ppl training on tailwheel

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scarybus320

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scarybus320
PPL training on a tail-wheel citabria.

hi everyone, I am new here and would like to have some feed back from you guys on tail wheel.

I have logged 20hours on a citabria in 7 weeks since start my ppl training, prior to that I have no flying experience and 25 years old. I am almost there for solo but, my landings are bad and got frustrated from those 15knots crosswind from local airport with 2400ftx65ft runway.
if there a good way to be more proactive and get a better feel on the airplane before it starts to drifting, or going side ways. and after touch down, is there any good ways to sense the rudder fade. as my instructor have been told me, more practice and more practice. but I just couldn't make a smooth touch down like what he did. after 20landings for the past 3 days, i felt like, am I the only one have this problem.

Damian DelGaizo's tail-wheel training dvds are one of my training material. I found it helpful.

extra questions

what is the average hours for people to go on a first solo and get ppl from flying tail-wheel.
is it just my instructor, or in general. if I don't ask a question, they don't tell me much, when I asked, there will be a lot of stuff to explain from.
 
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One recommendation is to make sure you are looking at the far end of the runway and not the runway directly in front of you as you start the flare. You will have a much better time detecting drift....kind of like the difference in gunsights on a pistol vs a rifle. Your accuracy is much better with the long arm.

As for feel, try to find a copy of Sparky Imeson's book Taildragger Tactics:
http://www.amazon.com/Taildragger-Tactics-Sparky-Imeson/dp/1880568705

He has some good info on rudder usage techniques that he explains a little better than I can.
 
scarybus320 said:
hi everyone, I am new here and would like to have some feed back from you guys on tail wheel.

I have logged 20hours on a citabria in 7 weeks since start my ppl training, prior to that I have no flying experience and 25 years old. I am almost there for solo but, my landings are bad and got frustrated from those 15knots crosswind from local airport with 2400ftx65ft runway.
if there a good way to be more proactive and get a better feel on the airplane before it starts to drifting, or going side ways. and after touch down, is there any good ways to sense the rudder fade. as my instructor have been told me, more practice and more practice. but I just couldn't make a smooth touch down like what he did. after 20landings for the past 3 days.
Click to expand...

20 hours, frustrated with 15 knot crosswind. Not as smooth as the instructor.

You are doing OK.

I can't give specific advice on the Citabria since I have minimal time in one. And different airplanes are different. But.

I often combine brakes with rudder after the mains are down, but that will depend on the particular airplane - in some that works well, in others, well, not so well.

Stick back hard once the tail is down can help some with tailwheel steering.

At some point, it seems that you feet finally "get it" and can work faster than your brain.:dunno: Watch your instructors feet - I bet they are moving a lot - sometimes even before it is obvious that the aircraft has actually started to turn.

Not much help - sorry.
 
I am still training on 3-point landing. wheel landing was introduced but I didn't get a chance to practice on it.
a few landing which I did was flare too high and my nose cowl blocked my view to the far end of the runway as my instructor pointed out.
I watched Damian Del gaizo's tail wheel 101 & 102 since started of my training. I get his words, but just that my reactions/sense is not fast enough to change when it starting to drift to the side.
what do you think of mounting an camera on board and watch my mistakes? so I can correct it the next flight.
 
well... 20 hours, 3 of those are demo flights, which i was in the back seat, I don't recall that counts. 30% of that 11 hours was cruising time to get to practice area. and 6 hours was doing pattern. I have about 40landings so far on pattern and 50landings on tail wheel.
I have my hands legs "sticking" to the controls while my instructor showing me the landings. it was some real dang good lessons.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
At some point, it seems that you feet finally "get it" and can work faster than your brain.:dunno: Watch your instructors feet - I bet they are moving a lot - sometimes even before it is obvious that the aircraft has actually started to turn.

Not much help - sorry.
Click to expand...



my instructor's movement was quick and small, my was late and big move, sometimes over correct.
 
scarybus320 said:
I am still training on 3-point landing. wheel landing was introduced but I didn't get a chance to practice on it.
a few landing which I did was flare too high and my nose cowl blocked my view to the far end of the runway as my instructor pointed out.
I watched Damian Del gaizo's tail wheel 101 & 102 since started of my training. I get his words, but just that my reactions/sense is not fast enough to change when it starting to drift to the side.
what do you think of mounting an camera on board and watch my mistakes? so I can correct it the next flight.
Click to expand...

