FYI Transition Into EX-3

[lrobichaux]

Wanted to provide an update to the group. Tomorrow, I will complete my last insurance-required dual instruction (15 hours dual required) in my new EX-3. Gotta say that I friggin' love the plane. It's a 2025 EX-3 with IFR panel, 31" ABW, Acme Black Ops shocks and an ABW baby bush wheel / stinger tailwheel. Compared to the PA-18s I've trained in previously, flying the EX-3 with that landing gear set-up is like cheating. It's almost impossible to bounce a landing. My transition has been helped greatly by the 125 hours I've flown in the NXCub over the past year hitting every short grass strip I can find in the N. Texas area. The NXCub turned out to my my "gateway drug." Once I became highly proficient in the NXCub, I longed to join the TW pilot club. In the air, the planes fly very similarly (including flying a steep stabilized approach way behind the power curve) and the IFR panels in both planes are basically identical. The EX-3 is lighter and quite a bit slower in cruise. After tomorrow, I'll have ~ 35 hours TW and subsequently plan to fly a mix of solo / additional dual for a while. Couple of observations from a pilot with ~ 1,000 hours in a Cirrus with a yaw damper. Flying Cubs / tailwheels makes for a much better stick-and-rudder pilot (this is generally well-accepted, but I'm confirming it's true for me). Second, one's overall wind awareness and crosswind landing skills improve dramatically ... this was true even in the NXCub and even more so in the EX-3.

I'll update the group in a few months with my progress.