Tailwheel Flying IntroductionsA tailwheel aircraft must be flown with a greater attention to detail and that detail must be adhered to for a longer period of time than when flying a tricycle gear aircraft. We know that once a tricycle gear aircraft is on the ground, its natural tendency is to continue to travel forward based on the position its center of gravity position in relation to the gear position. Even after landing, a tailwheel pilot must pay greater attention to his rudder and brake control, for if the center of gravity is displaced, the tailwheel aircraft is more likely to turn about its center of gravity than a tricycle gear aircraft. Fundamentally, a tailwheel aircraft is the same once it is airborne as any other aircraft. This is why the majority of tailwheel transition training that is done is focused on the takeoff and landing procedures. For pilots who originally learn in a tailwheel aircraft, they many times wonder what the big difficulty of a tailwheel aircraft is for people who transition into them. It is simply based on proficiency and experience. There is no reason that anyone should be afraid to learn to fly a tailwheel aircraft, but they should be aware of the fact that they will need to adapt to slightly different techniques and modify their style of flying to match the particular type of aircraft that they are flying. In one area the tailwheel aircraft is certainly different than a tricycle gear aircraft, operations in crosswinds. It is not true that a good tailwheel pilot can operate in any wind that a tricycle gear pilot can. The fundamental reason why a tailwheel aircraft cannot be flown in winds as strong as the tricycle gear can be is the angle of attack which the aircraft has while sitting on the ground in a three point attitude. It is important to note that realistically, any amount of time in tricycle gear aircraft hat has been developed thus far is not something that contributes much weight to a pilot’s judgment and abilities in handling a tailwheel aircraft during takeoffs and landings. In a tailwheel aircraft the pilot must cancel all sideways motion with respect to the ground at the moment of touchdown. The difficulty in this procedure is canceling the sideways drift with crosswinds and in gusty conditions. Most tricycle gear pilots spend less effort working to eliminate side-load, and thus develop bad habits that make it more difficult to fly the tailwheel. The tailwheel is much more sensitive to pilot error than the tricycle. This is not to say that the skill required are greater to fly a tailwheel aircraft, just that the attention to detail during landing that a pilot must maintain is greater than a tricycle gear pilot. |
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