Today was my first day flying a taildragger without an instructor! I've been waiting for this day forever. I took my first lesson about two years ago. I have about 15 hours tailwheel now. The place I got my endorsement required 25 hours to to solo which wasn't going to happen anytime soon. But at Beverly in Mass (BVY) they have a Citabria to rent with no minimums, just a checkout. Two great checkout flights and then I was good to go. What a pain to find tailwheel rentals.

The wife and I flew over Rockport and Gloucester checking out the beaches, lobster boats, and lighthouses. It was a beautiful day. I'll post some pics in a little bit. She enjoyed trying out the stick instead of a yoke, and was a little shocked at how responsive it is compared to our usual 172 rental. Not exactly backcountry flying yet, but at least I'm finally building tailwheel time!

PilotRPI:

Congrats on the tailwheel endorsement. I'm not that much further ahead of you...got about 65 hrs on the tailwheel plane as of today...more tomorrow. I'm based at KPYM...give a shout if down this way with that Citabria...got my endorsement in one of those last June.

Don...

Congrats PilotRPI!
All of us with the little training wheel in the back hand to learn that somewhere too.
Here's what I got mine in back in '94.

Have fun and be save!!
HC

I got the endorsement about a year and a half ago in a J-3. I took a bush flying lesson in a Top Cub which was awesome and it feels nice to do this on my own now.

Great to see someone else from Massachusetts! I get jealous seeing all the pictures from out west. I have to do that one day. But for now I will settle on renting a Citabria from a Class D airport. Been avoiding talking to a tower for years.

BVY! That's where I first soloed out of several years ago...I was taking lessons out of BED at the time (back in August 2001). A great airfield right near where my mom grew up...

Congrats on discovering the joys of flying "old school."