Dancing on the rudder pedals - Tailwheel lesson #2

Here is my second lesson in tailwheel flying. I'm finally get my tailwheel conversion signature after practising, slips, wheeler landings, and operations from a hard runway.
This video was made possible by the generosity of my Patreon and Supporters' club members, and my sponsor, Anglian War Birds.
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[@-DC-]

He's a fabulous instructor was a real treat to come along with you both thanks 👍

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks for watching.

[@simonphillips7949]

"felt like an utter shambles" - I think you've just described tail wheel lessons altogether there! Great work, John!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Haha...surely it all gets better!

[@marvinsmith4322]

Loving your work Jon, mastering new skills and prepared to show people just how difficult it is by not editing out any of the ‘not so good ones’.

[@stephenashby9858]

That was so very reassuring, and had me laughing out loud at times. Flying can be so counter intuitive in the extreme at times…well done! It will be that Spitfire soon…👍

[@RoseRodent]

That was amazing, and I think it's actually even more difficult than learning to land all over again, you're learning to fight against what you already know, which is so much harder. Every fibre of your being doesn't want to do that because it feels so incredibly wrong.

[@imapaine-diaz4451]

Thanks for this great vid. My dad flew this aircraft in as a liaison pilot and Artillery spotter for the ninth armored division in WWII from 1942 till 1946 in England, France, Luxembourg Germany and Czechoslovakia. He told me stories of how he could land his plane almost anywhere, even in small pastures surrounded by hedgerows and narrow country lanes.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks. This very aircraft?

[@SVSky]

Nice job, Perfection is an animal to be chased... never caught. Wheel landings ARE tough because it's hard to get yourself to push! Congrats. In the US this would never be done with one lesson.

[@chriswylde1156]

As has been said, your experience mirrors all of us TW pilots. And, you can never switch off, no matter how mant TW hours you have. Great video, thank you, and well done!

[@tbas8741]

I like how you can see the effect ground effect and upward airflow has on the open side door when within span of ground. Great flying, Cool Video.

[@paulwright6121]

Love this series. Nice work. It reminds me of when I did my conversion in a decathlon. Really very challenging!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

It's good fun for sure.

[@joedoe2463]

He is such a great instructor ! Very patient

[@locustvalleystring]

Thanks for the honest reporting. We are learning at your expense. I remember how counter-intuitive it felt to push the stick forward on wheel landings... very disconcerting.

[@stuartessex4535]

Looked great fun Jon, Well done! I liked the notice on the instrument panel 'Day VFR only' As if anyone would need reminding! Great to see these historic machines still flying.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks Stuart. Given its heritage, I've not treated it's undercarriage very nicely!

[@alancampbell1161]

A few small tips. Tailwheel flying is no more difficult than tricycle gear, it's just that the things that could bite you are more apparent. Try to relax your grip on the stick; let the aeroplane do its work. As an example, when you have set up a nice curved approach in a Pitts, you can comfortably sit hands and feet off and watch it do its thing. I have had the privilege of sending pilots solo on taildraggers with fewer hours than most take with tricycle gear. When converting to tailwheel, it's a good time to see what improvements you can make to your nosewheel flying. And finally, while I understand your "dancing on the rudder pedals" phrase, I should point out that every groundloop I have witnessed was preceded by some quite unnecessary dancing. Simply use the rudder as and when required.

[@richardkaberry8790]

Really enjoyed that thanks Jon. Proper stick and rudder stuff!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Too true Richard. Glad you enjoyed it. It was fun for me too!!!

[@mikelister9581]

Nice work Jon! And great video as always! I got my endorsement in the PA18 last Saturday and I couldn't be happier. It's a real baptism of fire and I think I had to overcome many similar issues, albeit I think flying from the back must be an extra challenge in itself, which deserves double kudos! Watching this was a great refresher for me, and I may even watch it again before my next cub flight. Really looking forward to the Harvard videos!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

I think I'll watch all of these back before I fly again too. Thanks for watching.

[@ranh71]

Brilliant! well done Jon!!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks Robin.

