Can you land backwards?

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J31
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Can you land backwards?

Post by J31 »

Any one remember this story? Many moons ago at a New Years party the dispatcher was overheard saying “Oh ya….that’s nothing....we have a pilot that can land backwards!”

A true story in Canada’s bush many years ago:

Some prospectors were dropped off at a remote area a few weeks before Christmas with instructions to be picked up Christmas Eve. Well the charter company forgot about it until some one brought it up on Boxing Day. A pilot was dispatched in haste for the pickup. Trying to be quick, a strait in landing was done on bare ice in front of the camp. As the ski equipped C185 slowed down the pilot realized he had a tail wind and the airplane was weather cocking on the bare ice. With no control, in slow motion the C185 turned completely around and soon was traveling backwards at about 30 kts as it went by the camp. It then occurred to the pilot to add power and she stopped. Of course the prospectors witnessed the whole episode but nothing was said as they were anxious to get home for Christmas. :)
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Last edited by J31 on Sun Apr 22, 2007 6:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hedley
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Post by Hedley »

It's not that big a deal. My uncle used to fly, amongst other stuff, a cub on skiis and he did that trick all the time on ice - head into shore at a good clip, kick the rudder, and apply power to stop while sliding backwards.

The physics of it really isn't that complicated.

You can do a similar trick on dry pavement in a tailwheel aircraft, if you are do inclined. Head at a good clip to the edge of the ramp. Hit the rudder and brake, spin it around, and use the momentum of the aircraft to back into your parking spot, pointing outwards for the start.

Again, high school physics can come in handy sometimes.

Another party trick, in a tailwheel aircraft, is during a wheel landing, as you slow down, to use forward stick to keep the tail up. With a bit of practice, and a little brake and power, you can taxi in with the tail up. Bonus points for flicking on the smoke system.

Frankly, they're all kind of useless stunts, IMHO. Aircraft taxiing on the ground inevitably look ungainly, like a fish out of water.
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Lommer
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Post by Lommer »

Hedley, perhaps I'm wrong, but wouldn't your moving-backwards-in-a-taildragger trick work better on a slippery surface? I would think that on dry pavement and a decent clip one would be just asking for a ground loop that writes off the plane.
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J31
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Post by J31 »

Well keeping the tail up has some usefulness other than show boating at times. In deep snow you need to get the tail wheel/ski and aft fuselage up out of the snow to turn at times. Of course if you are operating in big rocks, keeping the tail up minimizes the beating it takes.

While the Cub can handle side loads on it’s undercarriage due to the cross bracing. On the other hand the Cessna spring gear is very weak to side loads and susceptible to tucking under with disastrous results!
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Pile-it
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Post by Pile-it »

Lost left brake on a Beech 18 once...
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You cut it...
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Can You Land Backwards

Post by Single-Engine IFR »

I have actually had the occasion to do the backward manoeuvre on two separate occasions and the tail up landing once.

The first time was in a Supercub landing on a very short grass runway after a very brief but heavy summer shower. I didn't realize that there was standing water almost up to the length of the grass. After the tail was down and I started applying the brakes, I realized that the wheels were locking up with absolutly no slowing effect. There was not enough room to power up and make it over the trees. I put on full left rudder and gave it a short blast of full power. That started the plane swinging around until it had swung a full 180. As it came close to 180 degrees I reversed the rudder and applied continous full power and neutralized the rudder once the swing had stopped. The airplane came to a complete stop. I think that my passenger in the back was duly impressed.

The other occasion was flying, of all things, a Cessna 172. I was landing long on a relatively short paved runway. Only after I landed and started putting on the brakes did I realize that the runway was covered with black ice. I used the same procedure and came to the same happy conclusion.

Neither of these occurances was premeditated nor orchestrated by me.

After taking off in a Cessna 170, the tower called to advise me that my tailwheel had parted company from the plane. I continued to my maintenance base and did a wheel landing and used a combination of power, forward elevator and brakes to keep the tail off the ground. I was able to taxi into the taxiway and was able to lower the tail to the ground while at a virtual standstill.

SEI
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john_brown
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Post by john_brown »

The Shin Meiwa can do it.

A four engine Martin Mariner, it has also
a fifth one inside that suck air of the boundary layer
on top of the wing & bottom of the stab and fin sides.

It will fly at about 60knots, so in a 100kts typhoon,
it fly back and fro dropping torpedo like life rafts
to Japanese fishing boat in trouble.


Image
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bandit1
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Post by bandit1 »

really?
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nimbostratus
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Post by nimbostratus »

I know of a twin engine jet that landed on an icy runway in Alberta a few years ago and had little to no braking on ice. The Captain decided that there was not enough runway remaining to go around, instead popped a thrust reverser and watched as the plane did a slow 180. He then stowed the TR and added power. Never left the center line and the passengers never said a word about it on the way out the door.

Believe it or not... (sound of Jack Palance heavy breathing...)
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CP
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Post by CP »

Yes it can definately be done. I have done it quite successfully in beavers and Islanders just for fun but there was no snow on the frozen lakes. I was empty of course but it sure was cool using take-off power to stop!
:)
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