Tailwheel Guide
Chair flying / Wheel Landing

Wheel Landing

Touch down on the main wheels in a flat attitude with the tail still flying — a soft arrival, a slight relaxation of back stick at contact, and the tail flown down on its own as speed decays.

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. Decide the wheel landing before the pattern — wind conditions that call for more control authority
    AFH ch. 14: in some wind conditions the need to retain control authority makes it desirable to contact the runway at a higher airspeed than the three-point attitude allows.
  2. Fly the same approach angle and the same {n:approachSpeed} KIAS as a three-point landing“Stable, on speed”
    The AFH is explicit: the only difference between three-point and wheel landings is the timing of the touchdown. Approach angles and airspeeds are the same. A fast, flat, dragged-in approach is not a wheel landing technique.
  3. Alignment set — no crab, no drift, wings level or wing-low as the crosswind requires

Execution

  1. Round out and level off — arrest the descent in a flatter attitude than the three-point picture“Level attitude”
    You are looking for the pitch attitude that puts the mains on the ground with the tailwheel still off it. Hold that attitude and let the airplane sink onto the runway.
  2. Fly it on softly — the touchdown must be gentle, with a very low rate of descent“Soft touch”
    A soft touchdown is the first key ingredient. If contact is made at too high a rate of descent, the tail is forced down by its own weight, AOA increases, lift increases suddenly, and the airplane leaves the runway.
  3. Just after the wheels touch, relax back elevator slightly — release pressure, do not push“Mains on — ease off back pressure”
    The second key ingredient. The CG is behind the mains, so the tail wants to drop the instant they touch; a slight relaxation of back elevator holds the attitude and keeps the airplane from flying off again. This is a release of back pressure, not a forward push — pushing forward is what starts a pilot-induced oscillation.
  4. Hold the level attitude and stay on the rudder — the tail is still flying
    This is the part that takes practice: you are flying an airplane whose mains are on the ground. The tailwheel is not yet on the ground, so directional control is all rudder — small, prompt corrections.
  5. Let the tail come down on its own accord as speed decays — do not force it“Tail flying down”
    Permit it to drop of its own accord until it makes ground contact. Pushing it down or holding it up past the airplane's willingness both cause problems.
  6. Tailwheel contact — elevator to the full aft position“Tail down — stick back”
    From here the rollout is identical to a three-point landing: full aft elevator to load the tailwheel and keep it working as a steering surface.

Recovery

  1. Bounced attempt: go around, or convert to a three-point landing if conditions permit“Bounce — going around”
    Do not push forward to force it back onto the runway — that is how a pilot-induced oscillation starts, and the AFH calls it potentially dangerous. Go around or re-flare and hold off to the three-point attitude.
  2. Rollout: stick full aft, feet alive, aileron increasing into any wind
  3. Counter any swerve with firm rudder — differential braking if rudder is not enough — then remove the input promptly
  4. Slowed to taxi speed and clear of the landing area, stopped — then flaps and checklist

ACS tolerances

  • Touchdown on the mains only, tailwheel clear of the surface, in a level pitch attitude
  • Very low rate of descent at contact — the airplane is flown on, not dropped on
  • Longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of travel; no crab, no drift
  • Tail lowered under control as speed decays, then elevator full aft to the stop

Common errors

  • Carrying extra speed to 'make it easier' — the approach speed is the same as a three-point landing
  • Arriving with too much sink rate: the tail is forced down, lift spikes, and the airplane balloons
  • Pushing forward to chase a bounce — the classic path to pilot-induced oscillation
  • Holding full back elevator through contact instead of relaxing it slightly, so the tail drops and the airplane flies off again
  • Forcing the tail down before the airplane is ready instead of letting it drop on its own
  • Forgetting full aft elevator once the tailwheel is down