[@Maviation]

You did good, nice instructor to. Did my taildrager endorsement 2005 in the Cub to fly the Piper pawnee at my local glider club. Pawnee is an interesting little beast, first time you fly it your on your own.. only one seat. Go try it if your able to.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks. I will take the opportunity if it arises. Thank you for waching.

[@cavok1984]

Excellent work Jon. And congrats on the conversion. Nigel was fantastic too!

[@ess64cee]

Nice work, thanks for that Jon, really good insight and what a great instructor! Love the Lucky Strike pack on the coaming and the black and white photo in the wing root, a privilege to fly I'm sure👍

[@TheFlyingReporter]

I'm very fortunate for the opportunity.

[@ufm10xxl27]

Well done Jon. That was amazing. I always look at tail vids and think if learning to land nose gear was so hard for me then what hope have I of landing tail wheels but after this vid I've changed my mind to yes I can learn it. Thanks

[@jimmydulin928]

On the bounce and go around, try a bit of dynamic proactive fore/aft stick to bracket level in low ground effect for maximum acceleration. On the bounce, power and change to soft field landing is fine if enough runway remains. Same with the takeoff on tarmac. It is easier to find fuselage level with a bit of for/aft stick to bracket level. No worries about the prop. It won't hit unless you use brakes. Don't use brakes. The dynamic proactive walking of the rudder pedals necessary to keep the Cub going straight transfers well to flying nose wheel airplanes. Just take the slack out of cables or push pull tubes with the same dance. We are better, regardless of airplane, when we move. The speed on the wheel landing was sending you flying again unless you went forward on the stick enough to take all pitch out of the wing. I used the almost touch down for a three point and then level the fuselage as the J-3 touched down. With J-5 or Pawnee, it was necessary to stick it just before touchdown as you guys are doing as they have heavy bungees. With a strong headwind or headwind component in crosswind, the wing will be nearly level anyway and thus not much of a problem to stick it. Very nicely done, both student and instructor.

[@FlightMariner]

This looks great , I quite fancy a go at that myself now. Well done Jon

[@neilmurgatroyd3197]

Brilliant Jon. Brutal, hilarious and scary. I was thinking 'that could be me, I wouldn't cope!' It takes a lot of balls to be so honest, it makes a fantastic informative couple of video's, thanks and huge congratulations.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thank you so much Neil.

[@Coops777]

Love the video thankyou. Was right there with you for every landing. Well done on your new tailwheel adventure!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks David.

[@andrewmartin8739]

Great video , well done , a lot to take in , what a great reassuring instructor 👍

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thank you Andrew.

[@gordonbruce2416]

Well done Jon, now you are a real pilot.

[@stevebalstone7708]

Well done John. I don't think I could cope with all that stress.!!

[@DanSmithBK]

Thanks for sharing the good and not so good - much more engaging to see it warts and all! And I think you did marvellously - I hope when I get to sign up for my tailwheel ticket, I perform as well!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

If you want warts...wait until you see my Harvard training!

[@claireskiesahead6567]

Well done Jon and welcome to the wonderful world of taildraggers 😁

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks Claire. It certainly a new experience.

[@davidcartwright5591]

Really well done Jon , your determination paid off . Very well documented and filmed too . Cheers , and best wishes .

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks you David.

[@mindfulengineer]

I think the wheeler landings would be difficult for me as well, plus I would be concentrating more on not trying to drive the props into the ground. A great instructor and a great student!

[@keithmuir9739]

Jon thanks for that, it was great to watch and certainly gives me hope as I progress with my own flying.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Yes, if I can do it, anyone can!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Yes, if I can do it, anyone can!

[@stevepennell8008]

Great flying sir i had trouble with the 152

[@dongraham1559]

Brilliant! Well done!! With an instructor like Nigel I fancy a go myself!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

You should!

[@lugash4]

Very Good!!!

[@ranh71]

Love this one lol, love to fly the piper cub looks great fun.. lots of beeping going on :)

[@paulwear1489]

Well done, it’s a great feeling doing the conversion. Had to laugh as you moved your head left and right to see in front being in the back seat. I imagine getting converted in the rear seat is more difficult than being up front. Bet you are looking forward to the Harvard. Good Luck. Paul

[@nitramdu111]

That's great! I'll be happy if I manage that well when I'll discover the cub! It looks like you enjoy it a LOT, but it also looks intense, you're holding the stick so hard !