FWIW, when I first flew a Citabria, I was flaring too high myself...I know what you mean about blocking the view. I had something like 400 hrs before I flew one, though, so for me, it was a little more natural to maintain drift corrections from peripheral vision than it would be for a PPL student.

You might try delaying the roundout a little and then in the flare just take your time and slowly ease the stick back while looking as far down the runway as possible. Keep correcting for drift while you do this and the airplane will settle onto the runway in a 3-point attitude.....then it is a matter of being quick on the pedals to arrest any side motion that develops to keep it tracking straight while you keep the stick in your gut.
 
I just soloed a Cub a few weeks back at around 17 hours, and over a 100 landings. Things I picked up on are after you level off before the flare, let the plane "catch up". When it starts to settle on its own, pull back the stick into the flare. If you are too high, and you get a good bounce, goose the throttle a little and redo it (as long as you have room, if not go around. No harm, no foul). And my instrustors are always reminding me to keep my head on a swivel and work the rudders. I struggled, too. One landing was good, another sucked. I finally had that "Aha!" moment where it all came together and made sense. Keep practicing. My last 4 lessons before my solo was all pattern work.
 
scarybus320 said:
hi everyone, I am new here and would like to have some feed back from you guys on tail wheel.

I have logged 20hours on a citabria in 7 weeks since start my ppl training, prior to that I have no flying experience and 25 years old. I am almost there for solo but, my landings are bad and got frustrated from those 15knots crosswind from local airport with 2400ftx65ft runway.
if there a good way to be more proactive and get a better feel on the airplane before it starts to drifting, or going side ways. and after touch down, is there any good ways to sense the rudder fade. as my instructor have been told me, more practice and more practice. but I just couldn't make a smooth touch down like what he did. after 20landings for the past 3 days.
Click to expand...


If there's anyone here who can identify with your dilemma it's ME! I very recently solo'd in my Cessna 140 and have knocked out about 50 solo landings since that time. There was a point when I was at wits end and thought that I was incapable of learning to take off and land the taildragger.

I PROMISE you that you just have to stay focused and stay with it! To plagurize some encouraging words that were offered me here, there will soon be a day when you will wonder why there ever had to be anyone sitting in that other seat.

The rudder fade is something that will just come to you. Practice, practice PRACTICE.

IMHO, you are doing the right thing in learning in a taildragger. It's much like me teaching my kids to drive in a stick shift. Once they learned that, then they could drive ANYTHING!

Keep us posted,
Doc
 
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It might take a bit longer to learn in the taildragger than in the trike, but when you're licensed you will be a better pilot for it.

A grass runway would be better, initially. More forgiving. But, you will soon get quicker and your reflexes will start to control the airplane without you having to consciously process it first.

Dan
 
1. Find a nice long runway on which to practice.

2. Fly a normal approach to landing attitue and altitude 2' above the runway.

3. Add just enough power to remain airborne and fly the entire length of the runway while tracking centerline in this configuration and altitude, then go around.

4. Repeat the drill at 1' above the runway. Once you are comfortable, reduce power by ~100 rpm and the plane will land like you want it to do.

I've used this drill countless times with 100% success rate.
 
wabower said:
1. Find a nice long runway on which to practice.

2. Fly a normal approach to landing attitue and altitude 2' above the runway.

3. Add just enough power to remain airborne and fly the entire length of the runway while tracking centerline in this configuration and altitude, then go around.

4. Repeat the drill at 1' above the runway. Once you are comfortable, reduce power by ~100 rpm and the plane will land like you want it to do.

I've used this drill countless times with 100% success rate.
Click to expand...


This is one of the things that MY instructor had me do along the way. Ironically, his name is Wayne.

Doc
 
I have found that a large percentage of landing problems are speed problems. In a Citabria approach at 70mph, slow to 65 crossing the fence and start reducing your rate of decent(not a flare) at about 12 to 15' above the runway.

Continue reducing your rate of decent by application of aft stick and don't let the aircraft land. You must have the mindset that you are not going to let the wheels touch. At some point the aircraft will no longer produce enough lift to fly and will settle onto the runway.

From the 12 to 15' above the runway point look down toward the far end of the runway and move your eyes around without fixating on any one thing, but the main focus is toward the far end of the runway.

Be proactive with your feet. Do NOT wait until you think you need a correction. As the aircraft approaches the ground start moving your feet with small alternate right and left pressures(rudder dance). This allows you to know where you are regarding rudder pressures and when a correction is needed you will already be doing it before it becomes a large movement. Ignore everything else in this post if you must, but not the last paragraph.
 
wabower said:
1. Find a nice long runway on which to practice.

