Taildragger sign off!

It seemed pretty odd to be looking out of the window on Monday hoping for a decent wind, but that is exactly what I was doing! What I really need now is a nice 10-15kt wind so I can do crosswind tailwheel circuits as the final part of my tailwheel complexity sign-off.

I called the airfield at 15:00 and they confirmed a wind of 050 / 12kts. Now I wasn’t scheduled to fly until 18:00 and the wind typically dies down of an evening, but it was enough for me to at least turn up and expect to fly. So it turned out. The wind was still reasonable at 18:00, so Phil agreed we did crosswind circuits.

I booked out and told the tower we wanted crosswind, so they advised that although 04 was in use, that they would put me on 09 with left hand circuits – oh great – the ‘long march of death’ again on a very warm, sunny day under the RV’s bubble canopy!

Away we trundled as I carefully positioned the stick according to the wind position for the taxi. Lined up at 09 and did a crosswind take off, with the crosswind coming from the left (so even more right rudder than normal once the tail came up). Take off was OK, a bit too much into wind aileron, so we started to turn once I got airborne, but soon corrected that and climbed away.

Did four landings on 09 (with right rudder and left aileron), the last one was fun as Phil realised that we didn’t have time for a normal height circuit before the scheduled metroliner flight to IOM wanted to take off and we would end up being held, so he took control and with tower consent, did a VERY low level circuit and handed back to me on a normal looking approach on short final for 09 – you know, he could have asked me to do the low level circuit, but NO – he wants to have all the fun himself!! Spoilsport! (well, it isn’t much fun for an instructor otherwise is it?).

Then we switched to 36 so the wind was from the right – so left rudder and right aileron (it is preferable to have the wind from this side as you have more rudder authority – not that the moderate crosswind of 12kts was taxing this).

Did four landings on 36.

One or two of the landings were good with very little, if any bounce and the rest had a modest bounce or two, but of course it was my job and good training to control and cope with this, which I guess I did do. I think it is fair to say my movements aren’t entirely fluid, but I do know what I am trying to do and I do it, but obviously not as fluidly as Phil or Roly.

Phil’s comments were that I know what I am doing and that I am safe, but not expert and that I need is to do crosswind landings myself now and build my confidence and personal limits. To my great pleasure, he signed me off for tailwheel in the logbook.

So now I am fully signed off – at long last! It will be nice because from now on, my monthly group bills for landing fees will be less than the bill for the hourly rates! I can’t wait to ‘catch-up’ on the ‘backlog’ of flying I want to do. I already have passengers chomping at the bit for one or two locals and a promised weekend in Caen – not to mention weekend breaks in Honfleur with the wife.

Well, better get on with it then!