Basic Tailwheel Training
Come fly a piece of history. Learn why the Piper Cub is so ubiquitous in the American lexicon. It's like "Coke" and there is a reason for it. The Cub is a true stick and rudder airplane. It is made of tubes and fabric. There are no frills. Nothing extra. Minimal instruments. No electrical system. No starter. Just what you need to fly. It is a pussy cat -cub pun intended- when it comes to stalls. It needs attention to rudder throughout its flight and ground envelope. It will take your flying skills to a new and different level. Our instructors are all ATP rated with hundreds of tailwheel hours. Come learn new things with us. You will never be rushed, yelled at, or intimidated. We love to fly and we love to share it.
How It Works
Nose wheel equipped aircraft have their main wheels behind the center of gravity and they have the steerable wheel out front, just like your car. If you let go of the steering wheel in a car while in a turn the wheel magically returns to the centered and straight position. The rear wheels will nearly always follow the lead of the front wheel. The main wheels do not steer in anyway.
In a tail wheel airplane the main wheels DO steer the plane. If everything is perfectly aligned then the plane will track straight. Once the tail wheel is turned, the main wheels are now not going in a straight line and they will continue to tighten the turn unless a corrective action is taken with the tailwheel. At any kind of speed, this tightening happens very fast and can result in a ground loop. A ground loop is a rather scary maneuver that ends up with the tail in swapping ends on you and the airplane ends up going backwards. The transition that happens while this end swap is happening can lead to a wing striking the pavement.
Ok- so why would anyone build a taildragger? The tailwheel is simply more efficient from weight and drag perspectives. The main wheels of a taildragger are about the same size as the main wheels on a nose wheel airplane, but the tailwheel is nearly always smaller and lighter than a nose wheel. Nose wheels are also way more susceptible to damage from a rough or soft surface, which is why most bush planes are tailwheel aircraft.
What good will Tailwheel training do for the rest of my flying?
Tailwheel training teaches you to be ahead of the airplane and actively control it. Most pilots are reactive. They wait for something to happen and then deal with the consequences. They might wait until a turn is established and then try to fix it. This won't work in a taildragger. Once the turn is established you have a problem. If you actively control the airplane then the turn never gets established. This takes considerable attention. Once you get this level of flying proficiency then ALL of your flying activities will be more proficient. Tricycle gear aircraft are just more forgiving of our foibles. Learning tailwheel techniques will remove or at least minimize them. We learn to anticipate issues and be ready for them.
Where
We operate out of Alexander City (ALX), Bessemer Airport (EKY), and Shelby County Airport (EET).
Local 205-807-FLY1 (3591) · Toll-Free 1-888-I-FLY-WET (435-9938) Email: seaplane150@gmail.com
The Airplane
We fly a 1939 Piper J3 Cub. It began life as a trainer before the war. It even spent time as a floatplane. It has been through various owners through the years and trained tons of pilots in the fine art of aviating. It is a basic tube and fabric plane with no electrical system or starter. The only electrons are busy firing spark plugs and running the intercom for the Bose Headsets. The plane is typically flown with the doors and window open, unless the weather is on the chilly side. It has a stick for the elevator and the ailerons and a steerable tailwheel, actuated by the rudders. Since there is no electrical system, there are no lights and thus no night flight.
How Much
A tailwheel endorsement really depends on how competent you are with controlling the airplane. This will vary from individual to individual. Three hours is probably the minimum that you should count on. If you don't have it under control by 10 hours, this may not be your cup of tea. Our current rate is $150 an hour for flight time and $50 an hour for ground training. We will spend around an hour on the ground learning the basics and getting to know the airplane.
Our Mission
We are here to broaden your horizons and introduce you to a world without the clutter of instruments and radios. This is a world of pure flying. We aim to make you a better pilot.
Your Endorsement
The tailwheel endorsement will allow you to act as PIC in tailwheel airplanes that you would otherwise be rated in. If you have a multi-engine rating you would then be legal to fly multi-engine tailwheel equipped airplanes. If you have a single engine rating you will be legal to fly single engine planes with tailwheels.
Staying Current
To keep current in tailwheel equipped planes you must accomplish 3 landings to a full stop every 90 days. Outside of the 90 days you will need to get current before carrying passengers.
What is a ground loop?
A ground loop is a maneuver that can happen in ANY type of airplane. It is much more common in a taildragger because of the placement of the main wheels in front of the CG of the airplane. A ground loop can even be an intentional maneuver. Basically the ends of the airplane swap places. It can be a slow speed happening where the tail comes around in a reasonable controlled manner or it can be a high speed, tire screeching, metal bending, wing scraping, fabric tearing event. The key to avoiding the second type of event is to keep the plane pointed straight down the runway. Directional control is the main element. Being keenly aware of any deviation from straight ahead and immediately arresting and correcting the turn. This is good practice in any airplane, be it a nose dragger, tail dragger, seaplane, or glider. When you master this ALL of your take offs and landings should improve.