John,
I'll have to check but I'm almost positive that Cessna's test pilots found that the Birddog also landed in about the same distance wheel or three point. I think I read about it in "The Loveable One-Niner". They didn't figure it out until they brought the plane to the Army for the final competition. I've wheeled it in a few times. I can't say I prefer one or the other yet.

In the Stearman, I tried wheelies and three pointers in calm winds and crosswinds. I think the three pointer is best in that plane, at least for me, but a lot of Stearman pilots prefer wheelies especially on pavement. To be perfectly honest, I avoided crosswinds like the plague in the Stearman. I was never that comfortable with it on windy days. It's a hairy beast when the wind is up.

Dave

I land my Luscombe this way. The key is keeping the speed slow on final, about 1.2 x stall speed. If you are faster, the airplane will bounce unless you pin it with forward stick.

The four-aileron Stearmans will handle more cross-wind than most pilots. Wheel landings are easy. On pavement, the long gear and high CG will pin the main gear to the runway unless the sink rate is high.

I was taught to 3 point the 185 then taught myself the missionary style, much better and safer in my opinion in a crosswind. If it starts bouncing best to go around(don't ask how I know)

The four-aileron Stearmans will handle more cross-wind than most pilots. Wheel landings are easy. On pavement, the long gear and high CG will pin the main gear to the runway unless the sink rate is high.

Everyone I talked to told me to always 3-point the Taylorcraft. This thread makes me want to go and master the wheel landing. Any reason NOT to wheel land a TCraft?

That airplane wheel lands fine. I regularly wheel land most any taildragger I fly.

Ben,

I have flown lots of tail wheel airplanes. About the only reason to not wheel land one is that the relatively flat pitch at touchdown greatly increases landing speeds in some airplanes. That situation is usually with airplanes that do not have flaps. That is the case with my J3 (converted to a PA-11 configuration. Same for a Pitts and other "no flap" aerobatic airplanes.

I see no reason to not wheel land the TCraft if the touchdown speed stays reasonable. Use the "one main down first" technique. If you botch it, just go to the landing attitude of the 3 point and let her settle in.

Jgreen

Ben,

I have flown lots of tail wheel airplanes. About the only reason to not wheel land one is that the relatively flat pitch at touchdown greatly increases landing speeds in some airplanes. That situation is usually with airplanes that do not have flaps. That is the case with my J3 (converted to a PA-11 configuration. Same for a Pitts and other "no flap" aerobatic airplanes.

I see no reason to not wheel land the TCraft if the touchdown speed stays reasonable. Use the "one main down first" technique. If you botch it, just go to the landing attitude of the 3 point and let her settle in.

Jgreen

To really understand the Missionary Position technique, keep in mind that when you round out just before touchdown, you are flying on the prop and flaps. When you cut the power, you are not just losing thrust but lift. In any airplane, if you do not have flaps, that prop/flap lift is simply unavailable.

It is exactly like the difference between a power on and power off stall. The power on is always slower by a few knots. My 180, with flaps and power on simply will not stall.

Jgreen

During my initial tailwheel training I found three point landings easier and more consistent, the wheel landings often ended with a bounce and go around.
But suddenly it clicked, and now wheel on the 120 all the time basically using the “missionary position.
With the 120 having no flaps I definitely have to carry more speed to wheel on, about 5-10 mph. For a short landing, three point for sure.
My favorite practice is to wheel land, hold tail up until very slow by adding power, then go around without letting the tail down. Add a little Xwind and you’ll be very active on the rudder.

Greg

Or you can leave enough power in to keep the tail up as you taxi to the FBO, then very gently let it down at the flight line. A little hard on the brake pads, but fun. Just like Kyle Franklin does with the Waco.

TN

I tuned in because I thought I was going to read something about flying the 180/185 in the "missionary position"; I could barely do it sitting up.

My Luscombe doesn't have flaps and I fly final at the same speed for wheel landings or three-points. Wheel landings without flaps are tricky because you don't have the ability to carry power into the flare with the flaps to keep you slow. See John Grady Green's post above. Without flaps, you cross the fence slow, 1.1-1.2 times stall, ease the power off and set it down on the mains with the tail a foot or so off the ground. There is a a short period of time when the tail is still clear of the ground when you can set it down on the mains. If you hold it off past that time, it will three-point. If you keep power in to extend the time you have to "find" the runway with the mains, a no-flap airplane will float. If you spike it on while above stall speed it will bounce (how high depends on how far above stall you are). If your just above the stall when it bounces, it won't bounce very high and you can probably salvage the landing but it likely be a three-pointer by the time you get it sorted out.

As with any landing, things go much better when you have a very accurate and consistent picture of exactly where your wheels are in relation to the ground.

The only way I found to do a short wheel landing in my KCAB was to give a short burp of power as I flared. This would give enough elevator authority to arrest the descent. Otherwise it just took too much elevator and the tail would end up touching first. This plane had VG's and would fly slower than the AI would register, so I had no idea what kind of touchdown speed I had, but it was sloooow.