Netters, I have not had the opportunity to fly with my tailwheel setup, but I have a wheelchair wheel as a pneumatic tailwheel and in ground handling it is exceptional. Its free castoring nature allows me to maneuver the plane anyway that I want to and if I begin to turn, a small tap on the opposite brake immediately cancels the turn. I can accomplish a complete 180 degree turn inside one of the concrete blocks (approx 10' x 10' square) on the old concrete ramp where the plane is parked (wheels only mind you).
My concern would be for if one is landing in higher winds, with proper crosswind correction in, you will "trade out" the crab for wing low into the wind and apply opposite rudder to maintain runway centerline. This will cause a tight tailwheel setup to have the tailwheel facing in a turn off the runway opposite the low wing. After touching down the low wing main gear, if you get the other main gear down first all is good because you can take out the opposite rudder and maintain alignment. If the tailwheel makes contact first things could get interesting, which is why I made such a big deal a while back when we were all discussing maintaining proficiency with wheel landings, because they are preferred in cross wind landing situations due to their increased control. Yes they do increase landing roll, but I would much rather have the increased control effectiveness, than a marginal controlled landing that is a short field landing when not necessary. The tail low attitude is not because one is trying to make contact with the tailwheel first or choose which, but merely the angle of attack necessary to provide sufficient lift at the lower speeds flown on approach. If you come in faster this is less pronounced but naturally increases both the floating tendency and ground roll, but increases control effectiveness, so a balance of what is needed most must be achieved. In stronger winds adding to your approach speed is necessary to cancel the effect of the wind and the reduction in ground speed which combined with your descent determines your glide, as well as the increased control necessary to counter the higher winds. This practice should also be used when taking off in winds, and allow the plane to gain a higher speed prior to separating from the runway. Oh, almost forgot, don't forget to think about the increased sink rate when you switch to the wing low on your approach. It is the same as your forward slip to a landing, except that you now have wind, so you are side slipping into the wind. You will get the same increased descent rate as the no wind slip you did on purpose to lose altitude. If you don't plan for this you will get an unwanted surprise on short final. Once I get ours certified I will give a very detailed account on the webpage and brief one here, and we can compare to those that have free castoring and tailsprings. Colin & Bev Rainey KR2(td) N96TA Sanford, FL crain...@cfl.rr.com http://kr-builder.org/Colin/index.html
