j1b3h0

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.

RVSM Certified

Cost won't be the driving factor for me. I just thought that if taildragging was that important early on, why not do it in something that can really drag some tail - if you know what I mean, LOL!

From what I read, taildraggers can sometimes end up in a ground-loop after a sideways landing, because the pilot allows the rotation around the CG to continue to long a period of time, causing the moment of inertia to rapidly place the entire aircraft on one wing with a huge repair bill as a result.


That's what I read Barry Schiff talking about recently. He talked about poor taildraggers and how they allow the conditions for ground-looping to become a problem, too.

See, now, that's where you and Barry part company, I guess. Barry tends to think that draggers are harder to control near the ground given their desire to constantly seek the downwind side of the prevailing wind. So, the more X-wnd component [he says] the more attention you have to pay to the tailwheel airframe.

What do you have to say about this?

j1b3h0

Let's see, where to start. I can teach a student to be a fairly good pilot in a nosewheel airplane - but it's MUCH harder. Nosewheel airplanes, and in particularly more modern trainers have been designed with aerodynamic measures to eliminate the need for the pilot to coordinate rudder/aileron inputs to the controls - and as a result, many (most) students never really learn the use of their feet. Most tailwheel trainers (because they're less modern) do not have ailerons that help reduce adverse yaw and consequently make an uncoordinated pilot look ridiculous...thereby making the instructors' job much easier. The student gets two teachers - the airplane AND instructor.
You have correctly noted that, because the CG of a taildragger is behind the main wheels, instability is possible.
The advantage if this instability is, once again, the aircraft will make it abundantly clear how essential it is to land the airplane almost perfectly straight with the runway, and keep it that way during the roll out, lest much entertainment is enjoyed by both student and instructor!
I haven't read much Schiff, other than the odd magazine article. He's right about the inherent difficulty with (generally speaking) tailwheel aircraft in strong winds. But a Citabria is designed with very authoritative flight controls, and consequently is manageable (with a skilled pilot) in all but winds that would leave other little airplanes tied down. Probably a good idea to leave them that way, what with their pilots lack of the skills one learns in a tailwheel. One could say I'm biased...

j1b3h0

I forgot to mention that taildraggers in crosswinds want to drift downwind (across the runway) while in flight, just like any other airplane. But after touch down, TW airplanes want to weather vane - that is head UP wind.