Tailwheel Training: Lesson 2 HOBBS 670.0 hrs

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", the famous quote from the Charles Dickens novel sums up my second lesson quite well. After finishing strong on lesson #1, where I actually felt like I was getting this whole 'little wheel in the back' thing down, I figured that would transfer directly into lesson #2 and I'd have this mastered in no time.

Well, I figured wrong. My first takeoff was like I learned absolutely nothing in the first lesson as I was struggling to hold the centerline. I was a little baffled by that to be honest, takeoffs are really not that difficult, or so I cockily thought? I had been warned about an intitial steep learning curve associated with getting my tailwheel endorsement, I suppose 1.1 hrs of flight time isn't enough to have it mastered eh? ;)

We cruised over to Longmont for a quick landing and fuel fillup since Avgas is cheaper over there than at Boulder...21 gallons at $4.89/gallon. SFTI has a policy where they encourage their members to seek out cheap Avgas whenever possible and then obviously reimburse you. A way to keep costs down, no problem, I'm down with that.

So, this lesson we started out by going out to do the airwork that we didn't do in lesson #1. Out we went to a suitable area north of the airport and climbed to 7500 MSL (remember BDU is at 5300 MSL out here in the Rockies). First on the agenda was a couple steep turns...no problemo and plenty fun, I enjoy those.

Second, Lyn says, "lets do a power on stall." I'm thinking "ok, how about we warm up with a power off stall first?" :) But, I keep that thought to myself and say "alright, lets do it", and proceed to set up for a power on stall, which always makes this low time pilot apprehensive. They are squirrely! I liken it to holding a water hose in your hand a couple feet from the end, with water shooting out of it, and trying to keep the hose straight up and down in a delicate balancing act.

So here we go, full throttle...back on the stick and up we go, all I see is sky...seemed like we were standing on the tail, and sure enough...as we approach the stall, not enough right rudder and we break to the left. It felt like we actually were starting to enter a spin (although movement is always a little exaggerated in the cockpit), but I did catch it with the rudder and brought it back wings level. That makes ya catch your breath as you're looking down the wing at the ground, that's for sure! haha! As the nose comes up in a power on stall, that nose will want to swing to the left...of course I know this, but it still caught me off guard this first time. I haven't done a power on stall for quite some time so I was obviously a tad rusty.

We then did a power off stall, which was perfectly fine...straight break, nothing crazy with this airplane as you would expect from a trainer. We then practiced some forward slips...left and right, and then again, left and right. Full rudder deflection slips, cool. I watched our VSI and saw we were dropping like a rock at about 1500 fpm! Nice, exactly what a good slip should be doing...getting you down in a hurry while keeping airspeed manageable. Ok, nothing to it, I now felt very comfortable with slipping the Citabria. We also did a simulated engine out...again, no problem. Typical stuff.

Lyn asks "how did all of that feel?" and I said I was ok with all of it except the power on stall, which I felt like I botched. He says, "ok, lets climb up to 7500 ft and do another one." Ok, I'm game. This time was much better...although, I still was fighting to keep us wings level. But, using only quick, small rudder inputs (no ailerons to pick up a wing, it will aggravate the wing drop...so keep the stick centered), I was able to balance the plane on the edge of the stall. Its a great exercise in learning to use your rudders properly and a must for tailwheel pilots. I will practice this more until I am comfortable with it.

Now for some landings. Again, I started out rough...much like the initial takeoff, I felt like I hadn't learned anything. But...after awhile it started smoothing out and things got much better. I actually nailed 3 or 4 perfect 3 pointers during the day.

On one of those perfect landings, Lyn cut the power abeam the numbers on downwind and said..."you just lost an engine". Ah, the ol' trick from my primary training...I like these, its all about energy management. I brought that baby around on short final nice and high to make sure I had the runway made and then slipped her down and smoothly touched down on all three gear with a quiet chirp. It might've been my best landing of the day. I think I actually cracked a smile in satisfaction after Lyn said, "nice job". I told him maybe we should cut the power every time. :)

That felt good...and let me tell you, as a tailwheel pilot, I've already learned a perfect landing is one to be proud of because it doesn't come easy...you will earn it. I think in a tri-gear you can actually get lucky sometimes and have a nice landing. A 3 point landing in a TD takes much more than luck in this pilot's opinion, it doesn't happen by accident.

So, around and around the pattern we go...16 touch and goes! I was now incorporating side slips on final quite often to set up for a nice approach. I felt like I was getting the hang of the 3 pointers...but my wheel landings now were atrocious!! haha!

I've always loved pattern work, I could fly t-n-g's all day long. But after the 15th one, I realized I was getting worn out. I jokingly said to Lyn, "I'll bet you're getting tired back there, how about we knock it off?" He chuckled and replied, "sounds good". I'm starting to really like ol' Lyn as I get to know him.

We head back to BDU and make a 4 mile straight in approach , I excecute a nice 3 pointer to end the day, always nice to end on a good one. I then practiced some S-turns as we taxied the length of the runway back to the hangar. Even though its not needed in the Citabria, its good practice and kinda fun. We shut down and as I secure the aircraft, I scribble down 1.8 hrs of HOBBS time on the aircraft billing/log sheet.

It then dawned on me as I climbed out of the cockpit, all of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks, I was flat out exhausted....completely drained. I felt like I had just done 16 night carrier landings on a pitching deck!! :) You block it out when you are flying and lost in concentration, but once you are safely on the ground its like releasing a pressure valve and you realize just how hard you've been working. But, what a great feeling, I am enjoying this ride. Stay tuned for the next one.