L18C-95
FRIEND
Oxford UK
On the return leg of a long cross country the starboard brake finally faded to insignificance. No leaking hydraulics, and when there is pressure the old expander brakes work adequately, so initial hypothesis is an up stream issue wi the master cylinder.
This thread is about nursing a tail wheel home with only one brake.
I was also fated to have to make several landings with a sporty crosswind from left to right, on tarmac. Interestingly when the pucker factor increased I dispensed with the elegant two wheel crosswind technique (upwind main gear and tail wheel), and went for the firmly planted wheeler technique!
On grass this worked quite nicely, and with some bursts of power was able to deal with the crosswind. On tarmac as the tail gently came down, and the stick was placed full back, the lack of starboard braking resulted in a gentle ground loop at walking pace into the 16 knot wind. The taxiway was to the right so a 270 degree turn was used to vacate the runway, and gobs of power to get some rudder action and taxi downwind.
The technique of riding on the upwind side on the camber of the taxiway, as described by Sparky Imeson in Tailwheel Tactics, helped somewhat (the tail wheel would want to swivel left, with the camber, instead of right in a left to right crosswind), but turning right downwind was impossible.
Adding power, while creating some excitement, initially would be counter productive as torque and propeller slipstream would encourage a left swerve, when you needed a right turning control input - only a lot of power would give the rudder and tail wheel the slip stream to get some right turning input - in fact too much power.
Eventually shut down halfway to parking and a helpful fire crew helped push the Super Cub the two or three hundred yards left to parking.
Made it back safely to base and hopefully the 64 year old brake system will be restored to full working order.
This thread is about nursing a tail wheel home with only one brake.
I was also fated to have to make several landings with a sporty crosswind from left to right, on tarmac. Interestingly when the pucker factor increased I dispensed with the elegant two wheel crosswind technique (upwind main gear and tail wheel), and went for the firmly planted wheeler technique!
On grass this worked quite nicely, and with some bursts of power was able to deal with the crosswind. On tarmac as the tail gently came down, and the stick was placed full back, the lack of starboard braking resulted in a gentle ground loop at walking pace into the 16 knot wind. The taxiway was to the right so a 270 degree turn was used to vacate the runway, and gobs of power to get some rudder action and taxi downwind.
The technique of riding on the upwind side on the camber of the taxiway, as described by Sparky Imeson in Tailwheel Tactics, helped somewhat (the tail wheel would want to swivel left, with the camber, instead of right in a left to right crosswind), but turning right downwind was impossible.
Adding power, while creating some excitement, initially would be counter productive as torque and propeller slipstream would encourage a left swerve, when you needed a right turning control input - only a lot of power would give the rudder and tail wheel the slip stream to get some right turning input - in fact too much power.
Eventually shut down halfway to parking and a helpful fire crew helped push the Super Cub the two or three hundred yards left to parking.
Made it back safely to base and hopefully the 64 year old brake system will be restored to full working order.