Learning to LAND a Tailwheel Airplane | Tailwheel Training: Part 1

[Music] I've done a little bit of everything everything from the military I was a navigator in the military learn how to fly here in Austin general aviation I've owned several flight schools I own an FB o now I'm also a captain for a major airline I've known Keith for about six or seven years now he's been a longtime viewer of the channel and as you just heard from him he's got lots of experience and wisdom to share Keith and I have been talking about meeting down in Lockhart and doing some flying for a very long time now but we just never made the timing work which is kind of strange given that Lockhart and San Marcos our home airports are only about 10 miles apart Keith asked me if I had my tailwheel endorsement yet and I said no so that quickly became the center of the purpose for us to go fly this is gonna be a four or five part miniseries covering my tail training with Keith from start to finish in his 1974 Piper Super Cub in Lockhart Texas which by the way is the barbecue capital of Texas and Keith has a courtesy car at the FBO at five zero Romeo and if you buy ten gallons of fuel or top off you get 10% off barbecue in town this isn't gonna be as well filmed as the coast-to-coast or Alaska series for example because I don't have a crew to operate cameras for me and I want to immerse myself in the training and learn as much as I can so basically when it's time to learn I let the cameras roll and stop paying attention to them a lot of the footage of this training is gonna be very raw and technical because I think there's a lot to gain from watching someone else learn a new skill from the start and I know it definitely helps me catch my goofs by reviewing the footage so I hope you can gain something from these tailwheel videos for those who don't know there are generally two types of landing gear tricycle gear and tail wheel is what I call them both of these configurations have several different names so it's really easy to confuse them in the United States you need an endorsement from an instructor to fly a tailwheel aircraft because it presents a few more additional challenges that you don't find in a tricycle-gear aircraft which is what most people learn how to fly in these days the main difference is the aircraft's center of gravity and a trike its forward of the main wheels and aft of the nose wheel and a tail wheel the cg is behind the main wheels and forward of the tail wheel lots of physics goes into this but basically the aircraft has a tendency to want to swing that CG around if you lose directional control this is called a ground loop other aspects that make a tailwheel a bit more challenging is the fact that you can't really see while you're taxing luckily I'm six foot so I can actually just barely see over the cowling and see the centreline of the taxiway you also can't stomp on the brakes too hard because of that center of gravity being behind the main wheels those main wheels become a fulcrum and if you stomp on the brakes the only thing that's going to stop the nose from tipping forward is that spinning propeller and that gets very expensive and speaking of brakes and a piper Super Cub just like this airplane you don't have regular tow brakes as opposed to tow brakes heel breaks are pedals separated from the rudder pedals that you reach and press with your heels I have to completely relearn how to taxi but I really like the added challenge that the Super Cub gives you in this regard alright so you see how good a good of is we have over the yeah if I stretch a little bit of riot II the centerline and so the big thing is is the kind there that's where that horizon goes through the cowling okay that's a snapshot let's turn you bottler this the horizon is honestly right on the top of the kaolinite which makes it really easy yeah that is that three-point attitude okay it's different for everybody you know but you know a peg on your your posture and also your sitting height let you take the aircraft down you've got the control I've got the key is go slow all right all right we've got it give a little power if you need to just get going or go on up a little bit of a hill here oh my god we're gonna do some overtaxing here you notice there's on this piece of paper I have these two parallel lines that are lined up with the main gear the reason is is because as long as we keep the tail between those two lines we can make and maintain control the airplane once that tail gets outside those lines now we're in it just for a ride no no matter how good of a pilot you are you're not going to recover it's gonna be a ground you can use the the brakes to help you turn but mostly you're gonna use you're gonna use the rudder and some power and then you can you can start the turn with a little bit of a break to get it going and I'll show you that and demonstrate it to you as we as we get going so we're gonna go here and then there's gonna be a the tax rate let's make a left-hand turn onto