Wheel landings 2

[Cat Driver]

I thought I would copy a few of the wheel landing posts I made because they got lost in the other thread with the ongoing discussions......someone may actually want to read this stuff because of curiosity about wheel landings.

Lets have a look at the wheel landing.

In another thread I offered some thoughts on how to judge height and situational awareness during a landing in nose wheel airplanes and figured what the hell I might as well offer some suggestions on how to perform a wheel landing.

( The following is only a brief overview of this subject and in no way a full discussion of said subject.)

During the training for crossover from nose wheel airplanes to tail wheel airplanes there is a tendency on the part of some instructors to focus on full stall three point landings.

Why there is this concentration on three point landings is interesting because in almost every tail wheel airplane that is available to the general pilot community the wheel landing gives best directional control, especially with a X/wind.

So first lets look at the Flight Training Manual and see what that has to say regarding wheel landings.

There is not really much there except a short paragraph that is fuzzy at best in describing how to perform a smooth safe wheel landing.

In fact I find the description for this landing to be quite interesting.



Quote:
( From the Flight Training Manual.)

The approach should be normal with or without power according to the conditions of the day, to the point where the descent is checked. The airspeed is then decreased to the point at which the aircraft settles. Adjust the power at this point so as to descend in a level attitude at a slow rate ( approximately 100 to 300 feet per minute).

You will not be able to watch the vertical speed indicator during this stage, but with practice you can easily estimate the descent rate. A fast rate of descent could cause a hard contact with the surface, followed by a downward rotation of the tail through inertia and a subsequent bounce back up into the air. Small control adjustments only should be used as the aircraft settles to assist in descending slowly and maintain a level attitude. As the wheels smoothly contact the surface , apply gentle but firm forward pressure to hold the wheels on the ground and decrease the angle of attack. The aircraft should be held on the wheels nearly level, until it has slowed sufficiently to ensure full control in a three point attitude under existing conditions.


I teach the wheel landing a little differently, especially with regard to the rate of descent issue prior to wheel contact with the surface.

From a normal approach attitude and airspeed you commence the flare at a height which will result in the airplane being in the level attitude as the flare is completed and at the same time making contact with the surface, at wheel contact with the surface you lower the nose attitude sufficiently enough to change the angle of attack to produce zero or negative lift.

This can be done in two ways, my preference is to have the airplane trimmed hands off for the approach speed to make the approach less work and at surface contact use a slight forward movement of the elevator control to pin the airplane to the surface by dumping the lift vector.

Some pilots use nose down trim and just relax the back pressure at wheel contact, however that can pose a bit of an irritation if you need to go around for any reason as you now have a nose heavy airplane to start the climb out with.

The best prescription for a good wheel landing is quite simple…..flare at the correct height so as to not have to extend the landing distance and time in the air adjusting the rate of descent in the level attitude getting rid of height you didn’t need in the first place.

P.S. :

I high lighted that bit in red because it needs some examination.

Quote:


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Quote:

What method of landing do you teach first in a tailwheel checkout, 2 or 3 point and why? Michaelp same question.


The first thing I teach them is how to control the thing on the ground.

This is done by running the length of the runway with the tail in the air, if conditions are right we stop turn around and do it back down the runway...over and over until they can keep it straight......I handle the power so they only have one thing to do, once they get to the point they can keep it straight I have them S turn down the runway.

When they are able to control the airplane on the ground we go flying.

Quote:
I prefer to start with three point, mainly because the bumpy grass runway fly off of. It is difficult to stick a wheel landing there until you can pinpoint your landing spot. I teach 3 point then two wheel (at a hard surface airfield) then x-winds in both 2 & 3.


What order you teach the different landings in are up to you and the conditions at the time....however it is far better to teach the wheel landings on pavement rather than grass for obvious reasons. ( smooth surface, which is needed for really getting the landings done right. )

So basically....teach them directional control and attitude control on the ground first....( usually 1 to 2 hours of running back and forth on the runway with the tail in the air ) ...and also the incipient ground loop during taxi...and for Christ sakes make sure you are not going fast enough to damage the airplane.

Do it that way and you will turn out real good tail wheel pilots....remember it is all about directional control on the ground...the flying part is easy.


What method of landing do you teach first in a tailwheel checkout, 2 or 3 point and why? Michaelp same question.


