My swagger comes not from the airplane I've flown, but from how well
I've flown it.


That's it! If you've landed your taildragger without hitting the weeds, you
and the rest of the world know you've flown it well
:-). If you managed to get the thing died down, then you know you're damned
good! If you manage to kiss the ground in glee and not be seen by your
tricycle-geared brethren, then you're Aviation Hall of Fame material.

Actually, anybody can land a tailwheel airplane, and if you've had good
primary training, the transition is easy. I think that's the gist of this
rant. The docile C-172 will let many pilots and instructors learn and pass
on bad habits. The tailwheel airplane weeds those bad habits out, literally.
I know. I learned to fly in my own C-172. I didn't really 'fly" it, however,
until I learned to fly the Luscombe. The Luscombe taught me how the fly the
C-172 and fly it well.

Ironically, we jest about swaggering taildragger pilots, but you will find
that a tailwheel aircraft will teach you humility like no other airplane. If
it doesn't, you'll be one those chasing yer tail in the weeds.

Deb

--
1946 Luscombe 8A (His)
1948 Luscombe 8E (Hers)
1954 Cessna 195B, restoring (Ours)
Jasper, Ga. (JZP)