the taxiway okay now the wind's coming from our left so it'll one weather vane that way a little bit okay hope ya be pretty easy I know over that momentum I'll help you and then a little bit of heel break yeah you really won't need a whole lot right now but goods but it there you go and start to anticipate it to start coming out pushing that other foot there you go that works okay and helps to ghost nice and slow yeah slow this is actually a little fast right now so make this little lobster turn here look all right there you go fine my toes instinctually here for the brakes yep alright I just have that brake to stop it yeah alright and push it again good tap that brake now you have to push that tail into the wind now that's where a little bit of power hope okay there you go good alright slow down just a touch I'm gonna make a little left turn then a writer all right all right left and a right turn there you go a whole lotta win right now so it kinda helps makes a little bit easier pushing that telling the win yeah I could definitely see how tricky it is right by a right turn here all right I just slowed down just a little bit there you go all right good do it again to rate turns I make sure you're just met stick for the cops in for the win added a - a little bit overshoot there it's just a normal and see how speed is the key all right speed is the key yeah so let's do a right and a left turn all right nice job that's good and I shall but keeping your feet active yeah it's very active on the feet right well um sometimes you have to do s turns to see in favia like in the chain-3 you would have to do that you absolutely can't see make a left turn here and of the left turn so this this aircraft being on how well you can see you don't that's why have to make an S turn going all the way down I'm gonna steer them in and some other tail wheels that I mean there's no way see what's in front you have a huge blind spot and I can tell that when you start turning the airplane even the airplanes got a lot of moment Ernie yes you have to actively stop it from turning right exactly once you start the turn you know that CG that's after the main wheels it wants to try to swap in so that that's essentially what you're trying to control right all right make a left turn right turn we're gonna head down to the end of the runway action Maxie then we're gonna do a takeoff I'll do the first takeoff about the practice here we're gonna do some basic maneuvers that you're doing in the airplane for a checkout yeah we'll do some turn stalls steep turns okay power on power on stall it's just kind of gonna feel the airplane you got so I like to do is I like to base into the wind but I also like to do a u-turn so that when I'm done with the run-up I can do a 180 and I can check the entire pattern okay so wait I see why people do is they almost do the opposite of that they'll actually be on the other side of the taxiway and they do a turn to the right and you can't see so you'll see when we do our get done with the run-up what we're going to do is we're going to do its rental left I won't be able to see the entire traffic pattern all the way around there's really nothing different here from other airplanes on the run-up we're just checking the control surfaces mag's car peed all that good stuff keith is gonna demonstrate the first takeoff then we're gonna head east for some familiarization maneuvers so I can get a feel for the airplane we're just going to do a normal takeoff already it looks like a little bit of left crosswind side a little bit of the left you'll run in there as we exploded that'll come out baby with the left crosswind it's gonna want to turn left so I'm gonna anticipate then alright okay happy feet alright here we go nice and smooth it goes forward [Music] we spent about half an hour in the practice area just doing some simple stuff like stalls steep turns slow flight and Dutch rolls in the air a tailwheel airplane is no different than any other so these manoeuvres were done just to get myself acquainted with how the Super Cub handles in the air we did a couple of practice patterns in the practice area to get the flowed down and then we aimed back to Lockhart to start practicing landings Keith is going to demonstrate the first landing which will be a three-point and then he'll hand the controls over to me I also want to apologize about the shaky camera here with the wind out there the camera shakes quite a bit and this was an older GoPro with no image stabilization and we fixed this problem before the next flight but for now that's the forward camera we have to work with if Alex clear-cut nine six five three Papo final one 8 . lucker hey he's getting off at midfield so the runways better I'll hire the banjee but this looks really good visually right so we're coming down coming down to idle alright the big thing I got a little bit of a left crosswind they maintain that line all right launching them find them a little bit left rotor they do a loop off I go honey about