BFR - Tailwheel Endorsement?

Jim Chumley

Jim Chumley

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Mar 5, 2005
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Jim Chumley
I'm due for a BFR in a couple of months. I'd like to try something new and am wondering if going for a tailwheel endorsement will satisfy the requirements for a BFR.

Anyone?

Jim
 
Jim Chumley said:
I'm due for a BFR in a couple of months. I'd like to try something new and am wondering if going for a tailwheel endorsement will satisfy the requirements for a BFR.

Anyone?

Jim
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Not in and of itself will the tailwheel endorsement count. First, the BFR requires 1 hour of ground and a review of the applicable FARs. There is not requirement for those elements within a tailwheel endorsement and there is little probability it would occur otherwise.

That said, if a pilot came to me for a tailwheel endorsement and wanted a BFR combined I would tell him/her that it would entail atleast an hour of additional ground instruction but otherwise could be combined. IOW, no additional airwork unless I get a sniff of some deficiency not covered & corrected within the tailwheel instruction time--and if I get a sniff of a deficiency we are going to correct it anyhow, so there really will not be any addtional airwork time for the BFR.
 
Jim Chumley said:
I'm due for a BFR in a couple of months. I'd like to try something new and am wondering if going for a tailwheel endorsement will satisfy the requirements for a BFR.

Anyone?

Jim
Click to expand...

Check with the places/instructors you're looking at. Often when someone is advertising "Tail Wheel Endorsement" they usually toss in the BFR with it to get you in the door. Ask and I'm sure some accomodation can be reached. Now when you do a Glider rating, or a Commercial rating, or any Rating, that also resets your flight review clock, however endorsements don't.
 
Thanks for the professional perspectives, Ed and Henning. I will inquire at the FBO to see what kind of deal I can get on some instruction. I wasn't sure if an endorsement would suffice, but agree that it makes sense that someone might make an accommodation, combining tailwheel instruction with a BFR.


Jim
 
Jim Chumley said:
I'm due for a BFR in a couple of months. I'd like to try something new and am wondering if going for a tailwheel endorsement will satisfy the requirements for a BFR.

Anyone?

Jim
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I do them together all the time. The CFI simply has to endorse it properly.
 
Posting follow up: I checked with an instructor where I rent. He was candid and I have seen the light. His experience was that it would take several days and lots of landings to get the endorsement. His estimate was 70 or so landings. Heck, starting as a raw student, I soloed after 50 landings. Well, there's probably a big difference between soloing in a 150 and getting a tailwheel endorsement.

In a nut shell, it appears to be more work than I anticipated. I don't need the tail wheel endorsement anyway. I'll settle for the one hour of flying amd one hour of ground required for the BFR.

Thanks to those who offered advice and insight.

Jim
 
Jim Chumley said:
His experience was that it would take several days and lots of landings to get the endorsement. His estimate was 70 or so landings.

Thanks to those who offered advice and insight.
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Find another CFI. It might take 70 landings to learn to handle a simple taildragger if you've never landed an airplane before, but I don't think it should take more than a few flights if you are already competent with a similar sized tricycle airplane. I think I learned to handle my first taildragger (a Super Cub) within about 10 takeoffs and landings. Mastering a Starduster Too later took a bit more time but it was a lot more difficult.
 
Jim Chumley said:
His estimate was 70 or so landings. .....getting a tailwheel endorsement.

In a nut shell, it appears to be more work than I anticipated. Jim
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Should be doable with 25 landings if you're good. This can happen in one or two sessions....sometimes though the student doens't get it and it does take that long.....
 
Jim Chumley said:
Posting follow up: I checked with an instructor where I rent. He was candid and I have seen the light. His experience was that it would take several days and lots of landings to get the endorsement. His estimate was 70 or so landings. Thanks to those who offered advice and insight.

Jim
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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: 70???? I think I'd find a better instructor if it takes him 70 landings to transition somene into a tailwheel airplane. More than 20 before you're reasonably safe, and something is not right. Even in an S2B you'd have a pretty good hang of it in 20 with a good instructor.

BTW, When I got my initial tailwheel endorsement in a Citabria, it took one hr and 5 landings, the rest of the time we did aerobatics. There is nothing mysterious or death defying about a conventionaly geared aircraft. If you have a tail wheel lock, it's even easier. Ground handling in tight places is much easier with a tail wheel as well, you can literaly pivot the airplane around either main wheel. If you've got what it takes to fly with the ball centered, you have what it takes to fly a tail dragger.
 
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Took me 3 hours of Takeoff/Landings in a Cessna 170. I had maybe 250 total time at the time.
 
Thank you, the folks who gave the supportive comments. I appreciate the time you spent on my question. For those too diplomatic to ask, I have 400 hours and I consider myself an average pilot. 20 -25 hours per year is about what I manage these days. This being said, I feel better about what I ought to be able to do about getting the tail wheel endorsement. But - I've lost my enthusiasm for it. I don't want to go shopping for a new CFI.
The time is not right.

Thanks again,

Jim
 
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Jim Chumley said:
The time is not right.
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When you do take the plunge, you can prepare by practicing full stall landings in a tricycle airplane with emphasis on airspeed control and absolutely zero lateral motion at during the flare and touchdown.
 
lancefisher said:
When you do take the plunge, you can prepare by practicing full stall landings in a tricycle airplane with emphasis on airspeed control and absolutely zero lateral motion at during the flare and touchdown.
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Thanks, Lance.

Jim
 
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