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As Daleandee's article pointed out, the slow airspeed advantage of the three point makes it preferable. Lowering the AOA to level the fuselage just before there would be a three point touchdown captures the advantages of both three point and wheel landing. It takes a bit of practice. If a...

I preferred the 7AC Champ to the Citabras at Ag Flight for zero timers, but I am too old and senile to remember everything about them. I do remember the 8A Luscombe had the one big oleo. The way both gears cammed to that single oleo caused the plane to sit tilted a bit sometimes. They have...

Interesting Palmpilot, but my orientation isn't concerned with time to 1,000' or even going to 1,000.' Because of the way I worked, both crop dusting and pipeline patrolling, I never went there. My orientation, concern, is with maneuvering airspeed at all times when below 1,000,' what Dan...

Based on new ACS instructions, "accelerate in ground effect to Vx or Vy as appropriate," there is not V speed given for leaving the runway. That would be at whatever in ground effect airspeed would provide the lift. If you are going by the old PTS proper airspeed for leaving the runway, that...

I taught in Fred Shotenboeur's C-140 and Grummins at Monte Vista and in Ken Leach's newer Cessnas at Center in the San Louis Valley of Colorado summers while my wife attended Adams State College. Climbing to a thousand feet pattern altitude was not what my students had to pay for. They learned...

Daleandee, as a crop duster I made nearly 100% wheel landings yet I agree with most everything you (or your article) said. We started flying before there was a Vso for small airplane guys. Vso has absolutely nothing to do with landing, but I expect you were talking about stall in low ground...

If tried, the extra free energy of level in low ground effect is so noticeable that you will never hang your life on Vx except in true only able to get to Vx in low ground effect just before the obstruction (true short field.) The average response time to accept that the engine has failed and...

CaptainXap, yes try it. You will like it. Notice that the Ag planes, even the newer turboprop million dollar rigs go out every time in low ground effect. Notice that the spray fields in soggy country only pave the first quarter of their strips. Over the mud they are in low ground effect. At...

CaptainXap, rolling friction from the wheels is the greatest contributor to the overall drag on takeoff on a paved runway. Some confusion/error on ground effect is the difference in pitch attitude. Slugging along (little acceleration) at high pitch attitude is not helpful. Low powered...

FastEddieB, at least the ACS (2003 revision I think) now calls for acceleration in ground effect to Vx or Vy as appropriate. Neither is appropriate if that means climbing out of low ground effect early and forfeiting free ground effect acceleration energy forever. As an instructor, I have...

A difference in J5 and Champs and Chiefs is the stiffness of the gear bungees. I liked the J5 with students ready to get into the single seat Pawnee at Ag Flight. The stiff bungees on the Pawnee are there to handle 140 gallons in the hopper. The stiff bungees in the J5 are there for a pilot...

Leaning to max RPM gets the most out of the engine. There is a greater degree of extra free energy, however, out of low ground effect. We accelerate better without the pitch attitude of the tail on the ground so level it as soon as possible (TW AC.) We accelerate better with the nose wheel...

We used to call the three point landing a full stall landing. Full stall, stick all the way back, in low ground effect is much, much slower than Vso. Vso is an out of ground effect number. A wheel landing is a good way to handle gusts and crosswind, because we have the airplane level at...

Acceleration in low ground effect as far down the runway as possible generates maneuvering airspeed, which gives more options than altitude where altitude is insufficient anyway. Down drainage egress is a major, but often ignored, mountain consideration. Going up drainage, however, need not be...

Brian, I like your deadband phrase as well. We need to talk a lot and manipulate the controls as little as possible and using many ways to say the same thing is valid. We are too oriented toward institutional language which often fails to communicate. Wolfgang probably first talked about the...

Very good. In my experience instructing tailwheel, and even nose wheel, over controlling rudder is generally not the problem. Rather, under controlling rudder is usually the problem. Walking the rudders dynamically and proactively works with gross or slight movement as long as that speed and...

My mind says you must be perfectly correct, we are just coordinating rudder with aileron. And yes, it is an instructional technique to overcome driving with the yoke. But in practice with Dutch Rolls or with steep turns, not leading rudder delays progress unsafely. This is especially true...

I don't keep up. The old ones did same as the PA22.

Credit should go to my friend Robert Reser on the what causes stall question. His e-book How to Fly Airplanes is also free. Google him or if you email me I will send his book as well with his permission.

Very good, A1 Topgun.