Can you get checked out on tail draggers...

[Colonel Sanders]

Ok. When I say "blind forward", what I mean is that
when you are in the 3-point landing attitude (e.g. taxiing)
you cannot see something ahead of you. For example,
let's say you decide to stop directly ahead of a parked
Stearman (bad decision). To the Stearman pilot, it looks
ok to move forward, because he can't see any obstruction
out the sides, on either side of the nose. If you can't see
his head, he can't see you. That's why he has to S-turn
as he taxis. And that's why my friend Gary Palmer is dead
now.

This will sound weird, but you have to get over the need
to see forward, if you're going to fly one of these funny
old airplanes. Once you do, you really don't care much
about how much forward visibility you have. You develop
the skill of seeing a sliver of something, and from that
clue, figuring out what's going on. This is a handy skill.

For example, I once landed a twin Cessna at night
with the windshield covered with ice after descending
through an icing layer. It was no big deal because I
don't need to see forward, to fly an airplane. I just
just did a Pitts-style descending-U to a slant final.

Anyways, in an old taildragger, during the landing, with
the tailwheel down, you can't see any of the runway
forward. You have to stay straight using what you
see behind the wings, which are parallelograms formed
by the shape of the runway, and the visual contrast at
the runway edge. For that reason, be very aware and
alert for a lack of contrast at the runway edge (eg snow
or very wide grass runway).

Some people hang their head out one side. Other people
(me) get their head back and use their peripheral vision of
both sides. The thing to remember is that there is no right
way to do things, in a funny old airplane. You have to
figure out what works for you, and do it. Do not allow someone
else to tell you how you should do it - e.g. wheel landing
vs 3-pt.

I know that this is heresy to the white-shirt crowd, who only
fly an airplane ONE WAY which is THEIR WAY and THE ONLY WAY
but over many years of flight training, I have found that airplanes
and people are different, and what works for one person does
not work for another. And that's ok. Do not try to force a
square peg into a round hole.

[cgzro]

Its a bit worse because the cowl on the Pitts is much wider so you cant lean sideways and see forward like you can in the Tiger with its narrow inline cowled engine. However blind and slow in the Tiger is not that hard, but blind and fast is a whole other kettle of fish.

[Colonel Sanders]

Mike Potter told me he thinks the forward vis is worse
in the Waco than the Pitts, but I don't really notice much
difference - I don't expect to see anything forward. Anything
at all, is a bonus.

Do keep in mind that the Spirit of St Louis was
completely blind out the front.

At Lindbergh's request, the large main and the forward fuel tanks was placed in the forward section of the fuselage, in front of the pilot, with the oil tank acting as a firewall. This arrangement improved the center of gravity and reduced the risk of the pilot being crushed to death between the main tank and the engine in the event of a crash. This design decision meant that there could be no front windshield, and that forward visibility would be limited to the side windows. This didn't concern Lindbergh as he was used to flying in the rear cockpit of mail planes with mail bags in the front. When he wanted to see forward he would slightly bank the plane and look out the side.

Different times, different people. They don't make them
like Charles Lindbergh, any more. Not sure how many
people are aware, that as a civilian in WWII, he flew in
combat missions in the Pacific:

on May 21, 1944, he flew his first combat mission: a strafing run with VMF-222 near the Japanese garrison of Rabaul, in the Australian Territory of New Guinea. He was also flying with VMF-216 (first squadron there) during this period from the Marine Air Base at Torokina, Bougainville Australian Solomon Islands.

In his six months in the Pacific in 1944, Lindbergh took part in fighter bomber raids on Japanese positions, flying about 50 combat missions (again as a civilian). His innovations in the use of Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters impressed a supportive Gen. Douglas MacArthur.Lindbergh introduced engine-leaning techniques to P-38 pilots, greatly improving fuel consumption at cruise speeds, enabling the long-range fighter aircraft to fly longer range missions. The U.S. Marine and Army Air Force pilots who served with Lindbergh praised his courage and defended his patriotism.

On July 28, 1944, during a P-38 bomber escort mission with the 433rd Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, Fifth Air Force, in the Ceram area, Lindbergh shot down a Sonia observation plane piloted by Captain Saburo Shimada, Commanding Officer of the 73rd Independent Chutai.

Most of us in the airshow business agree with his "ten year" philosophy.

[Bones]

I agree totally with the Waco/Pitts comparison. The Stearman and Moth are both far narrower and they sit at less of an angle too. The first time I flew the Waco (solo, no dual controls in ours) I kinda had a moment of panic when the tail was coming down... and down... and down... felt really strange even though I only just took off in it not 5 minutes before!