there put it on happy feet I'll very slowly come out of the brakes all right all evade that was pure luck why is that because of the smooth I got your flaps up alright flaps of Carvey all right cool alright you can make the radio call and then I can't access by car traffic Supercup five three Papa clear to the hills everyone a porta potty all right Laura I got a little fast ancho found you notice that I just use that too bad see what do the airplanes doing make the small Corrections but the keys that keep it tracking straight I'm kind of keep flying the airplane alright so here's the key on the takeoff nice and smooth on the on the on the throttle if the stick forward you want to slowly raise that tail will anticipate the the left turning with that so with the little bit you'll be ready to push that right rudder right okay but don't push it all will you dance on it right all right it might go off the left a bit if you are just get back you want to take out the Elan as you accelerate and this slowly pull back on the stick is just applying sulphur off the ground okay like our traffic Supercup 5-3 Papa's tacking on a runway 180 left close traffic Locker [Music] all right so that traffic departed I just remind me when we land the next time to switch fuel things we're not good now but we'll do when we get off the next alright okay make sure we're nice and stabilized here there you go [Music] Bunsen to the white-eyed 190 plows who are in the white pursuits do you want to but on I've decided people just rated ascend I think take they pass here pop across the airport 2100 feet gonna block our traffic Super Cup 5-3 Papa left base runway 1 8 . locker is incinerate you can use a landmark for the next time ok like all right do I need to go fast Hut or not the old folks home is another landmark my name Wow looks like our traffic supercup 5-3 Papa turning final 1 8 . locker so make sure you got that air speed elf pretty close right in the field 100 we're all right seriously those tracking straight down the three fat full flaps there you go I got the brakes you don't need it okay this just kind of lift up a little bit okay there you go a lot of pressure downward pressure right right hey you guys a sec all right clear the runway in the back all righty all right you survived your first still will win hard okay well you did need to cap plate a little high on the nose this little bit you kind of dropped it in this a three-player super at right now it's not it's not passive talking critical honorable attack we actually worked down like this oh you'd have to get up a little bit more if you actually start you're gonna touch the fellow and basa well they're just trying to get to that attitude and just basically fly right down okay that's one of the things that's interesting I didn't know that actually I was I found out about that is that the three-point attitude is not past the critical angle attack okay it's like 12 degrees probably okay and 17 Bisley the line of attack gotcha all right let's go back all the way and on that previous takeoff I did notice that I I started with the stick forward and I probably shouldn't have done that yeah you want to start with the stick back yeah I think another limb it kind of surprised me how quickly the tail came off right right that's a stick forward you want to do is you want to bring it forward slowly faster you bring that tail up the more it's gonna turn a left gotcha alright you ready yes sir all right Lockhart traffic supercup 5-3 Papa taxi on runway one eight left close traffic Lockhart all right over the stick back left aileron oh yeah definitely think that works better that's better la carte traffic Supercup 5-3 pop-up base to final runway 1 8 . locker I got the brakes for it one of the exotic this is it you take it back don't give it back so you don't want to do this the stick thing you did that but they take it back take it back dick hey you guys are good chills again bad I got old I actually they with paragliding we say that exact same thing when you're when you're giving break in the flare alright don't give it back right and it's the same concept of an airplane and that's actually a really important concept when it comes to the flare and landing basically once you pull some back pressure to the stick don't give it back I didn't notice I was doing it in the airplane until later on but looking at the footage now I can totally see that I'm letting the stick forward after the bounce that makes whatever bounce I already induced even worse as a flight instructor I'm always preaching this concept to students when I'm teaching them how to land and the art of the flare and it's actually really humbling to see myself making the same mistakes that I'm always talking students through that's why I think it's important for CF eyes to continually educate themselves and you know go after a new rating or a new endorsement or something like that to put yourself back in those training shoes and it helps you see things from a student's