Whether you're just starting out or have been flying for decades, the tailwheel endorsement is for pilots wanting to enhance their flying skills and open up a wide array of classic and backcountry aircraft possibilities.
Newton's 3rd law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Because tailwheel airplanes are inherently unstable on the ground, this reaction will cause an unanticipated series of chain reactions for the unexpecting pilot. The tailwheel endorsement is all about understanding and anticipating this chain and stopping it early. This deepens your understanding of stick and rudder flying and sharpens your skills as a pilot - regardless of what you fly.
And if you're just starting your flight training, you won't know the difference. Instead, you'll "grow up" using your feet from day one, making the rest of your training far easier. Plus, you'll have earned your tailwheel endorsement before your very first solo!
what to expect
Training for the tailwheel endorsement is customized to each student, but my general approach starts before your first lesson with a list of recommendations for home study. When you get here there will typically be about an hour of ground training, followed by tailwheel ground operations in the aircraft, working our way towards high-speed, tail-up taxing. This is where the real learning starts and where pilots are required to stay calm, anticipate, and use finesse over power to ‘keep it straight’ on the runway. From there we’ll move on to air-work, flying a number of exercises designed to teach aileron/rudder coordination and get the general feel of the aircraft. Coming back to the airport we’ll move into pattern work, starting with go-around procedures, cross-control technique, 3-point landings, wheel landing, and finally crosswind landings. Depending on conditions and student desires, we’ll try to incorporate some grass strips into the schedule.
While the Luscombe is known as a somewhat demanding aircraft, it is an honest aircraft and does exactly what the pilot tells it to do. With its powerful and responsive controls, it's highly capable but also points out sloppy technique. This makes the Luscombe an excellent trainer - requiring high standards to fly well and makes transition into many other aircraft easier.
The tailwheel endorsement typically takes about 10 hours, but depends on a number of factors.
