Make a 3 Point Landing in a Tailwheel Airplane
Most pilots today learn to fly in tricycle gear airplanes and transitioning to tailwheel or conventional landing gear can be difficult. However, learning to fly a tailwheel airplane can be personally rewarding and improve a pilot's skills.
Contents
Steps
- Make your approach to land as you would in any airplane using the correct procedure for your particular make and model.
- As you cross the runway threshold reduce the power to idle and slow your decent rate by raising the nose and flaring.
- As the airplane slows, continue to raise the nose and hold the airplane off the runway. Optimally you are holding the airplane just an inch or so off the runway.
- Continue to raise the nose to the point where the airplane's pitch attitude matches the pitch attitude when its sitting on all three wheels. At this point stop raising the nose.
- The airplane should settle to the runway and touch on all three wheels simultaneously.
- Quickly and firmly pull the yoke all the way back to hold the tail wheel down and do not let up until the airplane has completely stopped.
- Look far down the runway and line your nose up with an object on the horizon. Use the rudder pedals to keep the nose exactly on that object. This prevents the airplane from swerving or "ground looping."
- Let the airplane roll to a stop. You can start using gentle braking after you've mastered the above steps.
Tips
- Make sure there is no drift at the point of touchdown. Land with a drift and you might be up the creek... literally. Drop a wing if needed or go-around and try again.
- Be firm and positive when you move the yoke back after touchdown.
- Find a nice grass runway to practice. Grass is much more forgiving than pavement because it allows the main wheels to skid sideways if you aren't perfect on the rudder pedals. This helps to avoid ground looping.
- Wiggle the rudder on short final to remind yourself that you are flying a tail wheel airplane and to get a feel for the required rudder pressure. Proper rudder use is very important when landing a tail wheel airplane.
- Aileron is proportionally opposite the rudder always.
The adverse yaw will aid the rudder with directional control.
Warnings
- Try not to over flare to the point that the tailwheel touches down first as this may cause damage to the tailwheel.
- Solo flight requires a flight instructor to place a tailwheel endorsement in a pilot's logbook after successful safe demonstration of normal and crosswind takeoffs and landings, wheel landings (unless the aircraft manufacturer has recommended against such landings), and go-around procedures.
- Obviously this is something you do the first time with a flight instructor in the airplane.
