Is tailwheel endorsement really necessary?

[UndauntedFlyer]

By Right Pedal:
"Does a conventional gear endorsement do anything for you. You want to be a pilot or just somebody with a ticket?"

Great post!

 

[canyonflyer]

I bought a Luscombe with 100 total hours, and 1 hour of tailwheel time. That little airplane taught me (and humbled me) more that any thing else I've flown. It also led me to my first job, towing gliders with a 260hp Pawnee. Flew 1000 hours there, and that landed me another job flying backcountry. I still have more tailwheel time in my logbook than tri, but it's starting to catch up. I'd have no problem spending my entire career fly taildraggers if I could.

I think getting the endorsement is totally worth it. That's a valuable 10 hours, you learn so much about how airplanes behave that can be carried over to anything else you fly.

canyonflyer

 

[av8rbama]

I was well-prepared for tailwheel from flying gliders... you learn wheel landings and rudder control, flying on the centerline of the a/c, stick in right hand, spoilers in the left, talk about humbling when you first start out.

My wife's uncle has a PA-22/20-180 on his farm in South Alabama. Talk about an awesome airplane.

I still like the PA-18-180 I got my endorsement, 1200 fpm, something like 300' over a 50' obstacle at gross weight.

However, nothing can compare to towing gliders in a PA-25-260. Well, except for flying from the airport to the gliderport w/out a glider on tow:beer: 15 tows and 3.3 hours logged today.

My glider ticket and tailwheel endorsement have been the two most rewarding accomplishments of my relatively short aviation career... and from what everyone says, it will likely always be that way no matter what else I might accomplish.

 

[Tram]

Tailwheel pilots have balls.. the rest are just women.. dressed in mens clothing..

 

[schoolio]

I'd love to get a tailwheel endorsement. Hopefully I will soon...just as soon as I start getting some more students.

We had a taildragger, a Husky I think, ground loop on the runway today and put his wing in the dirt. Gusty crosswinds were the reason given by the pilot. Luckily nobody was hurt.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

Real pilots fly tailwheel airplanes. Whips fly tri-gear.

Tailwheel airplanes offer many advantages over tri-gear aircraft. It's not just sport flying fun but real advantages such as more useful load, less drag, less maintenance, and the ability to land in much rougher fields. Plus they offer the special intangible feeling of flying a back to basics airplane that only real pilots know how to fly.

As I have commented before, it is unbelievable that large civilian pilot schools charge a fortune for a "Professional Pilot" program that may even include a 4-year degree in Pro-Pilot and still the graduates are never trained in conventional gear airplanes.

Conventional gear means that tri-gear aircraft are non-conventional, they have the tailwheel on the wrong end.

 

[414Flyer]

I know of an immaculate Cessna 140 for sale, litterally an older ladys airplane, and she has babied it. Not cheap though, but I would love to find a way to get it. I might have to live out of my car though for a while

 

[mcjohn]

I've never even heard of C140. Show me a picture of the one you'd like to buy please.

 

[sleddriver71]

C-140

Here's a picture of a Cessna 140.

http://bassvette.com/v-web/gallery/robs_aviation/DSC_0055

 

[81Horse]

... I fly a Cherokee-140, and I will honestly admit, right here on this forum, to not using ANY rudder in turns. ...

Good lord, son -- you're headed for an "Operating Yaw Damper Only" restriction on your certificate(s).

Wake up and use your feet! Tailwheel or no -- fat, dumb, and slipping is no way to go through life.