2. Fly a normal approach to landing attitue and altitude 2' above the runway.

3. Add just enough power to remain airborne and fly the entire length of the runway while tracking centerline in this configuration and altitude, then go around.

4. Repeat the drill at 1' above the runway. Once you are comfortable, reduce power by ~100 rpm and the plane will land like you want it to do.

I've used this drill countless times with 100% success rate.
Click to expand...

Haven't tried this but it seems like a good way to get a feel for where your at, my hours for the last 9 months has been in a Super Decathalon, I find for three pointers as I taxi out I find a reference for the cowls to the horizon, when I come in to land I round out and keep the cowl reference point on the horizon ,if I am nice and close I fly it as long as I can till it settles then stick back and start dancing, or if I'm a bit high I add a trickle of power to soften the touch down, so far most of my time has been in a C185 an RV6 and the Super D , I seem to be able to do a decent landing using the cowl as a reference, although after a ridiculous amount of time in the C185 the words "it'll click at some point and you be fine" seemed like a taunt til it did finally "click"
Good onya for going with the taildragger from ab initio, not sure how common it is over there but here it can be hard to find TW training at all,
 
You can tell with your butt before you can tell with your eyes, which way the CG of the a/c is trying to break, around the mains. react with the most quick of teeny "jabs". You'll get it.

And Wayne's technique works in nose-pushers as well as tail-draggers. It is EXcellent.
 
bbchien said:
You can tell with your butt before you can tell with your eyes, which way the CG of the a/c is trying to break, around the mains. react with the most quick of teeny "jabs". You'll get it.

And Wayne's technique works in nose-pushers as well as tail-draggers. It is EXcellent.
Click to expand...
Ditto that! I did it this evening with a light sport customer.

Ryan
 
bbchien said:
You can tell with your butt before you can tell with your eyes, which way the CG of the a/c is trying to break, around the mains. react with the most quick of teeny "jabs". You'll get it.

And Wayne's technique works in nose-pushers as well as tail-draggers. It is EXcellent.
Click to expand...

Hey Doc, that'll work until you get into a big old aircraft where you push the rudder and wait.
 
I'll you the same as everyone, and this is what I do when I have to check myself out in a single seat plane (most all which have been tailwheel). The key is Taxi practice. Taxi around for a while and get comfortable with it. Go somewhere with a big runway and do some high speed taxi runs, weave back and forth, pick up one wheel, set it down, pick up the other, just do this for a solid hour and get comfortable with the high speed ground handling and all the effects you get from it. Then you have the base of experience require to complete the transition required from flying to the ground.

Flying is a "Building Block" experience, but many instructors forget to build that bock of high speed ground handling and leave it to develop during landing practice 2 seconds at a time. This wastes thousands of dollars of student money and causes much unhappiness and frustration among students. It takes about an hour's worth of experience to burn those sight pictures and control fell muscle memories into your mind. Don't be scared and lazy. Get to it and practice and get it done and out of the way and move the f- on. Don't let incompetent or lazy instructors fleece you, and don't be incompetent or lazy yourself. Work hard, I feel you already are, so keep at it. Tell your instructor that this is what you want to do. Do not ask.
 
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BTW, I like the plane you chose to learn in, hopefully the instructor has the ability to teach you everything the Citabria is capable of. It is a capable plane no matter how unglamorous it may seem, it has its own beauty. BTW, for a tailwheel plane, it is benign on the ground in that you can correct for a error much further into the error than other planes like say.... a C185, but everything you learn in it applies to every airplane you will ever fly.

If you learn to fly a Citabria to the limits of its performance well, you will be able to "fly" anything if you can learn how to make it go.
 
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I hope to take my first Citabria lesson at the end of this month. That will be my first time in a tail dragger.

Until then, if this helps you - I just got my pilot cert in a "tricycle" gear Cessna 152 and it took me 40 hours to solo that airplane.

Much longer than most, sure, but I did it. I had over 100 landings by then.


Kimberly
 
scarybus320 said:
hi everyone, I am new here and would like to have some feed back from you guys on tail wheel.

I have logged 20hours on a citabria in 7 weeks since start my ppl training, prior to that I have no flying experience and 25 years old. I am almost there for solo but, my landings are bad and got frustrated from those 15knots crosswind from local airport with 2400ftx65ft runway.
if there a good way to be more proactive and get a better feel on the airplane before it starts to drifting, or going side ways. and after touch down, is there any good ways to sense the rudder fade. as my instructor have been told me, more practice and more practice. but I just couldn't make a smooth touch down like what he did. after 20landings for the past 3 days.
Click to expand...