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Yes, I did notice that too on the play back.

[@lawrencemcwilliams]

Great video. I burst out laughing when you were asked to land!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Laughing at my expense! You're welcome.

[@lawrencemcwilliams]

@@TheFlyingReporter sorry if my comment wasn’t clear. I simply recognised your reaction after the instructor made the suggestion. Have you see any of Trent Palmer or Jonas Marchenko’s taildragger flying on You Tube? Inspirational stuff. Keep the videos coming !!!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

It was fine...I understood. I am happy to bring joy and laughter

[@garydell2023]

Nice job John

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks Gary.

[@flybe146]

Jon well-done mate and all the thoughts and problems that went through your head during this training were exactly the same for me mate but Boy is it worth it in the end to fly a real airplane, a tail dragger is just awesome!!!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks David. I've been having a lot of fun!

[@flywithguy_]

Hi Jon - appreciate this is an older video now, however having just flown a taildragger for the first time yesterday, and come away from it feeling somewhat spooked, frustrated and slightly discouraged - after what I would call a sub-par performance - it's really affirming to see you experiencing the same thoughts, discomfort and even swear words(!) that I did yesterday. I was flying a Cessna 140 and about 10 hours into my PPL training, which has been on C152s predominantly. Perhaps I'm attempting to run before I can walk, but I found it really unintuitive compared to tricycle gear flying, and after a couple of take-offs and 'landings' I ended up asking my instructor if we could cut the lesson short, as my brain was overloaded and I was feeling massively uncomfortable with it all. My instructor insisted I'd done better than I'd thought - but I really struggled to shake the feeling of having not done very well, and ended up getting inside my own head about it all last night. Having said all of that - and after a good night's sleep - I'm determined to return to it (perhaps with a few more hours under my belt, and my overall confidence level higher) and get my tailwheel endorsement at some point in the near future. But just wanted to share my experience and let you know that watching this has given me a huge deal of encouragement to give it another shot, knowing that even experienced pilots such as yourself find it a real challenge, to begin with. Thank you for the consistently excellent content, Jon! 🙂

[@MrJpbmusic2005]

Omg I built an RC Trainer aircraft many years ago, using photos from this particular Military Cub ...great Flying

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thats cool.

[@thomasdalton1508]

You need to get a swear jar fitted to that aeroplane! Thanks for showing the process warts and all!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Yes, sorry about that!

[@thomasdalton1508]

@@TheFlyingReporter No apology necessary!

[@RoseRodent]

Air ambulance charity does very well out of my flying lessons!

[@johnl.konneker3840]

Jon, congrats on your tailwheel endorsement (what it's called here in the states)! Well done!!!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thank you John.

[@orvjudd1383]

I hope you try some dead stick landings in a tail dragger.

[@MorrisseysMonkey]

A mask whilst flying...Welcome to 2020!

[@joshislandmusic]

Great video, Jon! Hope you ever make it over to Luxembourg here, land inbetween 747s at what is otherwise quite a relaxed airport :-)

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Sounds good Josh.

[@davidmcintosh7563]

Wow, very nicely done! You should feel really good about what you’ve been able to accomplish in a short amount of time! Congratulations on being signed off! Speaking of being signed off, what is the minimum requirement for tailwheel sign-offs in the UK? In Canada our governing body, Transport Canada, does not recognize the difference between trike and tailwheel, so there is no training standard at all. BUT the insurance industry sure does know the difference. Most insurance policies require 20 hours tailwheel dual training before being allowed to act as PIC. Now that you’re signed off, practice, practice, practice. As I was told by my flying mentor, tailwheel flying is a perishable skill, and as such, must be practiced regularly. Good luck, and have fun!

[@petermacinnes5313]

Hey Jon, enjoy the honesty and self effacement - reminds me of how I felt transitioning from a C-152 to the Super Cub. I struggled with going from the grass to a 7 metre wide strip of ashphalt as well. Any side load on touchdown, and, well, ugly result... Question - how many hours did it require to get signed off on your tailwheel rating ?