perspective way better I'm gonna try to be quiet be back here to display you while you feel it out right okay all right this one this lap the girls they have to see if I not talk okay which is very difficult for me car traffic supercup five three Papa taxing on the runway at one-eighth we're gonna be left close traffic Lockhart all right you ready yep we're dice [Music] [Applause] okay 1:8 all right boxes are okay cause skip got the brakes I have the controls hi girls and skip is novel but is a big thing is fun and even not that you didn't do it but you know you gotta make sure you don't get it back to Spain turn that attitude okay hey this we need to start doing the up-and-down that's a problem let's skip we're just coming right that's okay so what I think is happening it I'm not trimming I'm not actively trimming it after downwind okay I trim it make a lot easier I've actually got a lot of back pressure right a stick to hold it there so I think that's what's happening tip and I'm also noticing on final I'm really having to hold the stick forward okay when you put those flaps in it wants the really pitch up what we want to do is make sure that you're trimming for your speed okay I'll more conscious all right OMH I'd be quiet again right alrighty [Music] there we go hola [Music] now that the with flames and jewelry okay that's why we guys did that gotcha is that right that's good I don't I'm not going to but then again that's what training is all about that's why I'm here that's right oh yeah I got a question for you would you like to stop after this check your camera's out some more area I'm throwing on the brakes all right I kept down a little hard on that one all right Sonia you have control Sonia I got a three points for Royal hard to do really well right that's why the first one I said oh that was luck they'd roll a roller right on okay that makes sense now yes now I grew what do you mean uh come again trust me that makes sense well I guess so let's go back to the hangar we'll check the cameras and stuff and I want to what I want to do is I want to talk about slipping okay and then we'll go on we'll do some world we're purposely high okay we'll do it we'll do some slopes there you go back on my wife electrical equipment off mixer off-key aah [Music] it's just now starting to cool off five five twenty five twenty in the evening and it's ninety five really fun day of flying this airplane back here I learned a lot and I've never had such a such a crazy work out taxiing I didn't I never really realized you know how much it was going to how much I guess brainpower and motor skills that it was gonna take to taxi the airplane but what do you think about how today went I think you did a great job it was a lot of fun you learn you learn things quickly you picked them up took the instruction well and you know it's a blast having you out of the airport today and showing your owner our airport here at Locker we stopped flying for a few minutes to take a water break check the cameras and briefed what's next we've been working on three-point landings but Keith wants to get me into practicing wheel landings as well and he also wants to cover some important topics about slips where he actually calls out something I've been doing wrong for years this is what training is all about I love that all of that including the difference between three-point landings and wheel landings will be covered in the next video I feel it's valuable to keep these videos at a reasonable length so they're easily digestible much like Keith's method of teaching we're planning to fly three hours today but we just flew 1.5 we're gonna take a break and then fly another 1.5 so we can take the time to debrief decompress and then get back to it and that will be in part two so if you like the video definitely go hit that like button and subscribe if you haven't also if you'd like to support the channel you can head over to aviation 101.com slash store and you can shop some merchant gear there such as the hat he's wearing and the t-shirt I've also got a custom flight notes pad there that I use for flying IFR across countries all that kind of stuff go check it out and until next time you know the drill I want you to stay happy stay healthy stay current and of course stay proficient go get some tail wheel training and we'll see you next time [Music]

Channel: Aviation101

Views: 199,493

Keywords: piper, super cub, pa18, alaska, bush plane, tailwheel, tail dragger, 3-point landing, wheel landing, crosswind, takeoff, landing, soft field, short field, vintage, keith uhls, 50r, lockhart, texas, flying, aviation, general aviation, air traffic control, atc, radio, intercom, audio, cockpit, training, vfr, ifr, flight, vlog, flight vlog, pilot vlog, aviation101, josh flowers, cfi, flight training, private pilot, commercial pilot, flight instructor, hd, 4k, blacks bbq, airplane, aircraft, pilot, atc audio

Id: 2C-kQ3pU2Zg

Length: 26min 16sec (1576 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 30 2019