Eric's right - best to try the first few with an experienced
taildragger pilot along !! It could get messy quickly ! I generally
set it up almost like a 3 point, with the tail a bit lower than
level, to get a low sink rate, then check forward to just ahead of
neutral when the wheels are on, then ease forward as speed bleeds,
to keep the tail up as long as possible. Be ready for quick
action on the rudder, and maybe brakes. Best to practice
with little wind, right down the runway - gusty crosswinds
are much trickier !
I totally agree with Ken ! In 16 years of Rebel flying,
I've NEVER seen a situation where a wheel landing was a better idea !
I only do wheel landings on days when I'm feeling exceptionally sharp,
and only for the practice - so only once or twice a year .. ;-)
Some say wheel landings are safer in a crosswind - not so in
the Rebel, (or an Aeronca Sedan, or a Stinson). Sooner or later,
the tail has to come down, and, on the way down, the rudder
has lost most of its effectiveness - and you are VERY vulnerable
to a side gust. I'd much rather 3-point, at a slower speed,
and have the tailwheel on the ground to help keep it straight !
Same goes for takeoffs - it's a good idea to keep the tail
on the ground until you have enough forward speed for good
rudder control. I got into trouble very early on, when
I popped the tail up promptly on opening the throttle -
leaving that same airport with the gusty 25 Kt 90 degree xwind.
There wasn't enough forward speed or prop blast for the
rudder to overcome a nasty gust - and we went off to play
ring-around-the-runway-lights ! :-( Fortunately, I got
stopped without hurting anything but my pride ...
Taxied back, and took off again, this time with the stick back
firmly until I had enough speed for control. Got a chuckle
from the tower - "We're going to try that again !" ;-)
I always take off and land with full flap - the Rebel was
designed for that, as it changes the whole airfoil, allowing
good low speed handling. The slower you can touch down, the
safer you are going to be ! I've landed on wheels with 25 mph
at 90 degrees - only one runway ... and on amphibs in a
wind that was 45 degrees off the runway, at 38, gusting 47 !
The Rebel is really good in crosswinds, as it has lots of
rudder. You DO have to FLY IT all the way to the tiedowns -
use ailerons (opposite as required) on the corners -- as you
should with any taildragger.
--
......bobp
http://bpatterson.qhealthbeauty.com
http://apatterson2.qhealthzone.com
-------------------------------orig.-------------------------
On Sunday 22 October 2006 10:47 am, Ken wrote:
I do use full down elevator to lift the tail on wheels.
The original rebel bellcrank did have less leverage/less stick movement
per degree of elevator travel. I modified mine to the new dimensions but
would leave it unmodified if doing another one. It is easy to cut the
new part down to the old dimensions if someone wanted to.
With only 50 rebel hours I don't know if my opinion means much but I've
yet to see a situation on wheels where a wheel landing was a good idea.
Yes it works with gentle forward pressure aftter touchdown. However a 3
point is much more comfortable in crosswinds or gusts as then I have the
tailwheel to assist in directional control and can apply brakes if
needed with no worries. The rudder is very effective with takeoff power
on in gusts but with idle power it is a typical taildragger with less
and less rudder authority as it slows down. It just doesn't seem like
good planning to stretch out the vulnerable stopping period by using a
wheel landing. However I do only use one notch of flap in adverse
conditions or sometimes no flap. It is quite an airplane! :)
Ken
Alan Hepburn wrote:
Nigel;
Agree, though I did mine on CAD software. You also have to watch for
the slope of the top deck - can't put anything too deep in the top row,
at least on the Elite. Similarly, anything near the edge of the side
panels risks hitting the sides of the airplane, particularly on the
Rebel, which has a much greater angle on the panels. For Rebels with
the shorter nose, panel depth may be an issue for the same reason.
What did you do about the stick clearnace problem on the Elite, Nigel?
Those who say you don't need the down elevator have never tried to get
on step with floats. If I was doing mine again, I'd change the gearing
to shorten the elevator travel, and that's a majoe change. I'm
surprised that getting the tail up on wheels does not also require full
down.
Al
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