What has made you a better pilot?

[OzScot]

Hi All,

 

After flying for a couple of years in tecnams, last week I had my first taildragger lesson in an Aeronca Chief (at Airsport in Boonah). Lovely old aircraft but a lot more challenging as it needed constant rudder attention throughout the flight - a great challenge. I know a lot of people say that taildraggers make you a better pilot and I'm just starting to see why. Others say gliding makes you a better pilot. So my question is in a general sense, what made you a better pilot? And why? I'm interested to know if it's particular aircraft, age of aircraft etc.

 

Happy flying,

 

Michael

 

 

[cooperplace]

Hi All,After flying for a couple of years in tecnams, last week I had my first taildragger lesson in an Aeronca Chief (at Airsport in Boonah). Lovely old aircraft but a lot more challenging as it needed constant rudder attention throughout the flight - a great challenge. I know a lot of people say that taildraggers make you a better pilot and I'm just starting to see why. Others say gliding makes you a better pilot. So my question is in a general sense, what made you a better pilot? And why? I'm interested to know if it's particular aircraft, age of aircraft etc.

 

Happy flying,

 

Michael

I've done very little gliding but I think it makes you a better pilot. Every landing is a forced landing. But on the other hand, you have to put up with the logistics of gliding, which are different to those of powered flight and can be a pain in the neck.

 

 

[Romeo Juliet Whiskey]

Videoing my flights and watching them. Sometimes getting an instructor to comment on it.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I did a lot of gliding as my first full size flying around 85 hrs ..then GA for about 40 hrs then now 150 hrs or so in RAAUS...Very little taildragger experience except in a citabria. Gliding teaches you HOW to fly cleanly and precisely using ALL of the controls especially rudder ALL the time. GA and RAA even with a TD or nosedragger the rudder really is just seems to be used by most on the ground then they basically forget about it from what I have seen. My gliding taught me to be far more intensive with the rudder all the time. So yes to be proficient at gliding I think it makes you a better technical pilot by far. Taildragger endorsement would be next as all that dancing on the rudder at takeoff and landing will eventually make you more atune to using the rudder...nosedragger?...well most never use the rudder any other time than just the taxi and takeoff and once landed for taxi again.

 

When I was gliding the saying "rudder can save you...aileron WILL kill you" is a very good thing to imprint in your mind

 

Mark

 

 

[Romeo Juliet Whiskey]

Hey Mark....gliding sounds really cool.. will have to do it one day. Quick question though, how do you land and keep the nose straight without using rudder ('nosedragger' and crosswind)?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hey Mark....gliding sounds really cool.. will have to do it one day. Quick question though, how do you land and keep the nose straight without using rudder ('nosedragger' and crosswind)?

My point is that power pilots usually only ever treat the rudder as any sort of tool in the takeoff and landing phase..the rest of the time they dont seem to care about it. When you are gliding your feet are always correcting because if you dont you are not squeezing every bit of efficency out of the airframe...otherwise you go down rather than up. I know I am always using the rudder it just seems to be automatic everytime I move the ailerons.

 

I have been up with quite a few many houred plots including aluminium tube ones as well and noted how much they use rudder. and it is not very much at all...just a observation that I am very aware of. looks like a few might not agree with me...well thats fine...I am no expert but until you have done a Silver C in a ragbag then you may know what I am talking about

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I must admit when I did fly that 737 simulator I did only use rudder on takeoff and landing as that was a big learning curve on how to fly something with that much inertia and how to actually get it around the sky and put it where you want to. Took me 3 attempts to get it onto the runway..the first was a shocker...crashed..the second not as bad and the third well maybe a little undercarrige service could be due :). Small waggles to you capt

 

 

[kaz3g]

My point is that power pilots usually only ever treat the rudder as any sort of tool in the takeoff and landing phase..the rest of the time they dont seem to care about it. When you are gliding your feet are always correcting because if you dont you are not squeezing every bit of efficency out of the airframe...otherwise you go down rather than up. I know I am always using the rudder it just seems to be automatic everytime I move the ailerons.I have been up with quite a few many houred plots including aluminium tube ones as well and noted how much they use rudder. and it is not very much at all...just a observation that I am very aware of. looks like a few might not agree with me...well thats fine...I am no expert but until you have done a Silver C in a ragbag then you may know what I am talking about

Like Kyle, I did much of my early flying in gliders and was taught to always balance my turns with rudder.

 

I did my silver C in a glass job, but I did win a Rose Week out and return from Benalla in a Blanik!

 

I still do use rudder assiduously in the AUSTER but I notice trike pilots in 172's or Warriors don't seem to bother.

