Some tailwheel questions/comments

wrote in
ups.com:



Not really, and I'd be surprised if you could taxi a Citabria with
the tailwheel raised anyway. Easy in a cub, though.


Firstly this isnt a troll and if somebody feels it is, they simply
need to ignore it, thats how usenet works. Anyways, the question was
based more on what I saw on the takeoff run where we raise the tail as
airspeed increases. It just felt more stable and more like a
conventional gear takeoff run in that phase, so I was just wondering.
The intent of the question wasn't about how to taxi at a high speed.

Ah, OK. Wel, the main reason you get the tail up is to aid acceleration
and to have th eairplane in the correct atttude when you rotate.
You have a lot of power on and that is why the airplane feels more
stable than when you are taxiing. The reason being the vast amount of
air yu have going over the rudder.
Not all airplanes re like that, BTW. Some get very interesting when you
raise the tail on takeoff!

The problem with the Citabria is it's a bit too easy for tailwheel
conversion. You'll get the basics, but if you try a cub afterwards
you'll find it significantly more difficult, wheras the other way
around would be a piece of cake. Citabria is a good airplane, but
it's not the best tailwheel trainer for that reason. However, it will
certainly do in a pinch!

Thanks for the tip, I have been looking to find a place to learn in a
cub but the closest one is about 70 miles away, so that may have to
wait.

Nothing wrong with a Citabria, but the cub is just so perfect. You'll
learn a lot in a Citabira as well, Just be aware that when you get the
tailwheel signoff you're not "there" In fact it doesn't matter what
you've been checked out in, you're only just like a kid who's been let
go onhis first two wheeler..

The CG doesn't change significantly when the tail is raised, though,
to
answer your question, and fast taxiing is something best left to
someone with a LOT of tailwhel time. Taxiing on the mains is
something best left to airshow pilots or guys that can afford to
replace props as easily as they would buy a cup of coffee.

What my instructor seemed to imply (and things didn't really sink in
till about a day after the flying) was that the takeoff roll is more
stable when the tail is up. So I was wondering if the CG shifts
forward when the tail is raised because this is a more stable
configuration than when the CG is behind the main wheels.


Ah, OK. Well, it might have something to do with that, but I'd suspect
it;s more to do with decreasing the angle of attack on the wings.


Bertie