Since we're on the subject of blind biplanes, let's talk about the Laird Super Solution now. I'll have to build my own replica to fly one I guess.

[Colonel Sanders]

A neat trick I learned from a test pilot - doesn't
work well open cockpit, but - is to take a grease
pencil or dry erase marker, and after you get in,
and get out to the runway, is to draw a line on
the inside of the canopy, where the horizon is,
in the 3-pt attitude.

Poor man's HUD. He used it when he did the first
test flight of the ultra-rare BF-109.

My favorite taildragger? Gee Bee Racer, of course!



PS Delmar Benjamin is God.

[Beefitarian]

We should go hang around Kermit Weeks. He's pretty close to flying one again. I'll stand behind something sturdy to watch though.

[eaglepilot]

To the Stearman pilot, it looks
ok to move forward, because he can't see any obstruction
out the sides, on either side of the nose.

Agreed, I once did not see a fuel truck in front of me, only because I was S-turning did I finally see it.

You have to stay straight using what you
see behind the wings, which are parallelograms formed
by the shape of the runway, and the visual contrast at
the runway edge. For that reason, be very aware and
alert for a lack of contrast at the runway edge (eg snow
or very wide grass runway).

Also agreed, I only had my epiphany about how to stay straight during touchdown when I went to an airport with a 100' wide runway, where I could "see" the edges of the runway on either side using peripheral vision. I had mostly trained at Abbotsford (200' ft wide runway) and I was becoming very frustrated about my (in)ability to land the airplane straight. Turns out when I could see the edges, all was easier.

After that, when I landed at Abbotsford, I would cut the runway in half, using the center line as a "boundary" and the runway edge as the other. Still completely safe.

Now I have graduated to landing like a Big Boy, and can track the center line to touchdown.

[Colonel Sanders]

I would cut the runway in half, using the center line as a "boundary" and the runway edge as the other

That's excellent advice. When someone learns to land
a "blind forward" taildragger on one runway, he is often
in for a nasty surprise when he first tries to land on a
runway of a different width.

I had a student that I soloed in the Pitts, put +4G on
the meter, during his first landing at Syracuse. The wide
runway fooled him into flaring much too high. Didn't
hurt it, because he kept it straight.

I tell people to land on the left side of a very wide runway,
just as you recommend. Works very well. When they
listen to me

[cgzro]

peripheral vision both sides only works down to about 50ft wide in a Pitts, narrower than that you need to look only at one side because the other is invisible.. thats another level of difficulty still.

For these and other reasons its best not to buy and then ferry a blind tail dragger yourself , leave it to somebody with lots of time in similar type.

[l_reason]

Hey Guys, thanks for the props on the first page!! My take on teaching tail-wheel is really simple. I enjoy teaching a new skill to people that want to open a door into a really fun side of aviation. I'm not doing it for the PIC time, I'm not doing it for the money (although I don't mind a few extra bucks). I like the challenge and enjoy watching the students progress. I don't teach because I have to, I teach because I want to.

I'm sure the guys that have flown tons of really cool tailwheel planes will tell you they start learning from a plane when they first look at it. What shape is the wing, does it have a big rudder, prop clearance, gear placement.... When you fly a non Cessna, Diamond, modern Piper you have to do more then read the POH. You have to use your other senses, flying a tail dragger is about listening, feeling, and thinking about what's happening. Once the pilot starts to 'feel' whats going on it only takes a couple hours for most guys to get the basic skills, but it will take a while to get my full blessing... 15kt X-wind left or right, two or three point and always ON the centre.

James, I'm sorry I'm not in London that often as I have move to the Barrie area. I'll let you know if i'll be out that way in my plane we can do some air work, taxiing and some laps to get you started. I do know a few good TW pilots in the YXU area but I have no idea if they will be any good at teaching you the skill.

I'm flying out of the Barrie area now off of a grass strip if anyone wants to try there hand at flying a tail dragger send me a PM.

[pelmet]

Can't see much forward when in a Stearman for sure.

A suggestion if it has not been made already. When you stop at the end of the runway, angle the plane offset somewhat so you can look down the runway prior to adding power. I know a guy that landed on a grass strip and then backtracked to the threshold for a departure. Some guy at the airport was pissed off for some reason and drove down the grass strip toward the aircraft to admonish the pilot. Fortunately the pilot saw this jerk approaching from straight ahead of the aircraft and did delayed his takeoff instead of having an incident.

[Colonel Sanders]

Same problem landing. I know a USN two-star Admiral
that landed his Pitts on top of a 182. Sliced that Cessna
up like a food processor, with his Hartzell "claw" prop
which was amazingly undamaged. Go figure.