Tailwheel Guide
Chair flying / Three-Point Landing

Three-Point Landing

Land in the three-point (conventionally called full-stall, though the wings are not actually stalled) attitude — hold the airplane off until the flying attitude matches the gear geometry, then keep flying it with stick and feet until it is a ground vehicle again.

Guided rehearsal is Premium

Pre-Landing Wind & Surface Check

  1. Wind — direction and velocity from ATIS/AWOS, windsock, and surface signs
    Resolve it into headwind and crosswind components for the runway you intend to use. Gusts matter as much as the steady value — a lull on short final is what leaves you out of control or stalled.
  2. Crosswind component vs. limits — the airplane's demonstrated value ({n:maxDemonstratedCrosswind} kt) and your own
    AFH ch. 14: pilots should be familiar with the crosswind component of each airplane they fly and avoid wind conditions that exceed the capability of the airplane or their own limitations. A tailwheel weathervanes harder than a nose-wheel because more side area sits behind the main gear.
  3. Pick the technique — three-point or wheel landing — and commit before the pattern
    Wheel landings touch down at a higher speed, which keeps the flight controls more effective; many tailwheel pilots prefer them in a crosswind. In some airplanes rudder effectiveness is also reduced with the tail low and on the ground, where the fuselage and flaps blank the tail.
  4. Surface — length, width, slope, condition, and what it does to the rollout
    Soft or rough surfaces slow you without brakes and may need power to keep moving; a soft spot that retards one main wheel can start a swerve. Short/firm surfaces mean a held three-point attitude for aerodynamic braking plus even, firm braking.
  5. Go-around decision set: what you will not accept, and the point you stop trying to salvage it
    Decide now — a large bounce, a drift or crab at touchdown you cannot remove, or a developing swerve means full power and go. Deciding in the flare is deciding too late.
  6. Landing checklist complete; feet on the rudder pedals, heels on the floor, off the brakes
    Heels on the floor with the balls of the feet low on the rudder pedals lets you slide up to the brakes without giving up rudder. Braking during touchdown is how a tailwheel gets on its nose. Once rolling, a swerve is countered with firm rudder first — and in stronger swerves differential braking is essential, since tailwheel steering proves inadequate.

Setup

  1. Stabilized approach — {n:approachSpeed} KIAS, on centerline, configured, before the threshold“Stable, on speed”
    AFH ch. 14: success begins with an orderly arrival — airspeed, alignment, and configuration well in hand crossing the threshold. The approach angle and airspeed are identical to a wheel landing; only the timing of touchdown differs.
  2. Confirm no drift and no crab — the longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of travel
    Touching down in a crab or with drift imposes side loads on the gear and leads directly to directional instability. Fix it on final, not in the flare.
  3. Eyes down the runway to the far end — not over the nose
    In the nose-high attitude the cowling blocks the view straight ahead. Peripheral cues from the runway edges and the far end are what tell you height and alignment.

Execution

  1. Round out with the main wheels about one foot off the surface“Round out”
    The AFH names one foot specifically. Level off there and stop the descent — everything after this is about trading speed for attitude, not about arriving.
  2. Hold off: a gentle, continuous increase in AOA to stay flying as the airplane slows“Hold it off”
    Same technique as a nose-wheel flare, but you are aiming for a much steeper fuselage angle — the one that puts the tailwheel on the ground at the same instant as the mains.
  3. Feet alive throughout — rudder holds the centerline, aileron holds the wings and kills drift
    Tailwheel airplanes are not damaged by too much rudder; they are damaged by rudder held too long. Put in what the airplane asks for, then take it back out as the correction takes effect.
  4. Touchdown: all three wheels arrive together at the three-point attitude“Three points”
    With the tailwheel down, further pitch increase is impossible, so the airplane stays on the runway — but it is still making lift and still flying, tenuously.
  5. Stick fully aft immediately after the tailwheel touches — and keep it there“Stick back”
    This is the input that feels wrong to a nose-wheel pilot and the one that matters most. Without it the horizontal stabilizer makes enough lift to lighten the tailwheel and render it useless for steering. Note the timing: full back stick *before* the tailwheel is down lowers the tail, increases AOA, and puts you back in the air.

Recovery

  1. After-landing roll: elevator held back as far and as firmly as possible until the airplane stops
    This gives positive tailwheel steering, shortens the roll, and prevents bouncing and skipping. The landing is not over at touchdown — it is over at taxi speed or at a stop.
  2. Counter any swerve immediately with firm rudder, then remove the input as it takes effect“Swerve — rudder”
    A ground loop is a swerve allowed to continue too long. If rudder alone is not enough, differential braking is essential — but take corrections out promptly or you start a departure the other way.
  3. Aileron toward any wing that starts to rise, increasing as speed decays
  4. Let friction and drag slow the airplane; brakes evenly and smoothly if needed
    Slide the toes or feet up from rudder to brakes without releasing rudder pressure — release it first and you can lose control before the brakes arrive.
  5. Clear of the landing area and stopped — only then flaps and after-landing checklist

ACS tolerances

  • Touchdown with the longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of travel — no crab, no drift
  • Main wheels and tailwheel contact simultaneously
  • On centerline through touchdown and rollout
  • Elevator full aft from tailwheel contact until the airplane stops

Common errors

  • Rounding out too high or too low — the AFH picture is main wheels about one foot up
  • Settling for the nose-wheel flare attitude, touching mains-first, and skipping back into the air
  • Relaxing the stick after touchdown — the tailwheel unloads and stops steering
  • Full back stick applied before the tailwheel is down, which pitches the airplane back into climbing flight
  • Rudder input held after the correction has worked, starting a swerve the other way
  • Treating the rollout as over and going head-down for the checklist while still rolling