"birdog" wrote in message
...
Is it possible to get a pilot topic going here? For all the criticism of
this guy Max--, the simulation pilot here, at least his posts relate to
aviation, however synthetic. How about we try this, just maybe to get
some on topic comments.

Today, maybe tail-draggers have no legitimate redeeming value, except for
bush piloting, since virtually everyone flies from tarmac to tarmac. But
still, lack of the skill eliminates some planes from the pilots options.
The Citabra, the 170's, 180's, or the smell of dope and gas in an old
Champ. The principal difficulty is in a tricycle, once all three wheels
are down solid, you are done except steering it down the runway. In a
tail dragger, relax and it will swap ends, with devistating results.

In my formative years, I flew safety valve for any number of licensed
pilots trying to transition from try- to tail draggers. A few picked it
up with a dozen or so landings, and a very few never got the hang. Most
took about 3-6 hours to gain competence. To go from tail dragger to
tri-gear normally took about two landings. Compare this to 7-9 hours of
dual for the beginning pilot in eithor type. To me, the hardest thing to
master before soloing was the rudder work required to land a tail
dragger.

Does this suggest that training should begin in a tail dragger? Would it
be worth the extra effort? Or is the entire topic outdated?

Well, I found it pretty easy to start out in a taildragger - it just seems
to be a big problem from those transitioning from a nosewheel. I suspect
that it's the transition pilots that drive the insurance claims up which
drives the insurance companies to discourage using them for training.

Self fulfilling prophecy, eh?

Personally, I found the flexibility of a taildragger convenient even when
98% of the time I landed on pavement. You can't do wheel landings with
tricycle gear.
--
Geoff (making a trip to look at a taildragger tomorrow) Thorpe
The Sea Hawk at Wow Way d0t Com
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