At 03:16 PM 12/22/2009, you wrote: >The conclusion was that when taking off or landing, until the tail >wheel leaves the ground, it is steering the plane down the runway >for the most part and if you have a crosswind you need to use rudder >to counteract the crosswind, but when you do, the tail wheel also >turns and steers you sideways which can result in a dangerous condition. Myron (Dan) Freeman +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dan, There was a statement in your first post that I intended to reply to directly but failed. Your statement above is incorrect. If you have a steerable tail wheel and it is firmly on the ground during takeoff / landing, it is the controlling factor. You do not need rudder deflection in addition to correct for a crosswind. If the crosswind is strong enough, you may need to hold some constant rudder pressure to keep the tail wheel from pivoting. Once the tail wheel lifts, control is transferred to the rudder and you will need rudder deflection and the tail wheel will track rudder deflection angles. But at that point the wheel is off the ground and contributes nothing to directional control. My KR, and I'm guessing most KR's with a good tail wheel setup, handle cross winds very well. The only thing to be cautious about is at the transition point when lifting the tail on takeoff and not over controlling when you change from peddle pressure to some amount of peddle movement. It's not at all difficult and becomes second nature after a few flights. If you just look ahead and keep the nose pointed in the direction of travel, it's a cake walk. :-) In moderate to heavy cross winds, I hold the tail firmly on the ground a bit longer as it is the more positive control at lower speeds. With an 0-200, you will need to hold a bit of right rudder, starting on the takeoff roll and during climb. With proper gear setup, a tail dragger KR is no more difficult to fly than tri-gear, when flown correctly, and the control inputs for both are 95 percent the same. The only differences are in pitch before liftoff and after touchdown. Larry Flesner