The first thing I teach them is how to control the thing on the ground.

This is done by running the length of the runway with the tail in the air, if conditions are right we stop turn around and do it back down the runway...over and over until they can keep it straight......I handle the power so they only have one thing to do, once they get to the point they can keep it straight I have them S turn down the runway.

When they are able to control the airplane on the ground we go flying.

Quote:
I prefer to start with three point, mainly because the bumpy grass runway fly off of. It is difficult to stick a wheel landing there until you can pinpoint your landing spot. I teach 3 point then two wheel (at a hard surface airfield) then x-winds in both 2 & 3.


What order you teach the different landings in are up to you and the conditions at the time....however it is far better to teach the wheel landings on pavement rather than grass for obvious reasons. ( smooth surface, which is needed for really getting the landings done right. )

So basically....teach them directional control and attitude control on the ground first....( usually 1 to 2 hours of running back and forth on the runway with the tail in the air ) ...and also the incipient ground loop during taxi...and for Christ sakes make sure you are not going fast enough to damage the airplane.

Do it that way and you will turn out real good tail wheel pilots....remember it is all about directional control on the ground...the flying part is easy.

*****************************************************************

To continue the wheel landing discussion.

For me the best method of performing the wheel landing is to have the approach planned for arriving above the planned flare point with a stabilized air speed and attitude that allows for the final fifty feet to be accomplished with the throttle/s closed...this gives me a touch down with energy being dissipated as quickly as possible and as short a float time as possible before wheel contact.

It will vary from airplane to airplane as to how much nose down pitch is required after closing the throttle/s to avoid to much air speed loss to the flare point after closing the throttle/s.

NOTE:

Occasionally in light aircraft it will be necessary to use some power to control the descent rate due to turbulence although in the heavier stuff such as the DC3 it is very rare to have to use power after closing the throttles.

[BoostedNihilist]

.

[SkyWolfe]

Agreed. Or at least have these posts stickied so they don't become lost. Sorry to jack the thread cat.

[Hedley]

Sorry I am a bit late commenting on this, but I was
in Key West, renewing my ICAS card. It's a long
story as to why I have to go all the f_cking way
to Key West every year to renew my ICAS card,
but I will try to refrain from TC bashing.

Anyways, there have been lots of good points made
here by very experienced instructors. The information
available here isn't available at any single hangar in
Canada!

Just a couple things I wanted to pass on about wheel
landings ...

I start with 3-point landings, because during the rollout
the student holds the stick/yoke all the way back and
he can concentrate on one thing, and one thing only -
keeping it straight with his feet.

As with any task, with practice the percentage of your
brain required to perform the task drops, freeing up
some cycles for some other duties, and that's when
it's time for wheel landings.

Generally you want to come in slightly faster for
a wheel landing - perhaps 5 mph, I really like the
"tail low" attitude. You don't need to add 25 mph!

The effect of the extra speed is to reduce the
angle of attack, required to produce the same
lift. See the lift equation. This will slightly lower
the nose, or raise the tail, into the proper attitude
for a wheel landing touchdown.

Now for the tricky bit. If you do not get a perfect
greaser - I'm talking damned near ZERO fpm
descent rate - the center of mass of the aircraft
behind the main gear will continue to descend
due to momentum. This will cause an increase
in the angle of attack, increasing lift, and will
shoot you into the air, where you will have
no airspeed (conversion of kinetic to potential
energy). We all know what this is like, and we
all know what to do - add power. Lots of it.
You cannot add too much power. See the
"back side of the power curve". If you are
a junior pilot in this situation, smoothly add
full power and overshoot, despite the fact
that COPA thinks it's an airshow

If you are a hotshot pilot in this situation,
you can add partial power to maintain
airspeed, and maintain attitude - you
are not in a position to increase or
decrease AOA, see the lift and drag
equations - and you can settle nicely
into a 3-pointer. Always be ready to
convert a wheelie into a 3 point, which
will happen naturally enough as you
slow down during the flare.

I might inquire, if you're such a hotshot
pilot, how did you get into the bounce
situation, with enough altitude to be
expensive and no airspeed?

Anyways, after all this rambling, here
is the secret to a good, consistent
wheel landing, regardless of your rate
of descent.

