Tailwheel Training on Monday

Alchemy

Alchemy

Well-Known Member
So I start my tailwheel training on Monday....I've read the tailwheel section of the airplane flying handbook and discussed it with the instructor. Are there any other good resources available that I should read beforehand? Anyone have a good tailwheel lesson plan?

Lastly, does anyone have advice about taxi, takeoff, and landing beyond what is written in the AFH?

I will be flying the 1949 Stinson 108 Voyager seen below:
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Drive a fork-lift. Best "practice" you can get to think like tailwheel.
Remember, you are always flying the plane, even on the ground.
Most written on tailwheel you will find is reference to a Cub or Champ. Tandem seating, with a control stick, is what tends to go with the wheel in back.
Remember, stick back, stick back, stick back. You'll hear that a lot on landings. The way the plane sits while parked, is how it is going to land, so look outside for references. Get the feel of the plane. Practice wheel landings as much as you can.

That 108 was never really a basic trainer, but I know a family who used to own one, and said it was fairly easy to handle.

I'd recommend you get some time in a Citabria, or a shared style of that type. There is a reason that basic plane has been in production over 50years, and is still to this day. Stick is much easier to fly than a yoke.

Climb in, dive away. You'll need that to be as second nature as breathing for when you taxi around. Don't slam on the brakes, or you'll be buying a prop at the least. Stick forward , between neutral and full forward, and power up, slowly pull back on the roll as the climbs out. This works good for bringing the tail up. Landings, try and get pressure on the tailwheel first during 3 points, helps hold directional control. All the way back when on the ground.

What's your reason for doing the tailwheel flying? Is it for an endorsement only, or looking for airbatic stuff maybe?

5-10hrs would be a minimal time for a tailwheel endorsement.

Have fun!

You'll remember you have rudder pedals again.

Does the 108 have heel brakes or toe brakes?
 
I've flown the 108 quite a bit... compared to most others it feels "heavy" inflight. It's not quite as nimble as a Cessna or even a Citabria. If I had to choose I would def go with the Citabria if I had never flown a tailwheel before.
Another way I would describe its feel is a big bad pickup truck compared to a little Honda Civic.
All in all a great plane to fly!! Very enjoyable, very predictable, very solid. They have toebrakes as well.
Thereis also that book, "The Compleat Taildragger"(or something like that)although I have not read it, I hear it's an excellent book.
Now, I want to know is that a new fashionable "Cessna Skyhawk Pitot Cover" on that Stinson in the picture, or is it just a perfectly timed picture!!??
Neil
 
The stinson belongs to the flight school which currenty employes me as a CFI. I am in the process of getting a checkout in all 7 types of aircraft we operate, the stinson being one of them. I realize it will take some time to earn the endorsment, but I'm mostly doing it for fun and the potential to instruct people in it if I ever get enough tailwheel time. The endorsment could be useful to have....you never know when someone will want a BFR in their Cessna 185 or whatever.

My instructor is an old alaksan bush pilot and a former J-3 and C-185 owner. He says the stinson "wallows" through the air, not as easy to fly straight and level as a cessna. From what I gather so far, the most important points are crosswind correction during taxi, takeoff, and landing (same as tricycle only you need to pull back on the yoke in a headwind), use the brakes ultra sparingly to prevent nose overs, hold continuos back pressure during the takeoff and landing roll out, and get used to touching down in a level pitch attitude for wheel landings. This 108 has toe brakes, left side only. 6 cylinder 150 hp franklin engine.

The C-172 pitot cover is a must have item, not MEL-able.....
 
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It's not quite as nimble as a Cessna

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I can think of a lot of descriptions for a Cessna, but "Nimble" has never made the list.
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Wow, I just started tailwheel yesterday in a citabria. taxing and keeping it straight on the runway were the hardest for me, but it was fun. I think its just really different from a tri-cycle gear aircraft.
 
Whatever you do before you fly that Stinson, be sure to remove the little Cessna from the pitot tube......
 
Maybe 'nimble' is not the right word i was looking for... the controls just feel lighter on a 172.
The 108, nonetheless, is a gem to fly!!
n
 
I did my tailwheel training in a Stinson too. Lots of fun, but challenging!

I would also recommend reading The Compleat Taildragger Pilot, by Harvey Plourde, in conjunction with your training.

I kept a journal of my whole taildragger training experience. For those of you who are remotely interested, you can read the entire journal HERE .
 
