All

I have just purchased a 1950 Cessna 140.

Having no taildragger time and spending the last 150 hours in the 414 and 421 I must say the first few landings was humbling, if not downright scary.

I am looking for a good book to go through the finer points of mastering a taildragger, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hilgard

Harvey Plourde, the Compleat Taildragger Pilot

http://www.amazon.com/Compleat-Taildragger-Pilot-Harvey-Plourde/dp/0963913700

Anyone can make a 140 bounce. Books won't help!

I make full stall landings in my 120. If done well, the tail rolls on first and then the mains just plop on. If the mains touch first the bounce-o-matic gear gets with the program and the arrival is…..how shall we say……….less than desirable


Robert

It is equipped with "boing-o-matic" gear. There is no energy absorption in the spring steel gear legs.

The key is to contact the ground with minimal vertical velocity and minimal airspeed.

If you plane has the gear extenders, I would recommend taking them off. They help prevent nosing over, but that's a mistake pilots with low time make. With the gear further back, the bouncing is reduced.

Mike C.

Sure, but I might hold the new record for the highest bounce, hence I NEED a book or something.... as I felt like a student pilot again, trying his best to kill the instructor.

Hilgard

Did the seat back come loose on the bounce while hands reached for the throttle?

the "finer points" ? No secrets. Move your feet before you need too and be on speed and be smooth with the controls. A PPL should require tailwheel time and sign off IMO>

That's was fun to read! I just bought a C120 in 2012, previously had no tailwheel time. Until I had about 40hrs, every time I drove to the airport to fly it, I wondered if today would be the day I ground looped it.
Now with 200+ hrs. I'm completely comfortable, even with pretty good crosswinds.
Greaser three point landings are still elusive, and I've come to accept that it's just going to be like that
I have a lot of fun with this little plane doing things a Bonanza is not cut out for.
I bought "Stick And Rudder" by Wolfgang Langwiesche, I'm not sure it helped me any, but it was fun to read.
I just practiced, practiced, practiced, probably have a thousand landings now. Take Robert and Mikes advice, get the tailwheel down just before the mains at minimum sink.
Practice on grass if you can, then it's really in its element.
Learning to fly this plane has made me a better pilot, and more confident in high crosswinds in the Bonanza.

Greg

Hilgard,

Make sure the tires are at 16psi; 140s land a lot better at the correct tire pressure. Not as much bounce as when someone inflates them to 30 psi because they look soft. The correct pressure is a function of gross weight 140 tire pressure is 16 psi vs. 24 psi on a 170.

In both cases correct pressure yields a tire that looks "just a tad" under-inflated. The softer tire helps absorb some of the "spring" from the spring gear. I have flown with the tires up at 40psi as we build up most of our tires for our 182 and 206. I'll fly with them for awhile but once the wind goes over 20kts, we usually have them adjusted down.

Check the tailwheel for correct steering and set up - double bend leaf spring vs single bend. What tailwheel do you have on it now : Scott 2400/3600, Lang or Maule?

Learn both wheel and full stall landings, the 140 is a great tailwheel transition airplane.

Pin the tailwheel with full aft stick during the roll out as you decelerate to a walking pace for taxi.

What we taught most of our transitioning Ag-pilots to do, is fly 5- 12 ft off a lake / sea or otherwise level surface and develop the sight picture for landing.

Get comfortable with how the aircraft handles in ground effect. As, the 140 behaves in many was like a very underpowered motor glider.

We put most of our trainees straight out of 90hp -140 into a 1200hp Viper Thrush / Turbo Thrush with no incidents.

Regards,
Nigel

Keep flying it, often! I have 86 hours in my Citabria now and just starting to get the hang of it. Also remember power is your get out of jail free card, if you're ever in doubt, pour on the coals and get outta there and try again.

Thanks to all for the great replies, I am sure I will master the beast in due time.

The first time I flew the 140 was from the right seat, something I have never done. Furthermore it was my first time in a taildragger...

The next week flying left seat with a highly skilled pilot helped a lot.

For those of you who have not flown a taildragger I would highly recommend it, it takes EVERY bit of laziness out of you in a hurry.

Hilgard

"Contact Flying" by Jim Dulin

Can't recommend a book other than "The compleat..." but I have a few pointers:

1) Spend some time sitting in the airplane (engine off) memorizing the sight picture. Notice where the horizon lines up on the sides of the cowling and/or windshield. This is what it must look like just before touchdown sans crosswind (average the opposite sides in a crosswind).

2) For any rudder input on the ground put in what you think is needed and then immediately remove half. Most swerves are the result of holding rudder force too long. It's kinda like tracking an ILS in IMC where if you hold a control deflection until the needles line up again you're going to see a bigger deviation on the other side shortly. If your initial correction was too small just do it again (including removing half immediately).

3) Most taildraggers sit on the ground with less pitch angle than what's needed for a "full stall" in ground effect. Therefore you should always be increasing aft stick pressure from the start of your roundout until touchdown.

4) Get in the habit of applying full aft stick at touchdown (and when applying power to taxi or take off. This is the first thing I forget to do when switching from a tricycle to a taildragger.

5) When you're learning wheel landings you'll probably be told to carry some extra speed (and maybe a little power) as this gives you more time in the roundout to minimize your vertical speed. But once you can mange that, try to wean yourself of the need for extra speed/power as is actually unnecessary and will significantly lengthen the landing distance. A "perfect" wheel landing involves touching down at almost the same speed as a 3 point landing in a slightly nose high attitude prior to "planting" the mains with forward stick.

6) Strive to be conscious of the relative wind direction and strength any time the plane isn't tied down. The wind will affect almost everything you do in a taildragger much more than you're used to in a tricycle.

7) While it can be a bit intimidating, taxiing a light taildragger (e.g. Champ, J3, etc) is easier at 5-7 mph than it is going faster or slower. The optimal taxi speed (not accounting for wind) results in the need for 25-50% deflection of the rudder in the opposite direction of the turn once the turn starts. Slower results in a very shallow turn especially when turning into the wind and faster can lead to oversteering. Less speed is desireable when turning away from the wind.

8) If you swerve more than once during a landing, apply right rudder and firewall the throttle immediately (it's important to get in the habit of pushing on the right rudder anytime you push the throttle in).

9) Similarly, if you try to "save" a bounce and get a second bounce get back in the air and go around the pattern again. Everybody bounces occasionally but if your first attempt to salvage the landing isn't completely successful it's extremely unlikely things will get better on the third try.

another little trick to practice is make a simulated landing, hold it just off the runway but fly the full length. If you happen to touch down add just enough power to get airborne but try and keep the plane about a foot off the ground. It will help you get comfortable.