Originally Posted by
RVSM Certified
Thanks for this post. You know, I get the feeling that a lot of people out there [especially the old-timers, no offense] have some really strong feelings about doing primary training in a tail-wheel aircraft. I keep hearing this and reading about this in magazines more and more lately - maybe it is just me.
People keep talking about the "feel" of the aircraft and emphasizing the tactile sensation that a tail-wheel gives a pilot and how that is important early on in the training cycle.
Thanks for the tip. I think I'm going to head over to one of the local clubs and get a Citab or Decath intro flight. I flew in a Citab many, many, many years ago and I remember it as being a blast. I also remember the aircraft feeling very light and very underpowered, but still it was a total blast, the aerobatics, I mean.
Never flew a Decath - what do you think about that particular competitor to the Citab?
Are all tail-wheel aircraft the same in terms of the initial learning experience a new student pilot would get? If so, why not learn in a Pitts S2S, or an Extra 300L? Won't that give you a tail-wheel experience too, but with more power and the ability to do more things? And, won't the visibility increase in those aircraft more than it would in the Citab or Decath?
Thanks for the input here.
RVSM -
The other airplanes you mention - the Decathlon, Pitts and Extra are airplanes designed to to what a Citabria can't: Fly well inverted. The Pitts and Extra are brutally strong, have much higher power to weight ratios, and have EXTREMELY responsive flight controls, lightning fast roll rates (at least compared to a Citabria) and are very expensive to buy, insure and of course, rent. In the Bay Area, there are a few Pitts to rent for upward of $230hr. Extras are well over $300. These airplanes are great fun but are a little like taking drivers training in a Turbo Porsche.
I personally have flown with hundreds of First Officers in several types of airliners and I can usually tell when my copilot has tailwheel experience before we're climbing through 50ft. There are some good nosewheel only type pilots, too, but the tailwheel folks have developed a whole new level of centerline consciousness.
Another poster mentioned the percieved danger of taildraggers, but failed to mention that they're most dangerous when flown by nosedragger pilots. To the cogniscenti, a really strong crosswind it's actually EASIER to land a Citabria than a 152, due to the taildragger's superior control authority. I landed a Citabria in a 30kt. direct xwind. Much harder in a 152.
Think of a tailwheel airplane like a 4 speed/clutch airplane vs. the nosewheel automatic. It's an easy transition fron the 4 sp to the auto, but not the other way around. You'll become a much better aviator from the get go. My 2 cents.