What I discovered is that it was easier
for me to do a wheelie in a crosswind.

Now, why is that?

The reason why, is that I touched down
in a sideslip - I only touched down ONE
main gear (and the tail was in the air -
a wheel landing, remember).

Even if I had a rate of descent going -
no greaser - I didn't get the "death
bounce" because when I touched down
in a sideslip on ONE main gear, what
happened is that the center of mass
behind the main gear pulled the OTHER
main gear onto the ground - it didn't
pull the tail down (much), causing the
increase in AOA and lift and death bounce.

It's blindingly obvious once you think
about it. Even with NO crosswind,
just before touchdown, drop a wing,
touch the other rudder, and sideslip
to a landing. Maybe just a touch of
power to compensate for the increased
drag. The consistency of your wheel
landings will improve enormously!

Of course, a great way to learn to
fly a taildragger is on grass! This is
because if you land slightly sideways,
the tires will slide, and won't be grabbed
by the pavement, yawing you into
a ground loop. Most people excrete
a kitten about "contaminated runways"
but as a tailwheel pilot, you will probably
experience your smoothest landings on
wet or snow-covered runways. The
most dangerous runway for a taildragger
is clean pavement.

Another thing I should mention is that
many pilots respond very well to the
trick of nose-down trim on final. Most
pilots simply cannot comfortably move
the stick forward after touchdown during
a wheel landing, which is required to reduce
the AOA which reduces lift, and "sticks"
the airplane to the ground. I personally
think it's all psychological to dial in the
nose down trim, so that the aircraft
naturally "wants" to raise it's tail, but
hey, whatever works!

Another point, about crosswinds ... get
the aileron into the wind! When doing
a wheel landing, and you sideslip to the
touchdown, as soon as the upwind main
touches, in addition to reducing your AOA
you want to get the yoke or stick OVER
into the wind! Most people are petrified
of dragging the upwind wing, but that's
simply not going to happen. Get that
aileron over! As you slow down, and
there is less air passing over the flight
controls, you want to input progressively
more and more aileron until you've got
all in that there is. The upgoing aileron
spoils the lift on the upwind wing, and
the downgoing aileron creates adverse
yaw on the downwind wing, to oppose
weathervaning into the crosswind. This
is really important. Every crosswind landing
in tailwheel aircraft will eventually terminate
on the runway with the tail down, and the
stick all the way back and over into the
crosswind.

Actually, I lie like a rug. If you are enormously
skilled, you may keep the tail up during
a wheel landing and taxi in with the tail
up, by using full forward stick, brakes and
power. Be advised that the risk of a prop
strike is very real. A young airshow pilot
in Canada, who I am certain is a better
stick than I, recently whacked his prop
doing this, requiring not only a new prop
but an engine teardown. From a cost
benefit standpoint, you must wonder if
this is worth the risk of tens of thousands
of dollars.

Just wanted to touch on another, sorta-
related subject ... to re-inforce what .
said, please don't try to teach yourself
aerobatics. Get some instruction on the
subject from someone who knows what
they're talking about. Every year, people
overstress aircraft, and spin them into
the ground, and these are entirely preventable
with training.

[Cat Driver]

Thanks for jumping in here Hedley, I really appreciate your interest in this subject and completely agree with what you have written.

The subject is very interesting and we can write volumes about it once we get started. When I wrote the opening comments on wheel landings I was not sure that anyone would even be interested because tail wheel airplanes are almost impossible to find in FTU's today thus there is no real interest in flying them, so I only wrote an over view with no real meat on it.

To add to your comment about the curving approach and one wheel touch down that is beyond doubt the easiest way to wheel land an airplane, I like to get them doing figure eight circuits alternating left and right with one minute from touch down to touch down.

As a matter of interest I have around 10,000 hours on tail wheel airplanes and only ever had two get a bit out of control and one wheel left the pavement each time. The first was a Turbo Goose and I was checking out a Twin Otter pilot...he whipped the fu.ker into reverse as soon as the wheels touched the runway and of course we got assemetric reverse and God damned near wrecked it before I got it back under control, the other time was in a Beech 18 when I applied some right brake to help stop some yaw when I was checking out the owner...the problem was I did not tell him I had control and we both were applying right rudder which cancelled out the brake pressure due to the shuttle valve in the system.