No advice will help you here except "pay attention and keep practicing." How to be more proactive? Be more proactive, that's how. How to better sense rudder fade? Pay attention more. There's no magic formula or anything, just "try again." Your instructor is right about this. Nobody's hiding some secret from you... the answer is obvious. Practice. No expert tailwheel pilot is thinking "Left rudder, 5.5 degrees deflection for 0.8 seconds at a rate of 30 degrees per second, now neutral for 0.5, right rudder 5 degrees, etc..." They are just thinking "Keep it straight, stay on the runway." :D

Sounds you are about average, and if you haven't run off the runway and almost trashed a wingtip yet, you may be slightly better than average.

So relax, pay attention, and keep practicing. When you get it, if someone asks you the secret, you'll realize how inadequate words are to describe how to smoothly land a Citabria in a brisk crosswind.
 
rottydaddy said:
No advice will help you here except "pay attention and keep practicing." How to be more proactive? Be more proactive, that's how. How to better sense rudder fade? Pay attention more. There's no magic formula or anything, just "try again." Your instructor is right about this. Nobody's hiding some secret from you... the answer is obvious. Practice. No expert tailwheel pilot is thinking "Left rudder, 5.5 degrees deflection for 0.8 seconds at a rate of 30 degrees per second, now neutral for 0.5, right rudder 5 degrees, etc..." They are just thinking "Keep it straight, stay on the runway." :D

Sounds you are about average, and if you haven't run off the runway and almost trashed a wingtip yet, you may be slightly better than average.

So relax, pay attention, and keep practicing. When you get it, if someone asks you the secret, you'll realize how inadequate words are to describe how to smoothly land a Citabria in a brisk crosswind.
Click to expand...

Exactly this. :thumbsup:
 
Tom-D said:
Hey Doc, that'll work until you get into a big old aircraft where you push the rudder and wait.
Click to expand...
Lot of truth in that.....the rudder in the DC-3 is so heavy that you don't jab it like you do in a little tailwheel....you simply have to anticipate. I'm still working on that one!
 
Henning said:
Flying is a "Building Block" experience, but many instructors forget to build that bock of high speed ground handling and leave it to develop during landing practice 2 seconds at a time.
Click to expand...
That is a great point that alot of instructors seem to gloss over. I was fortunate in that my first tailwheel instructor emphasized the high speed ground handling early - after getting you comfortable with basic taxiing, it was on to high speed taxis on the runway - getting it up on the mains and controlling it, then easing the power off and bringing the tail back to earth. Had to master that before we actually went flying.
 
I have some different advice for you: take about a 10 day break from flying.

Due to my busy work schedule I didn't fly for two weeks when I was getting my landings "down". I could land it, oh yeah, I would "crunch it in" (C150).

I had so much going through my mind. Watching ASI, flaps, flare, x-wind, etc.

After the two week break I landed 5 times, almost greasers on each one. My instructor asked if i had been practicing without him.

What made the difference? I wasn't thinking about all the things going on, I just landed the plane.

Now I know that is not tailwheel experience, but i think it may be what you are experiencing. Too much info and the landing seems to happen so fast.

I don't know if any of you have taught someone to "get up" on a wakeboard. We tell them to "just stand up" - what the hell does that mean? Once you feel it one time you can do it for life. I think the landing is something that is very hard to explain, but once you feel it it just makes sense.

At least that's how it went for me . . . I think I'm gonna go fly today. Man it's nice out!

-Rob
 
When I was instructing I found that many students weren't paying attention to peripheral visual cues. They had a lot of trouble in the flare. Once I told them to keep looking down the runway but be aware of the stuff rushing by to the side, they were able to get it better. The edge of the runway rises quickly in the last bit of the flare and gives a clue to how much to pull back.

dan
 
6 hours in the pattern in a tailwheel airplane just isn't enough in most cases for an initial student. I would guess it will take you another 6 (9 might be more likely) at least before you are getting close to solo.

A couple things you can try to see if they work for you. One, try dancing or marching on the pedals, just slight little back and forth movements, Say to your self "left, right, left, right, left, right" as you are taking off and touching down. When you do this you will probably find that you tend to make small corrections on each cycle of the pedals. The nose of the airplane should barely move when you doing this, only just enough to detect it unless you want it to move. You can make it turn by just stopping for just a moment "left, right, pause, left..." These small movements will help you determine how much you need to be pushing on the rudder, as the airplane slows down you may need larger inputs but if you keep the nose just barely moving back and forth you will subconciously make the adjusments you need.

