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.

 

[Waldom]

I'm happy to see someone enjoying their airplane so much. For a variety of reasons, there seem to be a diminishing number of pilots actually having fun in an airplane.

Sadly, the number of pilots that have the passion and dedication to truly master an airplane is also diminishing. Part of the reason for that is that they do not realize how substandard their skills actually are. That attitude usually lies at the feet of a primary flight instructor that lacked the dedication and requisite skills themselves.

 

[Neal]

Congrats @lrobichaux. I said the same thing, I wish the Air Force would have had cubs for us to fly as it does make you a better pilot. Watching Trent Palmer's videos and seeing him progress as a private pilot, he doesn't realize, as others that do the backcountry flying, the skill they have developed (how good he is). It is not easy and they truly have become great aviators as a result as these planes make you. I have plenty of hours and have flown challenging aircraft in the Air Force yet this cub challenges me every time I fly it, there is no time to be complacent or think you're too good for a plane like this. We've all read the stories and those chasing YouTubers trying to do what they do, it is not easy. While these shocks help, as you develop your skill you'll realize you no longer need those training wheels and could fly just as good on Bungee's. The point is don't rely on them but they are nice to have for sure.

The other part of flying a plane like this is decision making, knowing when there's risk and when it's time to wait for another day. The same applies to cross country flying such as when I brought my cub home to VA from Yakima in selecting fields paying careful attention of the winds and diverting to a field that has more favorable winds if needed. Minimizing the risk.

I enjoy my cub and also learning about it and maintaining it, that's equally as fun. Sadly in my area there aren't many others to fly with or fun places to go without traveling at least an hour. I need to stretch my legs more and go find better places to enjoy the cub and hope that is coming in the year ahead.

 

[lrobichaux]

and also learning about it and maintaining it, that's equally as fun.

As others will surely agree, @Neal I really appreciate the extent to which you dig into ownership / maintenance / modification issues and post up your findings here and on YT. It's helped me immensely since getting my NX. Yesterday, I reviewed your video on updating the G3X system software, downloaded the most current software from Garmin, and just walked back in the house after updating the system early this morning.

 

[Neal]

As I've mentioned before, my experience in the Air Force is in depth systems knowledge before ever flying and it is reinforced routinely, tested, and evaluated. That is completely lacking with GA ownership, at least for my CubCrafters experience. It has been extremely uncomfortable flying a plane I don't intimately know so that has been my focus since taking delivery and I feel I've come a long way in learning many thanks to those here as well. I like to share what I've learned as it may help others. It's amazing, in my opinion, how many own planes they know very little about and that's just scary to me.

Glad it's helped you out @lrobichaux and thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience here so others can learn from it. @Tsquared and I used to call/text a lot when I first got my plane, he couldn't hide from me, but what we were learning from each other was a closed loop and not benefitting others and I hope more will share for others to learn here as well.

We're coming out of the cold winter and I hope to get some good time flying this weekend. It's getting to be that time of the year thankfully, let the flying resume.

 

[Cactus Charlie]

We're coming out of the cold winter and I hope to get some good time flying this weekend. It's getting to be that time of the year thankfully, let the flying resume.

It's getting closer to to time I'd be happy to swap WX with you. Phoenix forecast temperature is over 90 F for today.

Once I became highly proficient in the NXCub, I longed to join the TW pilot club.

Please, never be under the illusion that you have mastered a tailwheel aircraft. It's waiting to bite you in the arse all the time and it will try when you least expect it.

 

[Cactus Charlie]

In the air, the planes fly very similarly (including flying a steep stabilized approach way behind the power curve)

What do you consider to be steep?

Idle power with full flaps gives an approach angle steeper than 8 degrees and it's easily raised well over 10 deg by adding a slip.

I don't like dragged in approaches.

 

[ve6yeq]

What do you consider to be steep?

I have not yet decided if a full flaps maximum slip or a low speed “mush elevator” is steeper.

Idle power with full flaps gives an approach angle steeper than 8 degrees and it's easily raised well over 10 deg by adding a slip.

If you take an idle power, full-flaps, Vs*1.2 as default (~8 deg?), then as far as I know, you have two options of descending steeper: a slip or a “mush elevator" (Vs*1.1). I am not yet sure which I prefer when - I have been trying to use a round slipping turn on base to final and the “mush elevator” when I am more doing a straight in final.

I don't like dragged in approaches.

I too don’t see any advantage of a “dragged in” approach - I do see a huge advantage to a “dragged in” low approach flying down the “runway” at 5-10 ft AGL as it both allows you to inspect the surface and to feel out the winds in ground effect which are quite often quite different from those experienced on approach.

I am finding myself often carrying more speed down into ground effect if I am doing a first landing at an airport (with a long runway) so I can have time in ground effect to feel out the conditions before landing instead of doing a low approach inspection pass which I prefer at shorter grass strips.

Another thing that I have been trying out recently, is flying according to the Garmin G3X Touch AOA (one green bar in the pattern, green dot on the base to final, one yellow chevron on short final) as the V-speeds as per max gross are way too fast if it is just me and half fuel in the plane.

 

[Neal]

Another topic for another day (thread) - it's disappointing to see GA traffic patterns after how we did it in the military with the overhead and patterns being about recovery and not time building. The goal is recover and get down in the most efficient way, that is not how GA does patterns. I fly very tight patterns in my cub mainly to always be within engine out recovery to the mile long concrete.

With that said, I suggest anyone reading this to ask yourself anytime in the pattern, when not deconflicting with others or under direction by tower "can I make the runway from here engine out." I turn base effectively just past the numbers so in a final turn scenario I roll out over the numbers. If it's my full stop and I'm touching down just short of mid field for my turn off, to preserve bush tires on grooved concrete, I'm base at the numbers and really should be inside the numbers.

It's an interesting lesson to learn engine out pattern consideration and energy management. It's the art of this type of flying to me and I often find myself short on this objective and need to continue working on the proficiency of this.

Flying behind the power curve leaves you extremely vulnerable to an engine out situation.