[@RoryOnAir]

Very nicely put together as usual Jon. It’ll be interesting how you feel going back to the standard undercarriage on the PA28 after this!

[@TheFlyingReporter]

I wondered if it would mess up my nosewheel landings. I've flown a bit in the Warrior since then, and I haven't had a problem.

[@RoryOnAir]

@@TheFlyingReporter excellent! I’m worried I won’t be able to fly the plane again properly after all this time flying steep helicopter approaches. We shall see...

[@lonerider666]

Its so hard because the PA28 makes flying so easy it's boring! I hated learning the tail dragger but now with over 40 hours I love flying my vintage Cub!

[@kingsoundreinforcementuk2430]

Long term L-4 owner here, 70mph is far too fast for approach imho. 60 if it's windy or you are heavy give a large margin or 50 or 55mph solo or it is a calm day is perfectly do able. 38mph stall means 1.3xVS = 49.4 mph...

[@GC987]

Back to school and trying to process someone else's image of the world : never easy - and then....... you have to look past their head ! Da Boy done good.

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Thanks Graeme. A lot to learn.

[@epsalant]

Thank you for the great video. The cigarettes on the dashboard and bleeped out curses are essential elements of warbird flying !!! A serious question--Shouldn't the direction of the slip be INTO the crosswind ? Don't you want the upwind wing to be low ? This is the first I've seen it taught the other way around.

[@fillywinks]

same

[@aviatortrucker6285]

You should never be giving the stick the death grip. All you need to do is hold the stick with your index middle finger and thumb. Feel the airplane. It will go a lot smoother for you and you won’t white knuckle and make over corrections. just to note, I have not flown a tail wheel until three weeks ago since my sign off almost 11 years ago. You do remember many things and you do forget some things. The main point is to make sure that you keep the aircraft under control and you do not groundloop. Some landings will be pretty and some will not. As long as you relax and fly the plane like you have flown a nose wheel airplane this too, will become natural. Good luck.

[@dodgydino1]

Must be time for a follow up flight in the L-4...?

[@kevchilton908]

Fantastic entertainment! 🤣👌Would you feel confident enough to take her up on your own to work on your new-found art Jon, or do some more dual with an instructor first?

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Hi Kevin. I think I would have been happy to that day, or soon after. Now, after a few months, not so sure. The Harvard training has stalled due to covid, and now waterlogged grass, so hope to pick it up early next year.

[@gilbertfranklin1537]

Can someone explain to me why they even have taildragger aircraft at all. I don't see any advantage, and the possibility of a ground loop or PIO is a potential disaster. Then, when the tail is down, visibility is horrible --- Are we having fun yet? 😣

[@wrinkledm]

Is the pack of Lucky Strikes on the instrument console standard kit in this L4?

[@TheFlyingReporter]

It is on this one!

[@Shamdouh1]

Arecwe seeing the ground effect on the open door if the plane?

[@TheFlyingReporter]

I don't think it's that simple. There will be a lot of aerodynamic changes with speed, angle of attack, the breakaway of the flow from the wings... The door does however always rise at exactly the right point when the aeroplane is ready to land.

[@mikeyswingsacrossthesky2244]

Have you an aircraft in mind to carry on with a tail dragger next year?

[@TheFlyingReporter]

No, but I really need to get access to one to keep up the skills I'd say!

[@marksinclair9896]

Looks quite tricky to fly

[@TheFlyingReporter]

Compared to what I'm used to, yes!

[@stranraerwal]

beautiful countryside...lots of Green around the fields...nothing like most of those ugly huge American airfields.

[@acengineer737]

Don’t think I’ve heard you swear that much before Jon

[@kenprice1961]

Hello? is anybody HOME? Guys, you don't need a freaking mask on in the airplane out in the FRESH AIR!! GOOD GAWD!! GET REAL!!

[@jeffcramer6722]

Two guys wearing masks in an open cockpit is a reminder just how stupid the world was three years ago.