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Check outs


crazy_cancuk
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Please provide more information; your question is really too abstract. It all depends upon (1) your prior experience, (2) your general proficiency, and (3) the characteristics of the aircraft you wish to check out on.

 

Re tailwheel conversion: assuming that you''re current on nosewheels and have a competent instructor, a reasonably thorough checkout should take between 5-10 hours dual. For further reference, see the following on-line articles:

http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182705-1.html

http://www.avweb.com/news/avtraining/183265-1.html

http://www.harvsair.com/taildragger.html

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Ok,

 

Who can preform checkouts, any check out.

My prior experience is basicly nil, I have my Priates with about 72hrs., all on 172, and 152''s. I currently hold no endorcements on my lic. As far as the tail dragger part goes it is a Cub that fellow AME student is planning on bringing up next yr. I was just wondering what it would take for me to be able to fly the plane.

 

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Anyone can give you a checkout - there is no official TC mandated format. You''re basically going to have to conform to whatever the person/company that is going to rent you their airplane requires. If you don''t like the terms, go somewhere else.

 

Swingline is right though, a reputable school will likely take 5 - 10 hours. Of course dependant on a person''s skill.

 

I''d certainly be leery about trying to shortcut this with a private owner unless they have good instructional skills as the differences in geometry and handling characteristics of a taildragger are significant. While not something to fear, certainly be respectful.

 

Once you''ve done it you will find that there are a lot of really fun planes out there with the little wheel on the other end.

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A few more hints.

 

If you are doing it at a flight school ask for the instructors background and actual flight experience on tailwheel airplanes. If the instructors experience is only instructing on them and no experience outside of a flight school you may be receiving poor tailwheel instruction due to his / her lack of practical experience.

 

Ask to see the training syllabus and note what type of landing instruction they feel is most important, if they concentrate on three point full stall landings and do not teach wheel landings as the preferred method, go somewhere else because they don''t really understand tailwheel airplane flying characteristics.

 

Best bet is find an aerial application pilot or an experienced bush pilot to teach you if the school only has instructor pilots on the payroll.

 

There that should get me some flack.... however I am not knocking all instructors, I am merely pointing out that to be a good instructor on any airplane you first must understand how to fly the airplane.

 

Chas W.

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  • 2 weeks later...

----------------

On 4/1/2003 8:29:43 AM Charles W. wrote:

If you are doing it at a flight school, ask for the instructor''s background and actual flight experience on tailwheel airplanes. If the instructors experience is only instructing on them and no experience outside of a flight school, you may be receiving poor tailwheel instruction due to his / her lack of practical experience.... if they concentrate on three point full stall landings and do not teach wheel landings as the preferred method, go somewhere else because they don''t really understand tailwheel airplane flying characteristics.

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Excellent advice. I''m not sure that I agree that ''wheel landings'' are the preferred method for light airplanes, but certainly you should be proficient in both types of landings (and make whichever one you feel more comfortable with, in any given condition).

 

On a similar note, beware of schools that don''t provide instruction in x-wind conditions. Tailwheel aircraft are not more x-wind limited than nosewheels (if anything, they are usually better able to handle x-winds because of the larger rudder surfaces), but many instructors seem to be unaware of this.

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Hi Swingline:

 

I am courious about your comment on the wheel landing not being the preferred or rather safer landing technique for small airplanes.

 

I do not recall flying any tailwheel airplane that the wheel landing did not give the best control results.

 

Not to get into an argument but what small airplane have you found that the wheel landing was not preferrable for directional control?

 

Like I said I sure as **** have not flown all the various machine out there, but am really interested in what one that would give problems with a wheel landing.

 

And most important why it would not be better to wheel it on.

 

Chas W..

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----------------

On 4/14/2003 2:46:45 PM Charles W. wrote:

I do not recall flying any tailwheel airplane that the wheel landing did not give the best control results.

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Hello Charles,

 

Ha! I knew that you would want to discuss this!

 

I agree that a ''wheel'' landing will provide extra airspeed, which should result in greater control. Some people say that this makes it preferable, and perhaps even essential, in very strong crosswinds [see e.g. .

 

On]http://yarchive.net/air/taildrag_land.html].

 

On the other hand, the extra airspeed translates into an increased landing roll. A full-stall landing will result in a shorter landing distance for most single engine tailwheel airplanes (I understand that this is NOT true for twins like the DC3 or Beech 18, though I''ve never flown them so I don''t know). Especially if you touch down tailwheel first (nothing extreme, of course; the tailwheel''s not all that strong), you can make some pretty short landings, which can occasionally be important.

 

I am not a hightimer, so my opinions aren''t worth much. However, it''s significant that at the CHAA there is no consensus amongst the (very experienced) instructors as to which method is preferable in the Harvard.

 

I agree with those who say that there is no ''correct'', all-purpose answer. You can see some the various arguments for and against the ''wheel landing'' at http://www.taildraggers.com/Documentation.aspx [click on "The Great Debate"].

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