If there's one thing that really stood out for me during my endorsement it's this: FLY the airplane all the way on to the runway. Even a three point landing requires more "flying" than the standard 172 method of "establish a flare and let it sink."

Wheel landings are probably the single, best feeling I've ever experienced thus far in flying.
 
Soooooooooo.

How did the first day go?

I just put another 1.2 in a 7ECA today, getting close to 40hrs tt (that's little tt for tailwheel time, not total time
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Well, we had to scrub because the mechanic found a crack in the oil cooler. Rescheduled for thursday morning.

In the meantime, my flight school recieved 4 copies of "the complete taildragger pilot". I bought one and have managed to read half of it so far today. Lots of good info in there I wouldn't have thought about otherwise, for instance, holding back pressure during engine starting, the different types of tailwheels (castering, locking, steerable, etc), how to use ailerons and elevator to help you turn w/o brakes, and aerodynamic differences between nose and taildraggers.
 
The Stinson is such a fun airplane to fly!

Make sure you go up and do a bunch of stalls. It's the most stable airplane I've ever flown in the stall!

Not too sure how a Stinson handles on those tiny tires. Every Stinson I've flown (3 of 'em) had 30" tundra tires (they sure make for smooth landings!!).

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Now that's a man's plane.... looks like a plane Ted Nugent would fly.
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Make up your mind.
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C'mon SteveC, you cannot deny TN's manliness... the man kills his own food, that has to count for something!
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C'mon SteveC, you cannot deny TN's manliness... the man kills his own food, that has to count for something!
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Ted's just too easy to pick on.
The Whackmaster, indeed!
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Well, I took 'er up for the fist time this morning. Met our tailwheel instructor at the airport at 0700 local....nice, calm, and clear morning.


Taxi

I didn't find taxiing the Stinson difficult at all. I could still see over the nose and track along the taxiway centerline with no problem. It's nice having such a tight turning radius. We did some lockwheel turns which were pretty easy in the stinson. Winds were calm so wind correction wasn't a big issue. I held the yoke neutral taxiing downwind and full back when taxiing upwind for practice.


Landings

My first takeoffs were interesting. As I found out, it's pretty counter-intuitive pushing forward on the yoke during the takeoff roll. It took me 2 or 3 tries to really get a feel for how much pressure to use in order to get the airplane into a two point stance, and then when to pull back slightly to let it lift off.

After I did get up on two wheels the first time, the nose started going to the left and I over-corrected with right rudder. Now we were pointed off to the right....the instructor had to help me out with some input on the rudder peddals to keep it straight down the runway. I found that the taildragger is very sensitive to rudder input once it's up on two wheels....or maybe I was just too heavy on the rudders today. Either way, it was like learning to ride a bicycle all over again. The good thing is, I really didn't have much time to screw up before this plane wanted to fly. In 400-500 feet we were off the ground. Seemed like I was only in the two point stance maybe, 3-4 seconds before it lifted off.


Airwork

We went to the practice area, did some steep turns, power on and off stalls, and the instructor had me simulate descending to a landing and "flaring" in the air. One thing that stood out in the airwork was how much more difficult the stinson was to keep coordinated than a cessna. I really had to keep an eye on the inclinometer during turns, especially when entering a left turn....I had to "lead" the ailerons with the rudder when turning to the left.


Landings

Since the wind was calm and it's best to learn these first, we practiced 3-point landings. The exercises we did in the air helped me get a feel for things, but on my first few the tail was swinging out from side to side because I was overcorrecting with the rudders. On my second try I came in a little to fast, did a semi-wheel landing and bounced back into the air once the tail touched down. After that, I touched down with a *plunk* and swerved back and forth a little before the instructor saved me. I also had a tendency for my right wing to drop, so the first 2 landings required considerable instructor input. After that, I asked him to demonstrate one for me, which he did. My next two takeoffs and landings were pretty good, I touched down on all three wheels at once with no bouncing and stayed more or less on centerline. The trick seems to be pulling the power to idle, slowing to about 55 mph, trimming full nose up and pulling the yoke back to the stop. The stinson does a smooth 3 point in this configuration.


Conclusion

Overall, I had a great time. I will probably need 6-7 more lesson before I get my endorsement, and I'm looking forward to them. Like I said earlier, it almost feels like learning to ride a bike....a lot of balance and foot-training is needed to keep this thing under control during takeoff and landing. We will probably head to a local airport with a bunch of sod runways next week, introduce some wheel landings and soft field technique. I can't wait to tackle some crosswinds in this thing.....what a challenge that will be.
 
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