Having recently lost a plane to a freak accident I can honestly say that I feel your pain and am very sorry for your loss. The only recommendation I have is to shop hard to find the right replacement before any available money for replcement finds another use. Difficult times for sure but get a replacement and keep flying.

Best to you.

Frank

Battson wrote:

1:1 Scale wrote:I hadn't thought of the drag aspect, but I had thought about the potential lift created by steering the ailerons in the direction of the turn might be able to keep the wingtip off the ground. Sounds like there's a couple of benefits.

Sorry about the incident, Shorton! Do you have any pictures of the damage?

Yes - I always thought you kept your ailerons "into the turn" to keep both wheels on the ground for as long as possible, to improve brake-steering and braking.

Aerodynamic drag is surely pittance at 20kts, particularly compared to the brakes.

There's more there than you may think, but every little bit helps. In many of the older tailwheel airplanes, the ailerons are actually very effective, and the brakes often are not.

MTV

Cary wrote:Sorry for your loss. As one of the least qualified albeit legal tailwheel pilots around, I offer no advice other than to say I'm glad I drive a trike.

The one thing I've noticed, though, watching taildraggers land from time to time, is that the tailwheels really get a beating. Often they wobble like the wheels of a grocery cart, and I'll bet the pilot doesn't even notice that. Many planned 3 pointers are actually tailwheel first, and that seems to put an enormous strain on the stinger. Even wheel landings often result in a sudden plop to the ground, also straining the tailwheel. It isn't any wonder that every so often, the darned things fail.

Cary

Cary,

You are correct. Which is one of the reasons that we in the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation spent a lot of time and energy promoting the tail low wheel landing. Initial touch is on the mains, ideally with the tailwheel an inch off the ground, then at the touch, roll the plane up onto its main wheels, and keep that tail up till the horizontal and elevators can no longer hold the tail up......then lower the tail.

This technique provides slowest practical touchdown....speed comparable to three point, good visibility over the nose for obstacle avoidance, and protects that little wheel in the back.

As to pilot noticing tailwheel shimmy (you described as a shopping cart wheel....a good analogy and precisely the same physics) it's hard to miss when it happens.

But shimmy is caused by an improperly set up tailwheel, not by pilot technique.

Still no good reason to beat up that tail, and it it shimmys, you need to get it fixed.

MTV

++++++1 on the tailwheel low, wheel on.

Gump

A couple of you asked for pics of the damage to my plane, I can't remember how to post the image in the forum but there are some in my photo album titled "Alaska fun" Just look at the last three or four images in that album.

mtv wrote:

EZFlap wrote:

mtv wrote:
Just as a point of clarification, if the plane is swerving to the right, your ailerons should be full right.....the old adage is "Drive it into the ditch".

OK, I'll ask for a teaspoon of free ground school here... I'm guessing the aerodynamic reason for this is to use the down aileron (left wing) to make some additional drag... to oppose the swerve... because the down aileron will make more drag in the tail-low attitude than the up aileron will?

Bingo! You win the prize..... Taught to me early in my tailwheel experience by a WW II Mustang driver, and reinforced later by a C-46 captain.

MTV

This makes sense to me because if you're landing in a crosswind your ailerons are probably already set this way. Right swerve at the start of a ground loop is probably caused by a right to left crosswind and you should already have right aileron up/left aileron down to counteract the left rudder.

Of course, it's harder in a light and variable wind like you had. The closest I've ever come to ground looping was a light wind day with a right to left crosswind that I missed. I had no aileron input in, the wind got under the right wing and raised it up, and the plane started to yaw to the right with the right wheel off the ground. A quick aileron input plus a touch of left brake fixed it but it sure got my attention. Of course it happened with my family in the plane and my dad watching!