Planez

Tailwheel Training

What We Do

Our goal is to have every student come away from our training with an in-depth knowledge of flying tailwheel aircraft. This means we cover more than just the hands-on stick-and-rudder aspect of tailwheel flying.

We spend time in ground instruction explaining the nuances of the dynamics associated with tailwheel aircraft. This focuses mostly on all aspects of ground handling, including taxiing, takeoff, landing, and rollout. Tailwheel training can be done in either the Piper Cub or the Super Decathlon, or both if you desire a combination package.

How We Do It

The tailwheel transition training is intended to take a pilot with no tailwheel experience and have them gain reasonable proficiency in the handling of tailwheel aircraft. This will include ground instruction to prepare the pilot for tailwheel flying as well as a series of flights working toward a tailwheel endorsement in the pilot's logbook as per 14 CFR 61.31(i). Since each pilot is individual we can't quote a guaranteed number of hours to secure the endorsement, and similarly the tailwheel training is priced on an hourly basis rather than flat rate. Come prepared having done the reading and study suggested in advance, and you'll save money because the training will simply progress faster.

Ground Instruction

We feel a good grounding (pun intended) in some of the academic basics of tailwheel flying will make the transition into tailwheel aircraft faster and safer. So we do spend time on the ground covering a wide range of topics. They include :

Why Tailwheel? It’s a challenge. It’s fun. It will make you a better pilot.
Center of Gravity: Why it matters and what it does.
Taxiing: What am I really supposed do I really do with those foot rests?
Takeoff: How it is different from what you already know?
Landing: The many ways its like what you already know, and many ways it isn't.
Cockpit familiarization: You will be in front where all the good stuff is.

Taxi Exercises

Taxiing requires more attention than tricycle gear planes, and a keen awareness of the dynamics of the aircraft on the ground. We will run through a few exercises designed to wake up your feet.

First Flight

On the first flight the student is coached through the takeoff and will spend some time out of the pattern becoming accustomed to the aircraft. That portion of the flight will include slow flight, stalls, and steep turns. Then we return to the airport for a series of landings, with 3-point landings introduced first.

Subsequent Flights

The remaining flights, as many as are needed to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency, are focused exclusively on takeoffs and landings. Once 3-point landings are reasonably solid the student progresses to wheel landings. Each has its purpose and each has its challenges. Both styles will have been discussed in the ground portion of the training and in this portion of the training the rubber truly meets the road.

Resources

We feel that pilots can accelerate their tailwheel training by coming into the sessions fully prepared. This preparation includes reading material that gives the pilot critical information on the nuances of tailwheel flying. By doing so the ground instruction can proceed faster, and the student's awareness of what to expect in the aircraft is enhanced thus accelerating progress during the practical portion of the training.

To that end we present here a list of resources that can help the pilot come to the training with a leg up on knowledge therefore able to progress at a brisker pace (and as a result, spend less money getting their endorsement).

The Compleat Taildragger Pilot by Harvey S. Plourde

Conventional Gear: Flying a Taildragger by David Robson

Additionally, there are a few excellent videos that I like to share with prospective tailwheel pilots. These two videos feature Doug Rozendaal, a nationally known pilot and instructor. His description of the various challenges and techniques for flying tailwheel aircraft is spot on.