Anyhow neither event caused any damage except an increased heart rate for a few moments.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I agree with headly's comment about starting out with only 3 pointers because it gives the student only one thing to do; keep it straight. A related advantage is it gets the student used to not seeing forward which forces them to look out on the 45 which I have found instantly improves their flare height judgement, and as a bonus landings in "non conventional" geared airplanes......like C172's

[fearwidg]

Hello Everyone.
Just discovered this forum while looking for different points of view regarding wheel vs. 3 point landings as we're in the middle of producing a DVD on “How To REALLY fly Taildraggers." By way of introduction ... I've been flying for 41 years with 70+ types and over 140 aircraft to my credit. Most of those were antique, classic or homebuilt taildraggers. I was very lucky early in my career to become friends with aviation author, Richard Bach (of Jonathan Livingston Seagull fame) so a lot of my earlier skills were learned from him (and the original Barnstormers we flew with.) When my partner, Michelle Goodeve and I we were looking to buy our first airplane, Richard stongly suggested the Luscombe. I'd heard it was a ground-looping demon, but Richard assured me it would actually handle worse crosswinds than nosewheel aircraft ONCE you know how to properly fly it. We took his advice, bought a 1940 Luscombe 8C, got a 40 minute check out from a local FBO, then headed south for a cross-continent trek with Richard. The first part of the flight was terrifying. I could barely get the little plane up and down under the best of circumstances. As for cross winds, my mantra became ... if the wind doth blow, I won't go. Richard laughed this off, waited for a really windy day, then installed himself in the right seat as "an anti-crash device" and directed me to a nearby airport, When I went to line up on the runway facing into the wind, Richard told me to break off and go for the cross-runway instead ... the one with the 90 degree crosswind ... in a Luscombe!
As I turned final, I couldn't believe my eyes. I was looking out the right side of the windshield to maintain runway heading. I told Richard there was NO WAY I could land in this crosswind, but he just grinned and told me to keep going. When we neared flare height, Richard told me to kick the plane straight then do a normal 3-point landing ... with the left wing cranked WAY over into the wind. Heart pounding, I did as he suggested, coming back ... back... back with the stick hard over until the left wheel and the tailwheel touched at the same moment. "Keep the stick all the way left and all the way back," said Richard. "The right wheel will fall by itself when you run out of airspeed." ... And that's exactly what it did.
Bach grinned and said, "If the wind is any worse than that, you can land ACROSS the runway."
I thought he was kidding. He wasn't. I know because I've done it.
Since that initial heart-stopping flight with Richard, I've flown some of the oldest aircraft on the continent - most of which were taildraggers. I flew a 1937 Thruxton Jackaroo (4 seat Tiger Moth) and a 1929 Gipsy Moth on coast to coast flights across North America. Neither of them had any brakes and yet we handled all the wind had to throw at us, using the techniques I learned from Richard.
As for wheel landings ... well, I can do 'em, but don't like to a) because it wears out the tires (and old biplane tires cost a LOT <g>,) and b) because I really don't see the point. The whole idea of a good landing is to have your airplane touch the ground at the exact moment when the airspeed runs out. Any faster and you can get an aerodynamic bounce. This gives you a sudden and very short lived lift to the wings, followed by an immediate loss of airspeed and quite spectacular fall. But if you touch the ground with the airspeed gone, the plane has no other choice than to stay on terra firma.
In a wheel landing, you're basically flying the poor brute onto the ground, then pinning it there with forward stick while the speed runs out. Eventually, the tail will run out of air and start to fall ... but what happens if - right at that moment - a sudden side gust should blow? The airplane WILL groundloop, and it will pirouette at a high enough speed to put you up on a wingtip, or even flip the plane completely - I've seen it happen. But if you land full stalled, with the tailwheel planted and upwind wing skimming just above the ground, a side gust can do nothing to you. And if you're unlucky enough to catch a violent gust as the right wing finally does fall, you'll groundloop so slowly, you can get out and stop it by hand. I know that's true, Cause I've done it.
So when it comes to 3 point vs wheel landings, kindly place me firmly in the former camp. Because there is nothing more satisfying than the sensation of feeling three-wheels-rolling so gently, you're not even sure you're down. To see what I'm talking about, I'll direct you to a couple of YouTube clips I recently uploaded featuring two of my taildragger students. Bruce "Rotten" Paylor demonstrates a perfect left hand crosswind landing in a Citabria here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af0Ky4Xomew&feature=user

