Originally Posted by
Razorback09
Hey yall I'm a 60 hour (in Maule Mxt-7's) private pilot at a Part 141 school. I've recently began my tailwheel transition and I'm having a lot of fun with it. I have trouble with getting squirrely and kindof swerving back and forth on both the end of the takeoff run, after the tail comes up, and on the landing a couple seconds after touchdown. I try to go easy on my rudder inputs but I still seem to swerve.. Any suggestions from the seasoned tailwheel guys?
I'm on an iPhone so I'll keep it brief.
-when you raise the tail you WILL need right rudder and depending on the plane you will need a healthy dose. Anticipate that and simultaneously as you raise the tail start feeding in a bit of right rudder pressure and increase the pressure as needed.
-shift your gaze to the end of the runway. If you are looking further away it will make it much easier to see subtle changes in nose drift.
-Keep your feet dancing. I always move both feet on t/o and lndg just to be "ready". Not enough to move the rudders but enough to have active feet. It should be the same as if you are driving your car down the road you can lightly shimmy the wheel without feeling the car move.
It will come, it just takes hours. The best and most rewarding part regarding tailwheel is that you never master it which is what makes it always interesting.