TW.3
Normal and Crosswind Takeoff
Fly a tailwheel takeoff: raising the tail, holding the centerline through the transition, and the crosswind wing-low technique.
References: FAA-H-8083-3 (AFH ch. 14); POH/AFM
Quick Review
Conversational Q&A — quiz yourself before the oral.
- Lower flaps before takeoff if the manufacturer recommends it
- Align the airplane with the intended takeoff direction
- Position the tailwheel straight or centered — and in airplanes with a locking device, lock it centered
- Release the brakes, then advance the throttle smoothly and continuously to takeoff power
- Avoid applying brake pressure during the takeoff roll (AFH ch 14)
After a brief period of acceleration, apply positive forward elevator to smoothly lift the tail (AFH ch 14).
The goal is a pitch attitude that improves forward visibility and produces a smooth transition to climbing flight as the airplane continues to accelerate — not a specific number. Your POH and instructor set the target attitude for your airplane.
Nose-down pitch movement produces left yaw — the result of gyroscopic precession created by the propeller (AFH ch 14).
The force is directly related to the rate at which the propeller axis is tilted when the tail comes up, so avoid an abrupt pitch change. Smooth or abrupt, you'll need rudder to counter the yaw — which is exactly the increased directional demand transitioning pilots don't anticipate (AFH ch 14).
As speed builds, the added authority of the elevator naturally continues to pitch the nose forward. Your job is to maintain a constant pitch attitude by gradually reducing elevator deflection — you're feeding the stick back as the elevator gets more effective.
At the same time, maintain directional control with smooth, prompt, positive rudder corrections (AFH ch 14).
If you maintain the appropriate pitch attitude throughout the roll, liftoff occurs when AOA and airspeed combine to produce the necessary lift — without any additional 'rotation' input (AFH ch 14).
The ideal takeoff attitude then requires only minimum pitch adjustment shortly after liftoff to attain the desired climb speed. You aren't rotating; you're setting an attitude and letting the airplane leave when it's ready.
Yes — modern tailwheel airplanes can be lifted off in the three-point attitude, because the AOA with all three wheels on the ground does not exceed the critical AOA, so the wings will not be stalled (AFH ch 14).
But while instructive, the technique produces an unusually high pitch attitude and an AOA excessively close to stall — both inadvisable when flying only inches from the ground (AFH ch 14).
Add an extra margin of speed before allowing the airplane to leave the ground. A takeoff at normal takeoff speed may result in a lack of positive control, or a stall, when the airplane hits a sudden lull in gusty wind or other turbulent air (AFH ch 14).
Technique: hold the airplane on the ground longer to attain more speed, then make a smooth, positive rotation to leave the ground (AFH ch 14).
Aileron deflection into the wind keeps the upwind wing from rising, and rudder deflection as needed prevents weathervaning. Establish and maintain both corrections prior to liftoff (AFH ch 14).
Because you want the wings working. Strong crosswinds are the reason for maintaining a positive AOA (tail-low attitude) while accelerating (AFH ch 14).
Since the wings are making lift during the roll, strong upwind aileron can bank the airplane into the wind and give you positive crosswind correction soon after the roll begins — the remainder of the roll is then made on the upwind main wheel, with rudder holding the longitudinal axis aligned with the runway (AFH ch 14).
As the airplane accelerates, smoothly decrease the pitch attitude and adjust aileron and rudder pressures to maintain the appropriate crosswind correction (AFH ch 14).
Watch the pitch: if it stays excessively steep or goes too flat, crosswind control during the ground roll becomes more difficult (AFH ch 14). There's a window, and you have to live in it.
As the airplane leaves the runway, the wings level out as appropriate drift correction — a crab — is established (AFH ch 14).
Wing-low on the ground, crab in the air — the transition happens right at liftoff.
With the exception of flap settings and initial climb speed as recommended by the manufacturer, there is little difference from the normal takeoff technique. After liftoff, adjust pitch attitude as required for obstacle clearance (AFH ch 14).
One caveat worth knowing: manufacturers of some airplanes, especially higher-powered ones, recommend a short-field technique with liftoff in the three-point attitude. Always review and follow the manufacturer's recommended procedures (AFH ch 14).
- Lower flaps before starting if the manufacturer recommends it — transfers weight from wheels to wings early
- Taxi onto the surface without stopping; keep the airplane in continuous motion with sufficient power while lining up
- Because of the high power settings, it's usually best to have the elevator full up while taxiing onto a soft runway — there's danger of bogging down and of tipping up onto the nose
- Apply takeoff power smoothly and as rapidly as the powerplant will accept without faltering
- Keep the tail very low to maintain the inherent positive AOA and avoid nosing over on soft spots, tall grass, or deep snow
- Once airborne, accelerate to climb speed in ground effect (AFH ch 14)
Deep Dive
The takeoff is three attitudes, not one
A tailwheel takeoff is a sequence of pitch attitudes you fly deliberately: three-point on the roll-out, tail-up at the target attitude, then whatever the airplane needs to fly away. The AFH's core insight is that tailwheel airplanes start to "fly" long before leaving the runway surface (AFH ch 14) — so treat the ground roll as flying, not as driving.
Because elevator authority grows with airspeed. The added authority of the elevator naturally continues to pitch the nose forward as you accelerate, so the forward deflection that was correct at tail-raise speed becomes too much a few seconds later.
The instruction is to maintain a constant pitch attitude by gradually reducing elevator deflection (AFH ch 14). You're holding an attitude, not a control position — which is a different skill from what most trainer takeoffs teach.
The AFH names gyroscopic precession, triggered by raising the tail, as the tailwheel-specific one — nose-down pitch movement produces left yaw, with force proportional to how fast you tilt the propeller axis (AFH ch 14).
Layered on top of that are the ground-handling realities from every takeoff: weathervaning in any crosswind, which is exaggerated in tailwheel types, and the inbuilt directional instability that means any yaw you allow to develop tends to tighten rather than damp (AFH ch 14). The rudder work is continuous, not occasional.
Crosswind: fly the upwind wheel
The nose-wheel crosswind takeoff you learned tries to get off the ground promptly. The tailwheel version deliberately does the opposite — it uses the ground roll as a bank-and-track exercise on one wheel.
- Before rolling: aileron into the wind, ready to hold the upwind wing down; tailwheel centered (locked if equipped).
- Early roll: maintain a positive AOA / tail-low attitude — the wings are already making lift, so strong upwind aileron can bank the airplane into the wind and give you real crosswind correction almost immediately.
- Main roll: the remainder of the roll is made on the upwind main wheel, with rudder holding the longitudinal axis aligned with the runway.
- Accelerating: smoothly decrease pitch attitude and continuously readjust aileron and rudder — too steep or too flat both make control harder.
- Liftoff: as the airplane leaves the runway, level the wings and establish the crab (AFH ch 14).
Because pitch attitude sets how much lift the wings are making on the ground, and lift is what your aileron correction is working with. If the pitch attitude remains excessively steep or too flat, crosswind control during the ground roll becomes more difficult (AFH ch 14).
Too steep and the airplane wants to leave the ground before you have the speed and control to handle the drift; too flat and the wings aren't loaded enough for aileron to do the banking work the technique depends on.