Go out with a quality instructor and really learn how to fly a tailwheel airplane.
 
The club where I'm doing my tailwheel endorsement requires 10 hours dual make & model checkout for the citabria, so coincidentally, the TW endorsement ends up taking 10 hours to complete. I've got just over 8 hours in the airplane and only on my last flight started feeling confident that I can make the airplane do what I want it to do most of the time.

I like the Plourde book, but a lot of it makes more sense after a couple of lessons. Also a big fan of the Tailwheel 101 video.

I'd have to agree with the others that I'll want a much higher confidence level to teach in a tailwheel airplane than it takes just to get the endorsement.

Oh, and wheel landings are really a lot of fun once you get the coordination down.
 
After your endorsement, fly for several hours and get comfortable in all conditions. Then get checked out in the back seat (or right seat if the situation calls and depending on the type of aircraft). Everything is different depending on seating position. From the back of a cub, husky, etc... you can't see squat in a three point landing.. so get with an instructor whom can get you that experience. And even after teaching tailwheel for the last 3 plus years... there are still situations that your students will put you into where you have to muster every bit of experience and skill (and luck, and prayer), to get out of it safely... It is when you get comfortable with your students landings, that they try to kill you... good luck.
 
Cool, thanks all.
I found a C140 in North Iowa owned and operated by a DE, 100 an hour, flat.
I've known him from years gone past, really knowledgeable guy.
 
Tailwheel stuff is also my favorite type of instruction, and as a late-ish comer to this thread I would just echo everything above. All tailwheel airplanes fly (well...at least land, takeoff, and taxi) some what differently and it is very important obviously to be comfortable and confident in an airplane to the point of being able to let your student take you almost into the grass on one of those fun crosswind wheel landings, and being able to jump on things at the right point. Obviously it is important to give the student a chance to save things, but when they fail to do that, you need to be able to get it back onto the runway and in the right direction promptly without making things worse.

Further more, I have two golden tailwheel landing rules - ]

1. Stick back, Stick back, Stick back - Most any bad landing recovery in a tailwheel can be done by using a lot of up elevator pressure to rotate to and hold a 3-point touchdown attitude (or greater if you need to save a descent rate, it is better to touch slightly tail first then have the mains hit and slam the tail down). If the bounce is bad enough, obviously adding power to soften the blow is a good thing to do too.

2. Two Bounces - This is most important when I am teaching wheel landings in the C140 (my students start in the Cub, then graduate to the 140 in a tailwheel course) with its springy landing gear. Students get obsessed with "pinning" it on the ground, that no matter how a bounce (or bounces) off a runway are, they keep adding more and more forward pressure to keep the mains on the ground. This obviously does not work, and the bounces get worse and worse through this PIO until something breaks. This is why my students need to know how to either transition into a 3-point/full stall touch down or a go around after two bounces on an attempted wheel landing.
 
The 2 bounce rule is a good idea in any airplane. Bounce it twice- add full power & go around
 
tlewis95 said:
Further more, I have two golden tailwheel landing rules - ]

1. Stick back, Stick back, Stick back - Most any bad landing recovery in a tailwheel can be done by using a lot of up elevator pressure to rotate to and hold a 3-point touchdown attitude (or greater if you need to save a descent rate, it is better to touch slightly tail first then have the mains hit and slam the tail down). If the bounce is bad enough, obviously adding power to soften the blow is a good thing to do too.

2. Two Bounces - This is most important when I am teaching wheel landings in the C140 (my students start in the Cub, then graduate to the 140 in a tailwheel course) with its springy landing gear. Students get obsessed with "pinning" it on the ground, that no matter how a bounce (or bounces) off a runway are, they keep adding more and more forward pressure to keep the mains on the ground. This obviously does not work, and the bounces get worse and worse through this PIO until something breaks. This is why my students need to know how to either transition into a 3-point/full stall touch down or a go around after two bounces on an attempted wheel landing.
Click to expand...

Even before you mentioned the 140, I thought to myself, "That sounds a lot like the advice my 140 instructor gave me..."

I totally agree, BTW.
 
Douglas said:
I have zero tail wheel time now, how much tail wheel time would it take before you would feel comfortable giving tail wheel instruction?
Click to expand...

Before you sign up for your tailwheel training, ask yourself how much experience you'd want your CFI to have before you hand over your hard-earned cash to him.
 
Stick Back, Stick Back, Stick Back is the second most important rule with taildraggers.

Number one - Go Straight! The second you stop focusing on going straight is the instant the airplane will decide to go exploring.
 
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