2nd put your toes down low on the pedal so you can't push on the brakes and lift you heels up off the floor, this will promote you keeping the pedals moving.

Watch the rudder on a few tailwheel pilots landing, Most you will see the rudder flipping back and forth, but some won't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHOvWqJ218c
This was the 1st youtube video I found in a search for "tailwheel landing" a bit hard to see but watch the rudder carefully during the touchdown and rollout.



Hope this helps, probably should discuss it with you instructor before trying it.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
Wish I could take credit for it, but I know it's been in use for more than 50 years, because that's when Oscar Duncan used it with me when I was trying to figure out how to land an airplane.

I think the effectiveness of the drill is due to several factors:

1. It provides the student and CFI with ample time to practice the control inputs necessary to track the runway centerline in landing configuration, especially the cross-control belly-pat head-scratch monkey motion that is necessary in X/W situations. A 10'k runway at ~60 knots produces several minutes of good practice before you reach the end.

2. The uncertainty of when/if the plane will land is removed from the equation. Without this concern/anxiety, the student can concentrate on FTFA. Knowing that a small power reduction will produce a squeaker when the time is right, the CFI can be a bit more relaxed and allow the student to work through all the sights, sounds, cues and aeronautical mysteries that produce good landings.

bbchien said:
You can tell with your butt before you can tell with your eyes, which way the CG of the a/c is trying to break, around the mains. react with the most quick of teeny "jabs". You'll get it.

And Wayne's technique works in nose-pushers as well as tail-draggers. It is EXcellent.
Click to expand...
 
In over 50 years of flying conventional gear, I have one landing that I can brag about, and prove it,,:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOhuH8X4Wm0

That was the first landing in that aircraft in8 years, I was so far ahead of the aircraft that NTSB couldn't balm me for the accident :) If there had been one.
 
JB1842 said:
I just soloed a Cub a few weeks back at around 17 hours, and over a 100 landings. Things I picked up on are after you level off before the flare, let the plane "catch up". When it starts to settle on its own, pull back the stick into the flare. If you are too high, and you get a good bounce, goose the throttle a little and redo it (as long as you have room, if not go around. No harm, no foul). And my instrustors are always reminding me to keep my head on a swivel and work the rudders. I struggled, too. One landing was good, another sucked. I finally had that "Aha!" moment where it all came together and made sense. Keep practicing. My last 4 lessons before my solo was all pattern work.
Click to expand...

first congradz for your first solo.

i wish i have that many landings in 17hours, my instructor told me don't relax on the rudders. a few landings i had was stop the descent too high, and end up dropped hard, but not stall. the tall wheel got so shimmy that my instructor had to lift the tail up for me and drop it back again, that feeling sucks. and i felt bad for the tail wheel too.
 
wabower said:
1. Find a nice long runway on which to practice.

2. Fly a normal approach to landing attitue and altitude 2' above the runway.

3. Add just enough power to remain airborne and fly the entire length of the runway while tracking centerline in this configuration and altitude, then go around.

4. Repeat the drill at 1' above the runway. Once you are comfortable, reduce power by ~100 rpm and the plane will land like you want it to do.

I've used this drill countless times with 100% success rate.
Click to expand...


i would like to mention this on my next session in a few days, hopefully this practice will help me to learn my landings better.
 
scarybus320 said:
first congradz for your first solo.

i wish i have that many landings in 17hours, my instructor told me don't relax on the rudders. a few landings i had was stop the descent too high, and end up dropped hard, but not stall. the tall wheel got so shimmy that my instructor had to lift the tail up for me and drop it back again, that feeling sucks. and i felt bad for the tail wheel too.
Click to expand...
If you find that you are consistently flaring too high, you might try this.....don't flare or make a serious effort to.

This is a little trick that I learned from the instructor who did my insurance checkout in the 170. Make sure you are trimmed for the correct approach speed and fly the airplane right down to the intended touchdown spot.....Let ground effect help you.

What you will find is that as you enter the realm of ground effect, the airplane and the ground start acting like two magnets coming together with the same polarity.....it sounds a little counter-intuitive, but if you do nothing but maintain good directional control, the airplane will start to level itself off in ground effect. This technique works really well for wheel landings, but you can do it for 3-points as well - you just need to bring the throttle to idle and at that point just keep easing the stick back until the plane settles on the runway in the 3-point attitude.
 
dillardrg said:
I have found that a large percentage of landing problems are speed problems. In a Citabria approach at 70mph, slow to 65 crossing the fence and start reducing your rate of decent(not a flare) at about 12 to 15' above the runway.