 

Kaz

 

 

[johnm]

come on you lot

 

..................... bring the accused (s) to the fore - I want names, times and dates of these footless deruddered incidents

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

John m

 

 

[Yenn]

I think the most important thing in my flying was a really good theory grounding. I did my theory with the College of Civil Aviation as it was a correspondence course and i wa moving around too much to do theory at one place. I did that for PPL and Commercial.

 

Next was flying the original Kookaburra. That was at Cobar in NSW and it really demonstrated the further effects of controls. Put in Right aileron and the left wing went up and you turned left if you didn't co ordinate with rudder. Ever since then I tend to lead with the rudder and on short finals I use more rudder than aileron.

 

Another thing was I had several instructors from start to PPL and they were all enthusiasts, except for the first who pissed me off by reading a paper while I came in to land at Mackay and ATC were screaming at a bloke in a Cessna to stop and not enter the runway. I was later told that he was just testing me, but with about 5 hours I was not amused.

 

 

[kasper]

come on you lot..................... bring the accused (s) to the fore - I want names, times and dates of these footless deruddered incidents

me ... every time I fly a trike

not me - every time I fly with a rudder available

 

 

[facthunter]

Every plane I've flown has shown me something and IF you really want to improve your flying fast INSTRUCT because IF you don't manage it well, you will prang. Students will put you into some really awkward situations you would NEVER do your self obviously and you have to let them go till it's nearly lost or they won't appreciate there's a problem at all. Every instructor MUST be more than adequate at low level limit flying and unusual attitude recovery. Training is what improves your flying. It's the main difference between flying a drifter and classic 747. I suppose the plane that shocked me out of my established attitudes of being gentle to a plane was the Douglas DC4 (C 54). ALL manual controls/ trim 72,000 Lbs AUW. An Assymetric session gave you a nearly 2,000 HP difference when below 100 feet . with a double engine failure on TO. Stupid thing to do really. They lost a Vickers Viscount at Mangalore pulling engines below VMC(a) during training. Nev

 

 

[farri]

To me,better or worse is relative, so what`s the benchmark?

 

Frank.

 

 

[facthunter]

The BETTER thing had me wondering too, Franco. "Better than I might have been otherwise" might fill the description. Most "Aces of Bases" have feet of clay. People have offered me many opportunities do to things hard to get exposure to normally, for which I thank them. ALL planes deserve your full attention or they may bite you, regardless of how basic or simple they are considered to be. I don't like documenting stuff I've done. ALL planes are real aeroplanes if they get your body into the sky, and many U/L's require a lot of skill to fly well. Nev

 

 

[OzScot]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess by "better pilot" I'm referring to a self-evaluation of before and after you did something in particular...I guess, more of a retrospective. You might only realise that your rudder use wasn't great until you flew something that required a lot more rudder attention. Likewise with speed control or other aspects :-) Your answers give me ideas of types of flying to try to things to pay attention to that I might not realise were missing yet!

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I also have a GoPro inside the cabin..for outside and to look at the dash. I review it to make sure the ball is in the middle most of the time and also speeds etc when landing and taking off. I find its a good record of how to maintain your skills. Also at different weather conditions as well its a good investment for low time pilots. at abt 200hrs I consider myself still a low time pilot and a lot still to learn...at 500 hrs I reckon you should be pretty reasonable at it

 

This one was over a year ago now landing and taking off at my farm

 

 

 

[SDQDI]

I've said it before but it can bear repeating.

 

I started my LL endorsement (still haven't found the time to get it finished!) and that showed up some huge flaws. At height I flew perfectly balanced but low down with a breeze was an eye opener to how dodgy I became. IMO a low level endorsement does wonders for improving pilot skills, obviously it isn't the be all and end all but is a huge help. I do intend to finish my ll at my earliest convenience and would recommend everyone to do it.

 

 

[poteroo]

I've always thought that attempting a more difficult flight activity, or aircraft type will usually improve you as a pilot. Sometimes it can be a very chastening experience:

 

About 3 months after completing my PPL in August 1963, and with a TT = 66hrs, I was in Port Moresby for 3 months. Looking to fly something....anything if truth be known, I joined the Aero Club of Papua, (later to be the South Pacific Aero Club). The choice between aircraft was simple: I could have a Cessna 180 - or - a Cessna 180! With a feeling of trepidation, I fronted up to the CFI and asked to be endorsed on it. Well, the preflight briefing lasted all of 15 mins, and, with the assurance that I would 'learn it better on the job' - we walked out to VH-KER, a 1958 C180A.

