Common Questions about Tail Dragger Flying and Training

Why should I get my Tail Wheel training and Endorsement?

Pilots can incredibly improve their stick and rudder skills by a couple tail wheel training flights. Old timer pilots first learned in tail draggers like the J3 Cub. You would be surprised how sloppy pilots can be with their crosswind control and flare since they learned in tricycle gear trainers. In your tail wheel training, you WILL get more capable and confident at crosswind corrections. Your pitch corrections with the glide slope, airspeed and flare control will get much smoother and more refined. These skills are easily transitioned to a C172, M20J, Twin or even a B-737.

How long is the training for the Tail Wheel sign-off?

I have seen talented pilots get the tail wheel sign-off in two lessons and others in maybe 8 lessons. The key to good training is understanding how the cosswind control inputs and rudder coordination work together for a consistent and smooth landing. Let us shoot for 4 lessons!

When I am signed off, will I always feel comfortable flying tail draggers?

You may have higher personal limitations, like 10 knots of crosswind and gusts, but on the normal MYF days you will feel safe and confidents in your landings. After a couple days of solo pattern flights, you may look forward to the higher crosswind days for pattern practice.

Tail Wheel flying sounds scary, I don’t want to do tail wheel training until I get hired by an airline, it my risk my perfect record.

Flying with some pilots in a Cessna with poor fundamentals is terrifying. Getting better flight training and improving your skills is just smart. As an instructor, I had a tail wheel mishap with an Air Force Academy cadet on spring break. He was a couple months from graduating and going to USAF Flight School. I was 2 weeks from starting at United Airlines. When I told the United hiring manager, he laughed at my worry and said that only the best pilots instruct in tail wheel and they are happy to have me onboard. The cadet never had an issue either with his Air Force record.

Good Comms/Patterns at Montgomery Field

Leather Helmets are critical to Good Comms

Do you every hear the controllers get frustrated on the radio? Do they ask you to do a Full Stop instead of a Touch and Go? Good aviation communications will help you bond well with your Air Traffic Controller where ever you fly. By working towards BREVITY, the AIM verbiage, and general professionalism, you will usually get the best service from your controller.

If you are flying Biplanes, they expect you to be Top Notch on the Radio!

Radio work is not easy: old radio’s, static, newbie’s and poor English. I am always trying to follow more of the AIM, take out poor communications habits and improve my game. Let’s point out some ways we all can improve comm’s at Montgomery Field and keep our controllers happy.

MYF PATTERN Tips and Tricks:

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• think ‘Where you are, Who you are, and What you want to do’

• Practice your comm’s at home, and say it in your head before you click the microphone switch.

• Pause/listen when you flip the frequency before you transmit, you don’t want to block someone. This situation causes enormous risk to possibly missing a critical call.

Ground Communications

Be that Professional Aviator: Set the bar high!

As biplane pilots, we try to be expeditious since we are flying quite a bit and trying to reduce wait time and fuel burn.

Gibbs ramp is an uncontrolled area, but you don’t want to block someone coming in/out from Taxiway Juliet.

PILOT: Ground Control, Great Lakes 3617L, At Gibbs, Taxi for…….., with Information Whiskey.

• taxi for…

  • Straight out, Right Downwind Departure, Left Downwind Departure (not recommended), Right or Left Closed Traffic. Or Taxi IFR.

  • Don’t ask for a Runway unless you need one for a specific reason, such as a new tailwheel pilot wanting the wide rwy, or a formation takeoff. Twr sorts it out for their flow control needs.

  • I leave the Information “Whiskey” for last, just so they don’t forget and ask me again if I have that Information. (very common)

What do you need to repeat back? Your Call-Sign and the Runway. Taxi-way instructions and waiting for another aircraft crossing at Taxiway Hotel is not a required read back item.

Approaching the Run-up or Hold Short, switch over to the Tower Frequency. 119.2 is the normal frequency, but they have increasingly been using 125.7 for the 28R only, during busy times for dual controller ops.

When you are at the Hold Short area, don’t block other aircraft. When you let the Tower Controller know you are ready, he will assign you a sequence for takeoff. Location is not important here, some Instructor’s spend extra time training the student for pre-take verbiage and run-up. Conversely, another aircraft, like a turbine, may get priority over everyone due to their IFR slot time.

If a Tower Controller asks you to ‘Standby’ when you check in, that means they are busy and you should not read that back. Zipp it!

Pilot: Tower, Great Lakes 3617L:, Holding Short 28R, Straight Out..or Right Closed Traffic or Taxiway Delta Transition.

• Tower knows you are ready to go, that is why you called. Lol.

• Give them information about your departure plans, don’t make them have to ask you.

READ BACK: your Call-Sign, CLEARANCE and RUNWAY. Don’t be that pilot that just read backs their Call-sign or something unprofessional like ‘On the Go’. We know how you are excited for takeoff, but this isn’t your first or your last rodeo. Proper Example: Great Lakes 17L, Cleared for Takeoff, 28R

Pattern Comm’s

The good thing about Landing Pattern Communications is that there are only a limited number of clearances or communications we should expect. The bad thing is that our radio’s and headsets are prone to static and interference. Additionally, our tours or flight lessons are filled with conversation and training.

• Practice a couple times before you key the microphone (including chair flying at home)

Though ‘closed pattern’ usually means you don’t need to call for Crosswind or Base Turns, the Montgomery Field pattern gets quite busy and you should be prepared to anticipate Tower Calling your Base Turn.

CrosswindTurn in close has some static from an unknown company down below.

HIGH STATIC AREA: Right Crosswind turn in the NORTH PATTERN has a horrible static area. This has been identified by many local pilots for even the best quality receivers. Depending on the controller, Tower may give you a clearance during this time. You may need to clarify if you cannot interpret the call.

Pilot (abeam without a clearance) : Tower, abeam, for the option. This is only when Tower has been quiet for some time or is on a ‘land line’. Don’t bother them when they are busy on the radio.

Pilot (Read back): Great Lakes 17L, cleared for the OPTION, RWY 28R, (Sequence Number). You must say your call-sign, the Runway and the CLEARANCE. If you forget to say the Runway, Tower will call you on it and cause excessive embarrassing coms.

Short approach is a final within 400ft. Great training for Emergency Landings.

• the ‘Option’ means Touch and Go, Full Stop, Stop and Go, & Low Approach

• ‘Sequence number’ is not required BUT lets the Controller know you have the proper sequence for base turn and situational awareness in the pattern.

• if you finished your last Touch and Go, let Tower know on the UPWIND that you are ready for a FULL STOP. This allows them to better organize their traffic flow.

After Landing: If on 28R upon landing, Tower will call you on roll-out to either HOLD SHORT 28L or Cross 28L on a certain taxi-way. As a tail dragger pilot, you may be super busy trying to control the aircraft. That is ok, pause and focus on the landing first, then either say ‘STANDBY’ or Great Lakes 3617L, Hold short 28L or Cross 28L. You need to say the Runway and clearance. This is one of the main issues we hear on the radio every day and important for our professionalism. Every time you talk runway clearances, you need to respond back with your Callsign, Runway and Clearance.

Fun Fact: Abeam the Point of landing’ is a Naval Aviation Term but it has been adopted in Aviations best practices.

Anticipating ATC’s clearances, listening up, and reading back required items are essential to a professional pilot, especially at Montgomery Field. Let’s all get better every flight.