On Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 5:15:06 PM UTC-4, James Metcalfe wrote:
At 16:33 17 October 2020, Eric Greenwell wrote:
The problem was likely the Blanik tailwheel, which can be damaged
easily in a two-point or tail-first landing. How to train pilots for
two-point or tail first landings when you only have a Blanik? I never
figured out how to do it in our club with our L13, so tried to compensate
with ground training while they were learning, and more advice when
they got their own glider.

Hmmm... I went solo (in 1977) in a Blanik, having been taught to
always do a "fully-held-off" landing, something which I have been keen
to impress upon my own pupils as a very active instructor since 1983.

I don't remember the club ever having any problems with Blanik tail gear,
although I did (several years later, as club secretary) arrange for the
a/c
to be written off by insurers for main gear damage (from rolling across
ruts hidden in long grass). (Not too difficult at the time, as I think
insurers were very anxious about fatigue life of the Blanik spars!)

I don't remember the club ever having any problems with Blanik tail gear,
We broke the original tail skid assembly during a youth encampment in the Netherlands. The field was dotted with rabbit holes and the tail skid hit one too many of them. It was essentially a folded piece of steel sheet with a single bolt in the front and a rubber block in the rear. We saved the encampment by fashioning a new skid from a chromed car bumper sourced from a local junk yard. Worked well and kept us going.
The later version of the L13's tail skid had a spring loaded caster wheel, which drastically reduced the side-loading on the skid.

Uli
'AS'