Tailwheel endorsement ... in the book!

pilot602

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Don't know why I didn't post this earlier ...

I got my Tailwheel endorsement last Saturday (doing the aircraft checkout tomorrow) after an ok last flight. We were working with a tailwind and at 5-7 knots it's not a big deal. When it got up to 9 things started getting bouncy. Then we started chasing the wind. Ended up switching from 4, to 22, then back to 4.

But ... before the wind started acting up, we did a few excersies that I pulled off fairly well. They involved staying at pattern altitude till final (slip it down as it has no flaps) to a wheel landing, transition to a threepoint attitude, transition back to a wheel landing then add power and go around. Next one around was a wheel landing followed by a takeoff and recover back into a wheel landing the another takeoff (on the same runway ... essentially land it twice, in a wheel landing)a nd a few other excercises. Also rolled it on one wheel for awhile (have done this several times actually).

The great thing about a tailwheel aircraft is the second you think you have the hang of things it kicks you in the butt and you go bouncing down the runway.
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I.E. this last flight after those excersises I bounced two of the last three wheel landings and recovered to a three point.

It's a very humbling experience ... but fun as hell!

Seriously, I don't care how many hours you have if you have never flown a tailwheel you really need to get out and do it. You'd be absoloutely amazed at how a measly ten hours or so will sharpen your stick andrudder skills. And, besides that, it's just friggin' fun!
 
Nice job!!!
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It sure is a blast, I wish I could talk my boss into getting a Champ or something that I could instruct in. That would be fun (and a new challenge!)...
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P.S.- how's the CFI coming along?
 
Well I've decided to do the MEI first (it was betwen ME and MEII) ... I'm through about my frist six or so lesson plans (with notes and "back-up info" for each) and I'm waiting to get a go/no-go decision on the way I'm doing them before I continue or otherwise I'd probably have half of 'em done. As an aside my first official CFI lesson was last Friday.

I'm through the second chapter in the Gleim for the CFI written - god what an awful test, BTW
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- and generally I'm getting excited about teaching.

I've always instructed (taught/teach martial arts, generally was a trainer in some capacity at nearly every job I've ever held, newspaper editor which is essentialy a teaching job) and I think it's going to be very satisfying to teach folks to fly! Can't wait to get through the multi-engine stuff and then go get my Single engine stuff so I can really stat instructing.

I'm thinking about doing my CASEL and CFI-ASEL in the Champ!
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It'll be cool to say I got my commercial single in one ofthe most simple aircraft around and it's a kind of "middle finger" to the FAA for not including SE privileges with a ME-initial commercial ticket. "I can fly a multi to commercial standards but I have to go back and demonstrat proficiency in a single? Fine. I'll do the single commercial in a friggin' kite!"
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I'm thinking about doing my CASEL and CFI-ASEL in the Champ!

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haha, that'd be awesome!
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