Landings and More

by Alan Marcum

With some great coaching by Rachael, one of the stellar CFIs I'm working with on this taildragger endorsement, I rolled this Citabria onto the runway with minimal calamity!

Step one was to get the idea that I'm not going to grease this thing onto the runway like I do the Mooney I usually fly. Another stellar CFIs working with me on this project, Martin, explained it well. When executing a 3-point landing in a taildragger, the goal is to put the airplane into a full stall just before the wheels touch the runway. As Martin explained, you want a nice plop! onto the runway. Given human precision, the realistic goal is to get the full stall within about 6-9" above the runway—lower is better, ideally to that "just before" the wheels touch (i.e., ¼" above). Even a "great" 3-point landing in a taildragger isn't going to be a greaser.

Step two was to transfer my sight picture of the airplane sitting on the ground—in the 3-point attitude—into the air. (They're identical—except that the world is moving quickly in one case, sitting still in the other.)

Step three was to just fly. Do some airwork. Get comfortable in the airplane, get to where I, more or less effortlessly, get the airplane to do what I want it to do. Coordinated steep turns, coordinated power-on stalls, aileron-rudder exercises, slips: just spend some time flying, a few thousand feet above the ground.

Step four was to fly a low approach, with the wheels 6-12" off the runway. No fair landing this time: just a low approach. Sliiide to the left, sliiide to the right (no criss-cross!), get used to maneuvering the airplane and putting it where I want.

Step five was to go to an airport with a longer runway. Palo Alto's not exactly a short field for a Citabria, but let's take advantage of more pavement to give me more time to let things settle. Half Moon Bay has more than 4200 feet available for landing, compared with Palo Alto with less than 2500. Overfly the field, enter the right downwind 30 on the 45, turn base, turn final, calm winds so no sideslip needed, keep it aligned, flare, let it settle, stick back, hold it, stick back hold-it-do not push forward-hold-it back back and down! Now, dance on the rudder pedals to keep the airplane tracking straight, quick short jabs each way, gentle on the brakes.

Phew!

Several more landings, landings that happened about as I expected they would. No real surprises.

Maybe I'll actually get the hang of this!

(Picture above and right of Half Moon Bay Airport from AirNav, taken by David Newcomer.)

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