AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2015 - 113

P&E

DOGFIGHT: WHEEL LANDINGS

To dazzle or not to dazzle-that's this month's "Dogfight" topic. AOPA ePublishing Managing Editor Alyssa J.
Miller and Editor at Large Dave Hirschman debate the merits of the wheel landing.

Don't be a showoff

That satisfying chirp

Use all the wheels, please

Joyous wheel landings

B Y A LY S S A J. M I L L E R

B Y DAV E H I R S C H M A N

A WHEEL LANDING might dazzle airport onlookers-for show, some
pilots keep the tail up until the airplane comes to a stop-but why
needlessly increase your risk of nosing over or ground looping? A
three-point landing takes as much skill, timing, and finesse to grease
as a wheel landing. And, I guarantee your smile will be just as big
whether you hear two or three wheels roll on, because you know
you've mastered directional control, drift, and rate of descent.
What's the fascination with keeping the tail up for landing, anyway? During any other ground operation, we want the tail on the
grass, dirt, gravel, or pavement, period. During startup, we hold
the stick back to keep the tail down. During taxi, we position the
controls for the wind conditions to ensure the tail stays down. On
takeoff, we let the tail come up as the
aircraft accelerates instead of forcing
it up prematurely. It's basic, but we
do it every time. As we learned from
our tailwheel training and the FAA's
Airplane Flying Handbook, keeping the tail on the ground improves
steerability, gives us better directional control, and keeps the airplane
from nosing over. So don't buck convention. The touchdown is a ground
ALYSSA MILLER
operation (it's the approach that's an
air operation); use what always works on the ground.
The goal for landing a tailwheel, just like a nosewheel, should be
to touch down at full stall. And, the more points of contact we have
with the ground, the better the control. Landing in the three-point
attitude also removes the dicey transition of letting the tail down
after a wheel landing. As airflow decreases over the tail to allow it
to come down, your rudder authority will decay, making directional
control more difficult. Yet, the airplane is still traveling faster than if
had touched down at full stall. When I'm on the ground, I want to be
slow and in control to minimize errors and decrease the chances of
causing damage to the aircraft if something does go wrong.
A wheel landing will preserve forward visibility, but unless you
are landing with some kind of obstacle right in front of you-in
which case you might want to reconsider the landing-the forward
visibility shouldn't matter.
Are there times when a wheel landing is appropriate? Sure. Wind
conditions, the type of operation, and pilot preference play a factor. That's why it pays to be proficient with both types of landings.
But don't pass up the three-point for the riskier wheel landing just
because it looks and feels cool. Otherwise, you could be setting up a
show that you'll pay for later, and nobody wants to see that. AOPA

THOMAS JEFFERSON has been quoted as saying he had "nothing
but contempt for anyone who could spell a word only one way," and
that pretty much sums up the way I feel about tailwheel landings.
Pilots ought to do what's appropriate for any given set of
conditions.
If it's a short or rough airfield, or the airplane has minimal prop
clearance, make a three-point landing. If it's a narrow runway, or
you're part of a formation that requires preserving forward visibility, make a wheel landing. Be proficient at both so you can make the
right choice without worry or bias.
If you only have a hammer in your tool bag, every situation looks
like a nail-and that's a sad and colorless way to go through a life
of flying.
Some of the best, most precise
pilots I've ever seen are crop dusters,
and watching them fly is educational.
They tend to defy both windsocks
and conventional wisdom by landing
toward the loading truck, and then
turning around and taking off away
from the loading truck. So unless it's
dead calm, or there's a direct crossDAVE HIRSCHMAN
wind, one of those two is going to take
place down wind.
On a blustery March day during fertilizer season, I watched the
skilled pilots at Stokes Flying Service make scores of landings on a
narrow dirt runway in the Mississippi Delta, and there was almost
no variation. Each was a tail-low wheel landing. This technique
offered the best of all worlds: A low approach speed with minimal
energy to dissipate on the ground, and excellent forward visibility
so they could avoid running over the loading truck.
Another wheel landing benefit is for the tailwheel assembly itself. There's less impact and tire wear, and a reduced risk of
destructive shimmying.
Three-point-landing zealots, and aviation insurance adjusters,
make some good points when they talk about the inherent hazards of wheel landings. Many airplanes (and pilot egos) have been
bruised by botched attempts involving excessive airspeed, multiple
bounces, and elephant-footed braking. (Search YouTube for "ground
loop" to see many nightmarish video examples.)
Pilots tend to be optimists, however, and that's particularly true
of those of us who fly tailwheel airplanes. We like challenges and
seek them out. Our reward is the satisfying chirp of a well-executed
wheel landing. And I'll take that sweet sound over the sorrowful
moans of the three-point-only crowd every time.
AOPA

EMAIL alyssa.miller@aopa.org

EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 113

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2015

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