1. TAIL WHEEL CONVERSION
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A typical tricycle undercarriage and a tailwheel aircraft
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2. C152 DIFFERENCES BIPLANE NOSE WHEEL STEERING TAIL WHEEL AHEAD OF M/G
C/G WEIGHT
REAR OF M/G
SIDE BY SIDE
SEATING
TANDEM
RIGHT HAND
THROTTLE
LEFT HAND
YOKE / PANEL
PITCH & ROLL
STICK / FLOOR
TOE
BRAKES
HEEL
GOOD
VISIBILITY
POOR
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3. TAXIING A TAILDRAGGER P1 IN REAR SEAT NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE
PAX HEAD OBSCURING VISION
WEAVE LEFT LOOK RIGHT
WEAVE RIGHT LOOK LEFT
VERY SMALL CONTACT AREA OF TAILWHEEL :- INEFFICIENT STEERING, USE RUDDER AND SLIPSTREAM
STRONG SUDDEN BRAKING COULD CAUSE NOSE TO TIP OVER LEADING TO PROP STRIKE, CONTROL TAXI SPEED
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4. STEERING AND BRAKING STEERING IS DONE WITH TOES
BRAKING IS DONE WITH HEELS
IF BRAKE APPLIED TOO HARSHLY, TAILWHEEL CASTORS, MAY RESULT IN GROUND LOOP
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5. EFFECT OF WIND LET “JOYSTICK BE BLOWN BY WIND”
BIPLANE HAS 4 AILERONS !
DUE LIGHT TAIL, HEAVY NOSE, WHEN SLIPSTREAM STRONGER THAN WIND, HOLD TAIL DOWN
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6. TAKE OFF, TORQUE AS POWER IS APPLIED,
NEWTONS 3RD LAW: EVERY FORCE HAS AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION.
TORQUE WILL CAUSE LEFT WHEEL TO DIG IN THUS VEER LEFT
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7. TAKE OFF, SLIPSTREAM SLIPSTREAM WILL CAUSE LEFT YAW
ENERGISES THE RUDDER AND ELEVATOR AS SPEED INCREASES
THESE EFFECTS ARE SIMILAR TO A NOSEWHEEL A/C
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8. TAKE OFF, ASYMETRIC BLADE EFFECT
ASYMETRIC BLADE EFFECT WILL CAUSE LEFT YAW AS MORE LIFT IS GENERATED ON DOWNGOING BLADE DUE LARGER ALPHA
THIS EFFECT INCREASES AS A/C ACCELERATES!
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9. TAKE OFF, PROPELLER PRECESSION
PROPELLER PRECESSION WILL CAUSE LEFT YAW IN A CLOCKWISE ROTATION. SMOOTH PITCH FWD, NOT A JERK FWD!
WHEN TAIL IS LIFTED, FEW SECONDS OF POOR DIRECTIONAL STABILITY EXPERIENCED!
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10. TAKE OFF, CROSS WIND
IF LEFT CROSS WIND, MORE RISK OF WEATHER COCKING LEFT DUE TO VERTICAL SIDE AREA OF FUSELAGE AND FIN
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11. TAKE OFF, TENDENCY TO SWING
ALL THE FACTORS MENTIONED EARLIER MAKE THE TAILDRAGGER MORE PRONE TO SWINGING LEFT ON TAKEOFF
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12. USE SIDES OF RUNWAY TO MAINTAIN CENTRELINE
OPEN POWER SMOOTHLY
HOLD STICK SLIGHTLY BACK TO KEEP TAILWHEEL ON GROUND FOR STEERING CONTROL
USE RUDDER TO CHECK YAW
USE SIDES OF RUNWAY TO MAINTAIN CENTRELINE
BEWARE OF USING HEEL BRAKE WITH RUDDER ON TAKE OFF ROLL
LIFT TAIL OFF GROUND TO ACCELERATE
STICK BACK FOR TAKE OFF AT CORRECT SPEED
Yikes!
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13. INFLIGHT OPEN COCKPIT CORRECT CLOTHING FOR PILOT / PAX NOISE WIND
CRAMPED COCKPIT
BEWARE MAPS FLYING OUT !