My partner, Michelle Goodeve, performs a perfect three-wheels-rolling touch down in a Thruxton Jackaroo here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWxxKbCx ... re=related

And Rotten pulls off another three-wheels-rolling touchdown in a 1940 Fleet Finch Biplane here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaAzTPhkGjI&feature=user

It should be noted that the Citabria had a brisk RIGHT hand crosswind, as did the Jackaroo. And the Fleet Finch was dealing with a howling left hand crosswind.
Thanks for letting me include my two cents worth in this discussion.
Cheers till next time, Glenn Norman Fearless Widget Productions. http://www.fearwidg.com

[Cat Driver]

It is ineresting reading your post on wheel landings fearwidg.

Am I to understand you see wheel landings as a second choice type of technique and if so when do you recommend doing a wheel landing?

[MichaelP]

I did wheel landings with our fellow forumite a couple of days ago in the Citabria...

It is not an easy thing to teach in the Citabria with Aeronca gear, and can be positively dangerous if the instructor is at all sleepy.
I watched a student smash the Citabria into the ground one day and I had words with the instructor about it after I inspected the undercarriage

One of the things about the wheeler is the need to flare at a much more precise height.
For a three point, flaring too high and parachuting the aeroplane in is somewhat tolerated by the aeroplane.
Flare too high and try to wheel the aeroplane on by shoving the stick forward is asking for big trouble.
The wheels better be within centimetres and not inches of the runway surface and the sink rate next to zero to wheel the aeroplane on.

People who fly Cessna 180 and 185 only sometimes wonder why everyone doesn't wheel land... But these aeroplanes are easy to wheel on, many are not!

I've seen aircraft damaged by wheel landings gone wrong as well as three point landings that went wrong.
The energy is higher with the wheel landing accident.

I agree with fearwidg's comments...
Wheeled on you begin to lose control of the Citabria as the tail lowers towards the three point, you have to be careful until that tailwheel is well and truly pegged on the runway.
The Citabria tends to be less directionally controllable if the tail is not kept high...

We did 12 wheel landings in our last session, on the twelth we swapped to 30 from 25 and were told to hold short... I felt the brakes being applied... "GET OFF THE BRAKES" I yelled... Another problem with the wheel landing arose, with the hold short line coming up that tailwheel better be on the ground before you brake... We did have a lot of room and brakes were not required, but anxiety is a problem for everyone when you land at a higher speed than normal.
The approaches were done at 75 mph and a little power was used on many of them.
Some of them ended in no-mans land with the aeroplane not sure whether it should three point or wheel, this is called porpoising and the best bet is get the stick back or go around.

I go around, I never let an aeroplane overshoot the runway, the far lights and the hedge and ditch will wreck an aeroplane if you 'overshoot'.

[Cat Driver]

Lets stop for a moment and have a look at where this thread is going.

The subject was wheel landings:

Please allow me to make some comments about this subject so we don't just drift off into la la land hand wringing about every possible situation you will encounter in landing these machines.

(1) The wheel landing is one of two methods that you can use to land a tail wheel airplane.

(2) A proficient tail wheel airplane pilot should be equally proficient in both full stall three point landings and wheel landings.

(3) Some airplanes are more suited to wheel landings than others.

(4) Of the two methods the wheel landing requires more accurate attitude and height judgment to prevent a bounce back in the air.

And last but not least there are as many different opinions about how different types of airplanes handle as there are airplanes, the most efficient way to sort out the differences is in the airplane during the training lessons.

For instance I would like to see someone three point a Grumman Turbo Goose as a regular method to land it. That would prove to be exciting at times.

[MichaelP]

For instance I would like to see someone three point a Grumman Turbo Goose as a regular method to land it.

Does it have a lockable tailwheel?

I imagine that the high CG position coupled with the relative narrow track makes any landing interesting in this aircraft. Then there's slab sides and crosswinds!
It was probably designed to alight on the water into the wind with 'landings' being an option when conditions permit.

[Cat Driver]

Michael, the Turbine powered Goose was a real hand full even on take off due to the high power of the turbine engines compared to the piston engines.

