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Tailwheel training in a Piper Cub

Back from the first training session for my tailwheel endorsement, training is done on a 150hp Piper Cub with Wings over Holland in Lelystad / EHLE. Wind was in comparison to yesterday when we cancelled the lesson much nicer, about 10kt crosswind, so not too bad to start (especially as Lelystad has a hard runway, so a bit less forgiving than a grass field). First thing to get used to was actually getting inside: I’m a bit on the stout side, and while I can easily fold myself into my Lotus, I have to figure out a better way with the Cub – not being able to use the wing strut as step and the high sill surely provided a merry sight for the spectators.

Once in the air, I actually regretted not having trained from the start on the Cub as it really requires attention to the rudder (the Robins have much less adverse yaw, and fly almost coordinated on their own). After some (steep) turns, stalls, and general handling exercises, we returned to the field and started a string of touch & go’s. Finding the three-point attitude worked not too badly – but the cockpit ergonomics with regard to the trim crank, flap handle, and especially the horrible heel brakes, are far from great.

Maybe it’s a weird way how I used to use my feet until now, but with the full-swiveling tail wheel, it was an absolute necessity to use the brakes slightly to maintain a centerline track when slowing down and accelerating away during the ground portion of the T&Gs, and the required motion of putting pressure on the rudder pedal and also applying a little bit of braking is at odds with each other: tilt the foot at the ankle to apply rudder releases brake pressure, pushing the heels forward to brake makes rudder usage more difficult. I’ll get used to it I hope, but would very much prefer the same plane with toe brakes … Also, fiddling with the trim crank behind the seat, and a flap lever that cannot be actuated once you’re strapped in with the shoulder harness seems not the most ideal design (oh how I appreciate the Robin’s trim wheel and flap lever in the centre tunnel right at my fingertips).

On a much more positive note, I enjoyed these first tailwheel training moments tremendously, and cross my fingers that the weather will not be too bad in the following weeks to continue building more experience in order to be able to be checked out on our RV-7!

Last Edited by Sebastian_H at 03 Nov 17:00
EHRD / Rotterdam

In theory brakes shouldn’t be necessary until quite slow. The downwind wheel needs some gentle braking while taxiing in a crosswind, but generally you would avoid jabbing the brakes while practicing stop and go’s. This applies to the typical steerable tailwheel, either Maule or Scott found on Super Cubs.

It may be that the tailwheel needs attention and it is breaking out of steering mode too easily. The bearings on the two axles need TLC on a regular basis. Also the tailspring may be old, again altering the steering geometry. Another element, the steering links may need adjustment. Suggest you ask the instructor to brief on what to look for in the tailwheel and how the various components affect steering.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

Sebastian_H wrote:

to continue building more experience in order to be able to be checked out on our RV-7!

A Cub is as bad as it gets on tarmac with tailwheel. Maybe the 150 hp is better than the 90 hp, don’t remember exactly, but think so (ages since I flew a 150 hp Cub, only 90 hp the last years). An RV-7 is like a nose wheel in comparison. I also remember the Pawnee. Tail wheel, yet it’s superior in cross compared with almost anything else I have flown.

If you can handle a Cub, you can handle anything. So they say, and I agree

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

LeSving wrote:

A Cub is as bad as it gets on tarmac with tailwheel

Except perhaps for an Auster :-)

Andreas IOM

RobertL18C wrote:

In theory brakes shouldn’t be necessary until quite slow. The downwind wheel needs some gentle braking while taxiing in a crosswind, but generally you would avoid jabbing the brakes while practicing stop and go’s.

Understood. We practiced touch and go’s by slowing down to taxi speed and then accelerating away again in order to let me train the ground handling of the plane throughout the complete landing phase. I needed the brakes only when coming to a slowdown, at speeds where I assume normally the tailwheel steering would be still sufficient enough, but …

RobertL18C wrote:

It may be that the tailwheel needs attention and it is breaking out of steering mode too easily.

The tailwheel did not even lock into steering mode at all and just castored freely, we discussed that during ground familiarisation and preflight walkaround. It seems they are happy with it, and I took it as just one more challenging thing on top.

LeSving wrote:

A Cub is as bad as it gets on tarmac with tailwheel. Maybe the 150 hp is better than the 90 hp, don’t remember exactly, but think so (ages since I flew a 150 hp Cub, only 90 hp the last years). An RV-7 is like a nose wheel in comparison.

Good to hear! In our group share agreement one clause is to get a tailwheel endorsement on a Cub or similar, so once my instructor is happy to let me fly circuits on my own with the Cub, I would feel also comfortable to progress to the RV-7.

EHRD / Rotterdam

LeSving wrote:

If you can handle a Cub, you can handle anything.

My friends had a homebuilt Sonerai II painted in snot green. I was let in the back seat once. They used to say if you were going flying on a Sunday you get nervous on about Thursday evening. A Cub is a pretty benign thing compared to some of the tailwheel missions you could be landed with. The Cub ergonomics are awkward, but folks learn to perfect their operation over time.

Buying, Selling, Flying
EISG, Ireland

You can tell if you are ahead of it if you limit the number of ruder/break corrections to 5/3, a bit like doing boxing anything above tree punches you start to fight yourself ! Also, you do not need breaks for T&G if you keep power or speed as the rudder will have a full effect

The only day I lost control of a tailwheel: it was on a 2km tarmac on zero winds and calm day after a perfect landing, so crosswinds do help to keep you alert and not fall into that trap, it was super cub and it did bite…

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Sebastian_H wrote:

The tailwheel did not even lock into steering mode at all and just castored freely, we discussed that during ground familiarisation and preflight walkaround.

It’s broken unless it has a roughly 80 year old non steerable type tailwheel, which I doubt. Those weren’t designed for use on hard runways. A Cub is not normally particularly difficult to operate on the ground but one with a full castoring tail wheel might be!

One thing I learned over time was that the type and condition of a tailwheel makes or breaks (sometimes literally) the plane. The only time you should be using the brakes on a plane like that is for run up and very turn turns, both at zero or close to zero speed. That’s why something as annoying as heel brakes is acceptable.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 04 Nov 14:22

I suspect non-steerable ones might have found their way onto UK based Cubs – pretty much all the Austers based on the J/1 design came with a free castoring shopping-trolley style non pneumatic tailwheel, a few have a larger fork for a pneumatic wheel but are still free castoring, and there were thousands of these things made.

Andreas IOM
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