Continue reducing your rate of decent by application of aft stick and don't let the aircraft land. You must have the mindset that you are not going to let the wheels touch. At some point the aircraft will no longer produce enough lift to fly and will settle onto the runway.

From the 12 to 15' above the runway point look down toward the far end of the runway and move your eyes around without fixating on any one thing, but the main focus is toward the far end of the runway.

Be proactive with your feet. Do NOT wait until you think you need a correction. As the aircraft approaches the ground start moving your feet with small alternate right and left pressures(rudder dance). This allows you to know where you are regarding rudder pressures and when a correction is needed you will already be doing it before it becomes a large movement. Ignore everything else in this post if you must, but not the last paragraph.
Click to expand...



this is similar to what my instructor had told me and showed me. I am just too slow to sense when the airplane starts to move or drift away, maybe like one of the person mention feel it with my butt to see which way the airplane pivots to.
 
Henning said:
I'll you the same as everyone, and this is what I do when I have to check myself out in a single seat plane (most all which have been tailwheel). The key is Taxi practice.
Flying is a "Building Block" experience, but many instructors forget to build that bock of high speed ground handling and leave it to develop during landing practice 2 seconds at a time. This wastes thousands of dollars of student money and causes much unhappiness and frustration among students. It takes about an hour's worth of experience to burn those sight pictures and control fell muscle memories into your mind. Don't be scared and lazy. Get to it and practice and get it done and out of the way and move the f- on. Don't let incompetent or lazy instructors fleece you, and don't be incompetent or lazy yourself. Work hard, I feel you already are, so keep at it. Tell your instructor that this is what you want to do. Do not ask.
Click to expand...


i have done high speed taxi already, during my 15th hours of training. indeed, after those frustrations on landings and i have been unhappy about my flying skills, after so many bad landings, I told myself in my mind, Fxxk this ShXT.
i gotta do better and better the next try and stay focus.
 
rottydaddy said:
No advice will help you here except "pay attention and keep practicing." How to be more proactive? Be more proactive, that's how. How to better sense rudder fade? Pay attention more. There's no magic formula or anything, just "try again." Your instructor is right about this. Nobody's hiding some secret from you... the answer is obvious. Practice. No expert tailwheel pilot is thinking "Left rudder, 5.5 degrees deflection for 0.8 seconds at a rate of 30 degrees per second, now neutral for 0.5, right rudder 5 degrees, etc..." They are just thinking "Keep it straight, stay on the runway." :D

Sounds you are about average, and if you haven't run off the runway and almost trashed a wingtip yet, you may be slightly better than average.

So relax, pay attention, and keep practicing. When you get it, if someone asks you the secret, you'll realize how inadequate words are to describe how to smoothly land a Citabria in a brisk crosswind.
Click to expand...


there was an "o-shxt" moment that I just full throttle it and go around. in fact, i did put some pressure on myself to do better landing.
 
rbhankins001 said:
I have some different advice for you: take about a 10 day break from flying.

Due to my busy work schedule I didn't fly for two weeks when I was getting my landings "down". I could land it, oh yeah, I would "crunch it in" (C150).

I had so much going through my mind. Watching ASI, flaps, flare, x-wind, etc.

After the two week break I landed 5 times, almost greasers on each one. My instructor asked if i had been practicing without him.

What made the difference? I wasn't thinking about all the things going on, I just landed the plane.

Now I know that is not tailwheel experience, but i think it may be what you are experiencing. Too much info and the landing seems to happen so fast.

I don't know if any of you have taught someone to "get up" on a wakeboard. We tell them to "just stand up" - what the hell does that mean? Once you feel it one time you can do it for life. I think the landing is something that is very hard to explain, but once you feel it it just makes sense.

At least that's how it went for me . . . I think I'm gonna go fly today. Man it's nice out!

-Rob
Click to expand...




i had 3 weeks of break from flying maneuvers,(stalls, slow flights, steep turns) due to weather, but i did a lot better on it some how. but my landing practice days are 15-20knots quarter head wind and cross wind, overcast no wind. none of the days have same nice weather conditions, like one day, i used forward slip on almost all the approach, and another day, i hit x-winds. i thought i just had bad lucks on weathers.
 
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