It also was a real bitch for visibility off to either side when skud running due to the very long engine nascells that were needed for W&B because the engines were so much lighter than the piston engines and on take off the thing would swap ends if you were to fast with power.

Also it was a real bitch when at gross weight with passengers in ice, it porpoised up and down like a roller coaster.

We cruised it just a few knots below VNE, man that thing was powerful, with light fuel and just two pilots in it the rate of climb was like the space shuttle.

For sure it was the most demanding machine I ever flew commercially.

[MichaelP]

The big props so far forward would definately be fun when lifting the tail, or at any time the aircraft was manoeuvred.
Gyroscopics...

What were step turns like?
Better to the left?

Have you flown a Turbo Beaver on wheels?

[Cat Driver]

The big props so far forward would definately be fun when lifting the tail, or at any time the aircraft was manoeuvred.
Gyroscopics...

On take off we used three turns of rudder trim to help keep it straight and were careful about not lifting the tail to fast as you would not have sufficient rudder to counter the gyroscopic procession...once speed built up we quickly rolled off the three turns of rudder trim.

What were step turns like?
Better to the left

?

Step turns were no problem as long as the floats were up, left or right really did not make much difference as you were not using all that much power during the turn.

Have you flown a Turbo Beaver on wheels?

No but I have been on a beaver in a piston beaver.

[MichaelP]

No but I have been on a beaver in a piston beaver.

PIO?

Or should we be reporting this to the SPCA?

[Cat Driver]

BIO :

Beaver induced oscillations.

[MichaelP]

'Wheel' landings in tricycle undercarriage aeroplanes will help you to avoid this:



Wheeler landings in tailwheel aeroplanes can cause this!

[Hedley]

Is that one of those fancy Hartzell Q-tip props?

[PilotDAR]

I searched, rather than start a new thread, so this picks up an old one, and incidentally posts by Cat Driver (a very credible source of wisdom) and some guy called Hedley, I wonder if he'll pop up and comment again..... Anyway, my thoughts as follows.....

Yesterday was tailwheel mentor flying day for me. The type involved prefers to be wheel landed at all times, so that was the focus of the numerous circuits we flew. We kept the aircraft on the runway during all the operations, though rudder use skills were sharpened considerably during the day.

People whine at me "why do you wheel land it, when you could threepoint?". Well, it is carefully thought out, based on my early experience (bad). The water rudder of the Teal is attached to the tailwheel steering arms. The faster the tailwheel is going when it spins up, the more vibration, and possible shimmy. That translates into uncommanded tailwheel steering motion, which on any other taildragger really does not matter too much. But on the Teal, the water rudder resists this, both in its inertia, and air resistance. So a vibrating tailwheel is resisted by the water rudder, which acts to do so through the steering arms. Which will break. So I do wheel landings every time in the Teal.

My fellow pilot, obviously later considering the experience, found what I think is a great article on the subject, which I will paste below. I wish I could link it, so as to give proper credit to the author, but it was sent to me as pasted, and the author is named at the end. Anyway, it's good reading...

What is a wheel landing??

The last 5 seconds of the approach is entirely different. This landing is made from an attitude as opposed to the 3-point or full-stall landing which is made from altitude.

When should/could wheel landings be done? When crosswind is strong, when winds are gusty whether crosswind or not, any time the pilot feels like it, if uncertain about the landing surface and need to land there, and at intervals for practice. Wheel landings are required by FAR to receive a tailwheel endorsement but I have found several cases where persons with endorsements had never done them.

A wheel landing is more difficult than the normal, 3 point, full stall landing which is why so many pilots avoid doing them unless absolutely necessary. Of course this means they are not proficient just at the time that proficiency is needed. Practice these - on grass and pavement (on easy days at first).

When teaching wheel landings to students in my Tailwheel Training Course, I tell them to decide which type of landing they will be making while on downwind and preferably say this out loud to themselves on final. The reason for this is that deciding at the last minute increases pilot workload and frequently results in what I call 2½-point landings followed by humorous events called "chasing rabbits". Students take me off the runway about once a year. Practice someplace where leaving the runway does not have to be expensive. When doing wheel landings, do not be concerned with touching down at the numbers. Such a concern will cause you to "paste" it on with a "bounce " resulting from the excessive rate of descent. Use a sideslip on final and touch down on the windward wheel first; if control is OK touch down the downwind wheel, and if control is still OK complete the landing; if NOT, go-around and go elsewhere.

