Taildraggin'

flyersfan31

flyersfan31

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Freiburgfan31
I'm toying with getting a taildragger endorsement. How much time, on average, should it take?

I'd probably have to fly over to a nearby grass strip (Van Sant) to do it. There is an aero guy on our field, but he flys a Pitts. That doesn't strike me as the best plane to earn a td endorsement on. On the other hand, if you can handle a big engine twitchy aerobatic airplane, I guess a Cub should be no problem.

This is all in preparation for my winning the Dakota Air Museum lottery for the Cessna 140 this year. I really like the 140. Don't know why, I just do.
 
Anywhere from 3 to 10 hours depending on the airplane, pilot, and instructor.
 
flyersfan31 said:
This is all in preparation for my winning the Dakota Air Museum lottery for the Cessna 140 this year. I really like the 140. Don't know why, I just do.
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I did mine in 5 hrs in a 140. Dont worry you wont win it anyway, they're going to draw my number. :D

but if you do win it and need a ferry pilot, shoot me a PM!
 
You're on!

AZ, thanks for the tip on the Decathalon. I've seen him around, didn't realize he was a CFI.
 
It can go from a very few hours in some planes to at least ten in others. It also depends on how quickly you become comfortable with it. Taxiing and landing are the only differences, as in the air you cannot tell the difference with a tri-gear. I've become comfortable in tailwheel planes in as little as three hours; however, others have taken me more like ten. And, like in other flying situations, I lose that comfort if I don't continue to fly the plane frequently. But don't worry about it, just go do it. It's fun. [It also is different flying them onto grass vs. hard surface vs. gravel vs. bare earth...if you are lucky you might get to do all this. Some clubs/FBOs do not allow it, however. I mean, gravel/dirt strips, etc.]
 
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Another consideration is what the insurance requires. I've seen some places, 5hrs dual before solo. 10hrs to X-C.
 
As a matter of fact, the insurance thing can be even worse. I was in a fairly good-sized club [couple hundred members] for a while, and even after the tailwheel endorsement was obtained, one could not rent the taildragger [Decathlon] to fly solo, had to have a club CFI along, period. That cost the club a lot of business. And there are other rental places in my area with the same policy.

Which is still not a reason to forgo the training. Go for it. Many people feel it improves their general flying, even when in a Tricyle geared plane. Cross-wind landings and rudder awareness improve, for a couple of things. When I am flying with another pilot, I can tell in no time at all if he or she is an experience taildragger pilot. So will you be able to once you've done the training yourself.
 
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IMO, it's not so much the takeoffs and landings that cause problems...it's general use of the rudder. And that's as much an "eye" thing as it is a "foot" thing. Pilots who can keep the airplane coordinated in flight, and make properly-aligned crosswind landings should have no problem with a taidragger transition. On the other hand, the taildragger makes sure you know if you ARE deficient in rudder use ;)

fly safe!

David
 
Baron 55 said:
Taxiing and landing are the only differences, as in the air you cannot tell the difference with a tri-gear.
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That's not always true. It depends on the airplane. Most tailwheel airplanes have a larger rudder than their nosewheel cousins. In addition there are tailwheel airplanes which (for whatever reason) have much more adverse yaw in turns than say, a 172. Therefore in those planes, even in the air, you can tell you're not flying a C172 or an archer as you sort have to retrain yourself to make good turns. In my experience though, once you learn to make good turns in those planes, you tend to make good turns in everything.
 
Hey, if you guys want to double your chances to win a 140, you can enter the contest at my museum by calling them at 713-454-1940. Before you go saying that we are just copying the idea from the Dakota Air Museum, let me assure you that we are, in fact, copying them and did consult with them to learn the particulars behind the contest, and they graciously helped us with information to launch our own contest :).
 
well PJ if I dont have a 140 on August 19th Ill probably call. I dont really need two 140s...
 
Aerotech over at lancaster (smoketown for this plane) has a Champ for rental/training. PM me if you want the details. It took me about 10 hours to nail down the landings and get the endorsement. Haven't used it in a while though...

It IS nice to be able to land at some of the grass strips that were off limits before.

Jim G
 
Yep 3-10 hours to get proficient. As an added bonus, it'll make landing your Sundowner better right away. They have an undeserved reputaiton as being tricky to land, although I've never had problems(I'm current in TDs)
 
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