The Cessna 120-140 Association Forum

Thought I wanted to be a taildragger pilot. . .wrong. Just purchased this beautiful 1947 140 last Tuesday. Decided not to keep. Nothing wrong, just bad decision. See on Barnstormers.

I have a 150 we could trade. I like 140’s.

8350 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 18, 2018 3:15 pm Thought I wanted to be a taildragger pilot. . .wrong.

Are you sure you want to let it go that quickly? Given you were a Bonanza pilot all those years you should expect it will take a while to get your feet up to speed again...

Plane still for sale on Barnstormers. However, I'm still taking lessons. After three hours total and dozen or so landings (including the one that had three bounces, do they count as three landings?) I think I could tame the dragger eventually, Starting to get fun, especially when taking off and just as the tail comes up I start heading for the bushes, grass, runway lights and at 40 mph indicated, I remark, @#$^@& this and just take off, somewhat aligned with the runway. . .actually exciting, and dare I say fun. If I master it before it sells, maybe I'll keep it for a while.

8350 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 09, 2018 1:54 pm ...especially when taking off and just as the tail comes up I start heading for the bushes, grass, runway lights and at 40 mph indicated... If I master it before it sells, maybe I'll keep it for a while.

I'm really glad to hear you haven't completely given up. Remember the discussion of "gyroscopic precession" in you private pilot training? When you lift the tail you're forcing that gyro (prop) mounted on the front of the engine to move in the vertical plane. When you push on a gyro it moves in a direction 90 degrees to the force applied. All you need is some rudder right when you lift the tail. Before long it'll be built into your muscle memory and you won't even have to think about it.

Stick with it and you will be a better pilot in the end!

John; I assume you mean "right" rudder as soon as the tail comes up? Six hours dozen or so to/lndgs. Last lesson three days ago took two steps back. Not strong winds but 10/20 degrees x-wind at 10K/G15. Made practice exciting, challenging (just as tail comes up AND after landing and correcting with rudder for x-wind." Doing only full three wheel landings at this time. Have not given up. . .yet!! Flying Bonanzas for 16 plus years and over a 1,000 landings made me a lazy "stick and rudder" pilot!!!

Yes, right rudder right when you lift the tail is right.

Keep in mind, the "primitive" 140 doesn't have a rudder-aileron interconnect...

One thing some folks find helpfull is to do slow flight down a long runway, keeping the plane pointed straight and on the centerline. Once you get the hang of that, all you have to do is close the throttle and the plane will land itself. Pull back on the yoke to hold it 3" above the runway until you hit the stop.

So far im finding the challenge of learning to transition to TW is easier than learning to just plain land the very first time... I had a hell of a time as a student pilot learning to fly it down to the runway, for countless attempts id want to round out and begin to flair insanely high, started at like 50 feet, took lesson after lesson to break that mental block of wanting to fly it right down to the ground. I cant lie i was unsure i would ever "get it" but i did. This is not the same situation but similiar.

Or think back to this one: anyone else have a hard time getting your mind okay with after touching down rolling in full aileron? After years of driving it took mutiple crosswind landings to get my mind to fully accept it wasnt a steering wheel and turning it fully one way at 65mph was not going to veer me into the ditch like it would in my car, in fact quite the opposite.

We all broke our inability to fly an airplane at all, stick with it brother! You got this!

Encouraging words. Thanks!! Will keep at it. . .for now!

Good to hear that you're getting it. When I first got my 140, I thought that I had bought an airplane that I would never be able to enjoy. One thing that I found was that wearing the right shoes (or no shoes) can help. One of my drills on final is "heat and feet" that is, carb heat and heels on the floor. I have pair of very thin soled loafers that I keep in the hangar to use when I fly. Sometimes, usually after engine start, I forgot to put them on and when I do that, I take off whatever shoes I have on (usually big clunky running shoes, or other larger boots) and fly with only socks.