Use a partial power approach (about 1200 rpm for under 100HP) for better control during approach and to make the transition from gliding to touchdown last longer. This gives slower deceleration and more time to "feel" for the runway. Fly at least 10% faster than your normal approach speed, especially in gusty conditions. A helpful technique may be to leave the elevator trim at the cruise setting or nearly so. This will give a nose down force on the stick/wheel, and remind you that you are intending to wheel land. It also keeps the airplane descending during the transition to touchdown. I avoid using the word "flare", as this transition from gliding to touchdown requires that you not raise the nose as you normally do. Keep the nose where it was during your glide. Start your transition from gliding to touchdown at the lowest possible height. Your goal is to reduce the rate of descent without losing airspeed. Look far down the runway as you normally do and "stair-step" your way down. By "stair-step" I mean move the stick/wheel forward an inch and right back to where it was and forward an inch and right back and so on until you have touched down. Three to five stair-steps will make a nice touchdown. This technique avoids the common problem of letting the nose rise and getting "bunny hops", "bounces", etc. If you are trimmed a little nose heavy, the stick/wheel will move forward easily and you can pull it back with 2 fingers. Do not look at the airspeed indicator during any part of the transition and preferably not below 200'. When students look at the airspeed indicator instead of the attitude as seen in the windshield I cover the airspeed for the rest of the training period and invariably they do a better job of airspeed control. For a windshield airspeed indicator (Heads Up Display) put a black grease pencil mark on the inside of the windshield (it wipes off) to mark the horizon line at gliding speed.

If your touchdown speed is not high enough or descent rate low enough you will "bunny hop" or "bounce". "Bunny hop" means we touch down in a 2½-point attitude with not enough speed and touch the mains and touch the tail and touch the mains and touch the tail etc. You can get more than 5-6 of these before the airplane runs out of energy and stalls. If you are making "bunny hops "and the wind is not such that it requires a wheel landing, you may convert to a 3-point/full-stall landing at this time by bringing the stick/wheel all the way back. Do notconvert to 3-point unless the airplane is pointed the exact same way the runway points and you are still over the runway and you are at a height at which you are willing to stall, and there is NO drift. (When I ask students about the height they are willing to fall from usually this will be about belly-button height.)

If these conditions are not met, your correct move is to make a "Go Around". This is a poorly understood maneuver. To "go around" properly, simultaneously adjust pitch attitude for climb, get wings level in coordinated flight, and apply climb power. When there is nothing more important to do you can put carb heat to cold, raise flaps etc. "Bounce" means you touched down with too great a rate of descent and are back in the air. Usually you are nose high, drifting, and no longer exactly on the runway heading. A "bounce" calls for a "go-around". Do not try to salvage a "bounce". If you are good enough to salvage a bounce then you are good enough not to have bounced in the first place.

Finally we are at the hardest part for most students. As soon as you know you have touched down on the windward wheel, (not before) move the stick/wheel forward. This goes against the grain for nosewheel pilots especially. Everyone worries about "getting the prop". In a few airplanes with long noses or big props this can be a consideration but for typical aircraft such as Champs and Cubs, do not worry. In a Champ the tail is pretty heavy and full forward stick/wheel is required. Full forward may be too much in other aircraft as tail weight may be less (C-170, J-3 for example only want a small forward motion.) The mission of the pilot is to maintain the best possible control of the airplane for the longest possible time so having the tail up high gives better steering at a time when we need the best possible steering. When speed drops and the nose starts to rise, (meaning tail is starting to come down) move the elevator to full up and get best steering by use of the tailwheel. Yours truly has had the experience of being hit by a gust during this short moment of tail up to tail down. It turned me 30 degrees on a narrow runway with a ditch about 10' away. This is one of the few cases where brake usage is authorized during landing. Reduce power to idle when you are sure you can make a full stop landing, not before.