 

For a start, I found it difficult to see much - but was assured 'this was normal'

 

Then, as we began to taxy, KER decided that it would prefer to meander anywhere that took its' fancy. It was a really sweaty period, (as Port Moresby can be in December about 11.00am). Again, I was assured ' everyone has these tribulations'

 

Then, on clearance, we lined up on 32, and I was instructed to 'ease the power on....slowly' Being used to 100 Continental ponies - I slid into those 230HP and soon we were off between the lights on onto the grass. Luckily, we'd used flaps -10 and so were soon flying, but heading towards the tower building. This we missed, but by the time I'd done all the necessary engine adjustments, we were through 1000' and heading out of the circuit. After some truly amazing 'stunt' flying, we landed back on terra firma. And the TWR controllers unstrapped their parachutes!

 

To cut a long ordeal short, I did 2 hrs circuits, then a 2 hr short navex out to some of the old WW2 strips at Daugo, Rogers and Aroa for some practice. To my amazement, the CFI eventually talked me into using just the runway, and limited the kangaroo hops to about 10 ft. Incredibly strong undercarriage on Clydes' C180! There was no way that I could have flown that monster solo, and thus ended my early tailwheel exposure.

 

It would have helped immensely had I actually learned the theory of tailwheel flying, and the CFI might have spent a bit longer in the brief - but that was the way things happened back then.

 

I finally completed my t/w endorsement on a Maule M4-210, but by then I had flown over 290TT with 70 hrs on C182. The moral of my experiences, and which I trust has made me both a better pilot and a safer instructor: thorough briefing and understanding before we turn a prop.

 

 

Happy days,

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Actually have heard that about the 500 to 1000 hrs....then again it doesnt matter how good you are I suppose as we all have the odd "brain fade" from time to time...this is perhaps one of those times for him

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Have my own aircraft so its cheap.......my problem is the time...this year has been crap weather also been hectic family stuff so only 25 hrs the year before 50 hrs

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Not my day job :)......

 

 

[Pearo]

What has made you a better pilot?

 

Making mistakes but being diligent enough to learn from it, and being honest enough to talk about it with others.

 

 

[Snoopy]

Hi All,After flying for a couple of years in tecnams, last week I had my first taildragger lesson in an Aeronca Chief (at Airsport in Boonah). Lovely old aircraft but a lot more challenging as it needed constant rudder attention throughout the flight - a great challenge. I know a lot of people say that taildraggers make you a better pilot and I'm just starting to see why. Others say gliding makes you a better pilot. So my question is in a general sense, what made you a better pilot? And why? I'm interested to know if it's particular aircraft, age of aircraft etc.

 

Happy flying,

 

Michael

I first learnt to fly in a Jabiru UL. Although a tiny light aircraft, it was a "proper plane" .ie it had all the right instruments, radio, flaps,etc, and of course tricycle gear. During training, I bought an ultralight taildragger. ( Tyro - for those that are interested.) No radio, no flaps and only an altimeter and ASI. I changed schools and continued my training in a Hughes Lightning, so I could get my tail wheel endorsement. Once I had my RAA Pilots Certificate, I continued my Cross Country and Passenger endorsements in the Jabiru because it could cover ground in the less time than the Lightning. Concurrently I began flying my ultralight. Even after all my formal training was complete, I continued flying both the Jabiru and my Tyro concurrently.

That was when I noticed something. Every time that I flew the Tyro and then flew the Jabiru, my performance in the Jabiru was better than my previous effort in the Jabiru. Wing loading of the Tyro is so much less than even the Jabiru which is way less than GA aircraft. Flight envelope is tiny - climb at 55Kt, cruise at 55, descend at 55. No wiggle room, and no flaps to wiggle with. Behaves like a feather in the wind, in even the lightest turbulence. The first time I lifted the Tyro off in a cross wind and the aircraft went sideways staight over the scrub alongside the runway, I finally realised why my instructors always said stick into wind for cross wind. I would do it in the Jabiru but it hardly seemed necessary. The Jabiru would lift, weathercock into wind and continue straight down the runway. But even though the draggy Tyro would still weathercock, its low speed and high drag would allow the wind to have it's will, and shove the plane sideways unless a lot of effort was applied. This is just one example of very many.

 

So to answer your question, ignoring the fact that the Tyro is a tail dragger. Just on it's flying characteristics alone. I would say that although instructors taught how, when and why to use the controls, and the Jabiru and Lightning were the tools they used. The Tyro was what actually taught me how to fly, and still continues to do so.

 

 

[bushcaddy105]

My first 35 hours was almost exclusively in a Lightwing 582. This gave me the appreciation of tailwheelers which led to my building one, and to my opinion that the tailwheel rudder is THE most important control. Hundreds of tailwheel hours later, I am still learning from my experiences when conditions are less than ideal.