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14. INFLIGHT / CIRCUIT
OVAL SHAPED CIRCUIT DUE POOR FORWARD VISIBILITY FROM COCKPIT
CLOSER TO RUNWAY THAN IN A HIGH WING CESSNA TO ENABLE CURVING DOWNWIND / BASELEG / FINAL APPROACH
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15. APPROACH WHEN DOWNWIND ASSESS YOUR DESCENT PATH IN A CURVING APPROACH
IF PITCHED DOWN TO VIEW AHEAD, SPEED WILL BUILD UP
THUS MAKE A SLIPPING TURN FROM DOWNWIND THROUGH BASE TO FINAL APPROACH
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16. HOLD OFF & TOUCHDOWN WHEN 20’ ABOVE RUNWAY WINGS LEVEL, ROUND OUT
LOOK TO RUNWAY EDGES FOR ALIGNMENT
HOLD LEVEL FLYING ATTITUDE
BEGIN RAISING NOSE AS SPEED BLEEDS OFF
TOUCHDOWN IN 3 POINT ATTITUDE
HOLD STICK BACK
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17. TOUCHDOWN
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18. @ LONDON AIRSPORTS CENTRE
WHAT CAN GO WRONG & WHY
BOUNCE DUE BUNGEE LEADS TO LEAP IN AIR WITH NO AIRSPEED
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@ LONDON AIRSPORTS CENTRE

19. BOUNCE / BALLOON
3 POINT LANDING WITH HIGH RATE OF DESCENT AND NO AIRSPEED WILL RESULT IN A BOUNCE
FLAT ATTITUDE WITH TOO MUCH SPEED WILL RESULT IN A BALLOON
IF SUFFICIENT RUNWAY AHEAD, APPLY POWER, MAINTAIN STRAIGHT LINE AND HEIGHT
REMAKE THE LANDING
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20. CROSS WIND LANDING KEEP INTO WIND WING LOW TOUCHDOWN ON ONE WHEEL
IN LEVEL FLYING ATTITUDE
AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HOLD STICK FORWARD TO KEEP LEVEL
AS SPEED BLEEDS OFF, TAIL WILL COME DOWN
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21. WHY TAILDRAGGERS SEEM SO HARD TO LAND
CG IS BEHIND MAIN WHEELS
WHEN MAIN WHEEL TOUCHES THE GROUND, AIRCRAFT DECELERATES
CG KEEPS GOING AHEAD AND PIVOTS AROUND THE WHEEL CAUSING PLANE TO GROUND LOOP
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22. CG SWINGS THE TAIL
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23. EFFECTS ON TAILDRAGGER DURING LANDING
WHEN YOU PITCH UP TO LAND, PROPELLOR “P” EFFECT CAUSES A/C TO YAW RIGHT
REDUCING RPM CAUSES LOSS OF RUDDER AND ELEVATOR EFFECTIVENESS JUST WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST!
FUSELAGE BLANKS OFF RUDDER AND ELEVATOR AS YOU ROUNDOUT FURTHER REDUCING EFFECTIVENESS
TAILWHEEL HAS ONLY 2 INCHES SQUARE GROUND CONTACT SURFACE AREA, THUS NO STEERING ABILITY UNTIL WEIGHT OF TAIL IS ON IT.
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24. @ LONDON AIRSPORTS CENTRE
VERY DRAGGY PLANE
DUE TO LARGE FRONTAL AREA, ON ROUNDOUT THERE IS A LARGE INCREASE OF DRAG AND THUS LOSS OF AIRSPEED
THE ROUND OUT AND FLARE HAVE TO BE DONE AT JUST THE RIGHT HEIGHT, SPEED & TIME
IF LOW WING TOUCHES GROUND, BEST CLOSE THROTTLE, SWITCH ENGINE OFF AND ALLOW GROUND LOOP TO COMPLETELY STOP THE AIRCRAFT
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@ LONDON AIRSPORTS CENTRE

25. GO AROUND AT DECISION HEIGHT OF 20 FEET, IF YOU DECIDE TO GO AROUND,
SMOOTHLY APPLY FULL POWER, EXPECT CHANGES IN PITCH, YAW AND ROLL AND “P” EFFECT
CHECK WITH RUDDER AND AILERON
CLIMB AT SAFE SPEED AND SAFE ATTITUDE
TOO STEEP
SHALLOW CLIMB
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26. SUMMARY WEAVE FOR TAXI CARE OPENING POWER DUE ADDITIONAL EFFECTS
ASYMETRIC BLADE EFFECT
GYRO EFFECT OF PROP WHEN PITCHING TAIL AT TAKEOFF AND AT LANDING
POOR FWD VIS
STAY CLOSE IN CIRCUIT WITH OVAL SHAPE
CURVING BASE TO FINAL
REDUCING VIS. AT ROUND OUT AND FLARE
GYROSCOPIC EFFECT OF PROPELLOR ON LANDING!
LARGE INCREASE IN DRAG AT FLARE
TIMING MUST BE RIGHT
POOR STEERING ON GROUND DUE SMALL TAIL WHEEL CONTACT AREA
SLOW TAXI SPEED AND LOW POWER SETTINGS
WEAVE FOR TAXI
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27. FANTASTIC FUN TO FLY! EXCITING, OPEN COCKPIT, VERY STRONG CONSTRUCTION, EASY TO HANDLE IN THE AIR, ALWAYS DRAWS A CROWD.
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