|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A tailwheel pilot finds that regular flying isn’t always enough to stay sharp
Our aircraft have annual inspections. And during those inspections, areas are opened and examined for deficiencies, including corrosion. Areas that we use daily and those small hard to get to locations are examined as well. As it turns out, corrosion can show up where you least expect it. Specifically, in the guy sitting at the controls flying the aircraft through the sky.
I fly a GameComposites GB1. It is a high performance Tailwheel aircraft. I spent a lot of time, and I mean a lot of time, getting checked out in the aircraft. After my check out, I spent a lot more time in the pattern, getting used to the slipping final, carrying speed to landing, using power to control the decent, all with the final goal of a three point landing while staying under control. I practiced on long and short, wide and narrow, paved and grass runways.
I attended AirVenture 2024 in the GB1. As the aircraft was new to me, I practiced a lot to get ready for landing at “the show.” I worked with an instructor on spot landings and high speed tail up taxis. I felt I had put in the work. Approach and landing at KOSH went well and my wife and I had a great week. They time and effort definitely paid off.
Since then, I’ve been flying the GB1 regularly. I’ve been working on aerobatics and precision flying. I’ve been landing at my home airport, KASG. I land there several times a week. I was flying regularly, and I felt I was keeping current. Little did I realize rust was building.
AirVenture was fast approaching. I am not sure why, but there was a nagging thought in my head about going back to KOSH. I decided that I better go do a landing or two in order to get Oshkosh ready. I wanted to hit the dot, or more likely the square, and get that “welcome to the show” from the tower.
I planned to practice right pattern approaches to a narrow runway. Specifically I planned to practice the 36R approach into KOSH. I headed to Cassville Municipal (94K). Cassville is uncontrolled. The runway is 09 – 27, 3600 x 60. On the day of practice, winds were variable, around 210-230 at 6-10 knots. As I got closer to 94K, I made my calls on CTAF. I announced my plans for non-standard pattern practice. There was no traffic in the area. As I turned base to final, I discovered the corrosion I was not aware.
Cassville is narrower and shorter than my home field. It’s a much better approximation of the taxiway that becomes 36R at KOSH. Also, the right traffic pattern presented crosswinds from the left, so my slip was in the wrong direction. However ugly you imagine that first landing was, it was way worse. Nothing catastrophic, but not what I was expecting. I was current, shouldn’t I be proficient?
Very quickly, multiple areas of “corrosion” became obvious. I was wide turning base. That would potentially lead to a conflict with 36L in OSH. I was high on too many approaches. I wasn’t holding the center line. I bounced. Ugh, this was going to be more work than I had thought.
I spent quite a bit of time in the pattern. I completed a dozen or more approaches to landing. I had 3 go arounds where I just was not happy with the way things looked. In the end, I had to very consciously tell myself where my errors were, how I needed to get ahead of the plane, and how to get serious about my practice.
It was back to basics. Correct position on downwind. Power and pitch. Extend and straighten base. Right slip to final, then left slip for cross winds. Appropriate aiming point. Power to control decent to landing. Repeat.
Eventually, things got better. I’m still not happy with where I am. While flying, I was giving myself anywhere from a D- to a C+ on my landings. I watched the video, and maybe I was a D to a C. Not as bad, nor as good as I thought, but still far from what I want to be going into AirVenture.
I’m headed back to 94K today for another round of practice. Hopefully, I’ll be knocking more rust off of this corroded pilot. I thought the fact that I was flying consistently was sufficient. But, I had gotten in a rut, and I had not worked on less frequently used techniques enough. Without the attention needed to specific skills, they can corrode away. I had let my abilities on shorter and narrower strips atrophy due to lack of use. I will be returning to 94K on a regular basis from now on. I will try to be more aware of skills that I need, but I am not using regularly. I will try to visit and practice these skills more often. Just like my airframe, its better not to let the rust build up in the first place.
- Lucky to Fly - November 3, 2025
- Friday Photo: Aeroshell at AirVenture - October 31, 2025
- Yes, I Still Take Flying Lessons - October 15, 2025
Nice to see you still working to improve. Just when I thought you had it all down. Will Rieger will be sign you up for Top Gun soon. With flying aerobatics and your wife Wife around I’m glad you’re staying as proficient incognito of all the skills that you need to perform to be a proficient pilot proud of you.
I always thought the Navy carrier LSO grading each landing was a great procedure. I critique myself on traffic patterns, landing and instrument approaches
Serrhal, I own a Gamebird. It’s not an easy airplane to land. In my 20,000 hours and over 2,500 hours of tailwheel time, it’s the most challenging airplane I’ve flown. It’s a simple airplane, and not difficult to fky, but very challenging to fly well. A few hints:
Stall speed is 60 KIAS. 1.3 Vs is 78 KIAS. I was taught to fly at 90 KIAS, but I’ve found 90 on approach is good, but decelerating to 80 over the numbers allows for less energy, easier 3 point landings and shorter landing rolls.
I like to fly a final approach path well above a 3 degree slope. This gives me full view of the runway on final until over the end of the runway. This requires a very stable approach, and exact speed control as to bleed off excess speed and flare at the right height.
I had a landing height system installed (LHS), it walks you down to the 1 foot height above the runway. I think it should be part of the options offered by the factory.
In the Gamebird, power equals descent rate, a smooth descent rate requires a smooth power reduction in the flare so as not to drop it in.
Best,
Butch
100% agree on speeds. On short final I’m 89-85 kts. Works great.
An also do a high steep straight in approach. Better visability & easier for passengers who may not like a slip.
The issue here was staying away from narrow runways too long. You can get one technique dialed in but get rusty in another. Like making sure to do rolls both left & right so you don’t become one “handed”
So true!