Getting my TW endorsement...many questions.

[JimC]

>Full back is a good mantra for most landing situations, but not very helpful when taxiing downwind or with a quartering tailwind. Knowing where to point the stick for any and all situations is part of the game. <

Tape a 3 inch long piece of string or yarn about two feet outboard on the lift strut. Anytime its pointing aftwards, the stick should be well back. Which is most of the time -- the propwash usually overpowers the trailing wind by a considerable margin.

 

[Rob Murray]

TW

Which reminds me of an old glider joke. If the piece of yarn on the nose is facing forward you should probably land the other way.

 

[375handh]

Mike:

Somehow I knew this thread would ultimately get back to the three point v. wheel landing debate. I'm not going to keep it going.

One instructor gave me the simplest tip of all time for taxiing with wind: point the stick into the wind. Works every time.

375HandH

 

[bob turner]

All that is of course correct. The first ground lesson for me is to get outside of the aircraft and point the wind - the student adjusts the stick accordingly, and explains why.

I personally don't do wheel landings as a general practice. In the 180, 195, and Super D, I practice wheel landings about every fourth touchdown, and while successful most of the time, I find they require more skill than 3-point, and slightly more runway. I find no real advantage in a crosswind, although I practice them.

 

[Taledrger]

I think one of the biggest mistakes folks make is trying to make huge corrections. If the aircraft begins to leave the centerline it is not immediately necessary to correct all the way back in one adjustment. "stab" it straight first, then a couple of light "stabs" to return to the centerline. Trying to get it all done in one adjustment will probably cause you to end up on the other side of the centerline trying to make the same correction the other way and we all know what happens then.
While the centerline is the ultimate goal being at least parallel with the edge of the runway is a good first step.

 

[mvivion]

Uh, 375Hand,

Let's see: "the simplest tip of all time for taxiing with wind: point the stick into the wind. Works every time."

So, that would be translated literally to this:

I'm taxiing directly INTO a big wind. I should point the stick INTO the wind, as in full forward?? Sorry.

The mantra is "Climb into the wind, dive away from it".

JP,

Wheel landings are God's gift to folks like me who struggle with three points. The hot ticket with a wheel landing is to fly everything to the flare just as if you were going to three point. Now, as you flare, add just a touch of power, bring the tail down to within a couple inches of the three point attitude, and hold it to touchdown, with a bit of power to reduce the sink rate. At the touch, forward stick and throttle to idle.

The key is to get the airplane slowed down to as slow as you would touch down in three point attitude. You can do this by carrying just a bit of power.

Works great in Cubs. Cubs love tail low wheel landings.

MTV

 

[redrooster]

What's a wheel landing?

 

[Rob Murray]

TW

What I like about this site is that no one is shy about expressing opinions and that includes what some might consider pretty basic stuff. I agree with MTV about the joys of wheel landings but I remember arriving at Teterboro NJ on one occassions with winds a lot higher than forecast. I could barely hold a crab angle down to the runway and finally I turned the Cub across the runway and ended my landing on a taxiway, almost directly into the wind. It went surprisingly well until I pulled the stick back and the mains began to lift off -everytime I was hit with a gust. I ended up taxing to the ramp with the tail in the air, holding quite a bit of forward stick. It gave new meaning to that other rule of thumb; fly the plane all the way to the tie-down.

 

[JP]

Say, I'll have to give the tail low wheel landing method a try. For wheel landings I've been "flying it on", which, if you don't get the angle right, means "skipping it on" because as soon as you touch you chicken out and pull back a little bit....

If the darn grass around here ever dries out I'll make myself practice wheel landings until I achieve some modicum of consistency in the wheel department. Right now it's one day they are great, the next day....

One guy I like to fly with flies it on perfectly every time. The neat thing is that it doesn't seem to matter how fast he's going, since he doesn't flare but lands it on the mains and simply pulls the power and slowly goes stick forward. The airplane decelerates pretty quickly, especially on turf, and it doesn't take as much room to stop as you would think it would having flown the approach that fast...

 

[Tim]

Jeff, get Cliff to fly with you. I taught him how to do a one wheel, wheel landing at New Holstien last year and by now he must be getting them both down at the same time. :lol:

Tim

 

[JP]

Ha! :lol: I suppose I could also get some "rapid descent" final approach lessons, too.....