The majority of my tailwheel hours are in a Super Decathlon. I have thus far felt much more comfortable with 3-points than wheelies, but when shaking off the rust after a long run of the 172, I have found that my biggest problem in the Decathlon is the sight picture. For some reason I can't recall the taxi attitude sight picture, and therefore during the flare, I struggle to find the sweet spot. It usually results in me tapping the tail with the mains too high, and getting an Alabama slammer, or not getting in enough aft stick and touching down with too much airspeed, then ballooning. Diretional control is always so challenging when you dont have enough airspeed to fly but have bounced 6" off the runway.

-Z from PDX.

PS: Spellcheck...dang guys! Ok ok. Give me a few days, weeks, months.

I think the best way to 3 point ( or one of the best ways ) is where the tailwheel touches just a hair before the mains-- that way, when the mains come down, she's all thru flying. No bounce/fly-off, that way. Of course, an ultra-nose-high "carrier landing" doesn't fit the above description.
From what I've read in a few different magazine articles, the Maules (at least the older M4's) have a pretty low angle of attack when in the 3 point attitude. So that it's quite common when doing a 3 point ("full stall") landing to have the tailwheel touch first. I don't have any landings in a Maule of any model, so I can't go from personal experience.

Eric

I have little to add to this if Eric is going to pass judgement, he saw what was a great example of an "oh shit" landing of mine with a sudden quartering, wind shear. Spooky, watch the "light and variable" days. Right above thenumbers a foot or so above the ground, the wind backed and gusted and the plane tried to slam the left wing into the ground. Fun...
The 4's do seem to have an easier go of it when three-pointing and the Cessna's are seemingly much easier to wheel on. I can and occasionaly do wheel it in. I think it has a great deal to with the length and the height of the gear. Do we have an engineer in the peanut gallery?

I think you're right about ease of three points having to do with the deck angle of the plane. I've flown many different types of taildraggers and the steeper the deck angle the more difficult it is to three point.
I had the same problem when I got my Pacer and it took almost a year of flying to figure it out. I finally got it by doing a drill my first instructor, a former P-51 guy taught me. I used a huge dry lake bed, but a long runway will work too.
Fly the plane in the approach speed and configuration down to the round out. Then add a little power, like a soft field landing. Except don't let the plane touch the ground. Try to fly the plane one foot above the runway with the stall horn blaring. One foot, not two, no touching. Once you feel stable, hold the plane that same foot off the ground and slowly pull the power off. Don't let the plane touch. Your job is to hold the plane one foot off the runway. That's what you did the other night. It seems like you were not sure where the ground was so you added a little power and felt your way down. That's the key to three points, you keep the plane one foot off the ground, the plane will decide when it's ready to land.
Maybe everybody knows that one already, but it really helped me with the Pacer

I did witness Kurt's recent "oh shit" landing from my position in the run-up area. He's not the only one who was saying"oh shit"! I have to say he did a fine job of saving it-- I thought at least the LH wingtip waas gonna take a whuppin', if not the whole airplane. That mighty 220 Franklin pulled it straight & back into the air, where Kurt got things settled down before making a good second landing. Good show, Kurt!

Eric

The only reason that there was a positive outcome at all was due to my tailwheel instructor and his mantra of keeping a little bit of power on landing to keep the engine from having to come up from a dead idle to full power faster and that if anything does not feel right, get out of it now with immediate power. I have made it a habit to land with 12-13" of power with full flaps and 15" w/20 degree flaps if it's gusting. Your safe as long as the wheels are off the ground.
Thanks for checking on us Eric, I thought I was going to need a hand pulling the seat out of my ass! That and it's the 210 Continental... if it were the Franklin, I would have been real in trouble! [/i]

I resemble that last Franklin comment! (I've got nothing against the Continental IO-360 - except the expense, the fuel line return plumbing, and the expense.)

I can usually trace my landing issues to where my eyes are at the moment of touchdown. My tailwheel instructor(s) all told me to keep my eyes ABOVE the horizon - 2 to 3 inches of windshield-worth. This lets your periphery, which is much faster, catch all the minute changes in the sight picture. If you are focusing on the runway, you will miss those little cues, and the ensuing reactions that lead to a good landing... wheel or 3 point. When ever I "plonk" one on, I have become impatient and dropped my gaze to the runway ahead. And yes, the MIGHTY Franklin has pulled me out of trouble before successfully!

M