While decelerating after touchdown is when most wheel landing accidents occur. You are still at a relatively high speed which is the bad news but is also the good news. The higher touchdown speed of a wheel landing gives you more rudder and elevator authority and directional control. After touchdown, increase aileron input until you have full aileron into the wind to prevent windward wing from rising. "Tiptoe" down the runway or "wiggle your toes" or whatever gives you the idea to make only small rudder inputs. When first learning wheel landings it is OK to just continuously wiggle the rudder. It is not OK to put in a correction and wait to see the effect. If you swerve in an amount that is not OK with you, the correct move is to "go around". If you wait too long, a "go-around" becomes a poor idea and consider accepting the indignity of going off the runway as long as the terrain in front of you is OK. I have intentionally gone off the runway when wind was too strong and other landing places were not available. In this case choose the touchdown point so as to lose control (the aircraft weathervanes) at a place of your choosing. In strong wind it will stop right away and your biggest problem may be taxiing to a tiedown. In this case get a wing walker to hang on to the upwind wing.

If your aircraft tailwheel is not steerable (you have a tailwheel lock or it is full swivel only) it is especially important that airplane and runway heading are exactly the same. Do not take your aileron input out at this time as most students wish to do. Keep on "tiptoeing" down the runway. It is more important to stay parallel to the runway than it is to stay in the center. If you are parallel and on the side, be happy, do not try to go back to the center. When the airplane speed is so slow that you would let a fourteen year old drug addict taxi your airplane, decide where to turn off the runway and do so.


The wheel landing is over.


Member Tony Markl is a "...17,000 hour pilot, that still LOVES to fly". He offers flight training in his taildragger and teaches fabric re-covering workshops. You may email him directly.

[gaamin]

I met Tony Markl once shortly after I landed in Steinbach, MB. He was redoing the fabric on one of Harv's aircraft and was staying at the same B&B where I was.
Nice old guy, even if a bit quiet, happy to share some wisdom. He gave me a hint on how and why learn morse code when I had not even started my PPL flight training.

Good writer, too!

[Colonel Sanders]

When speed drops and the nose starts to rise, (meaning tail is starting to come down) move the elevator to full up and get best steering by use of the tailwheel.

Yours truly has had the experience of being hit by a gust during this short moment of tail up to tail down. It turned me 30 degrees on a narrow runway with a ditch about 10' away.

I suspect his "gust of wind" was really gyroscopic
precession of the propeller, which is insignificant
with a wooden prop, but really important with a
long metal prop, as you would find on a Stearman,
Harvard or Beech 18.

In fact, lowering the tail after the wheel landing
touchdown is probably the hardest part of
landing a Beech 18, because of the gyroscopic
precession of the metal props. Effect is
significant on takeoff, too, requiring
differential power.

This fellow sounds like he has a lot of stick,
but perhaps a little light on the chalk, which
is a pity.

Raising and lowering the tail slowly is really
really important when flying a tailwheel
aircraft with a metal prop. You simply can't
ignore the gyroscopic coupling of pitch and
yaw.

PS I teach tailwheel with no brakes at all
for the student. Builds character.

[Shiny Side Up]

PS I teach tailwheel with no brakes at all
for the student. Builds character.

I do this too. Just like learning to play hockey, when you start, you don't get to use the pucks. Get it? Pucks? I'm here all week people...

[Colonel Sanders]

Most pilots really like to over-use the brakes:



I'm not sure that's a good thing.

[Shiny Side Up]

Runway is cheaper than rubber, but few people figure that out.

edit: Today's tailwheel lesson brought another little bit about brakes. If one really feels, that for whatever reason, you're going to make a runway excursion. Endeavor largely to keep the airplane right side up, tromping on your brakes is only going to flip you over, or if you get the pressure unevenly, swing hard and likely dig a wingtip. Both will not only cause grievious damage, but are more likely to hurt yourself in. Use brakes cautiously. Admittedly there are occasions where one might use them in landing, and again very sparingly, if one has a strong enough cross wind, but keep in mind that generally one will endeavor to have more weight on the into wind wheel on touch down, so your braking power on the downwind wheel won't be useful until you get weight on it anyhow (and usually slowed down enough in the first place.)

Touch the brakes when you're fast and that tail comes up faster than you can say "hoochimama".

FEET OFF FEET OFF!!!

Incidentally BBGUMPS, Second "B" is Brakes, means make sure your feet aren't on them.

[iflyforpie]

That's where I've always found heel brakes to be a better choice in tail draggers... even though others despise them.