BOB O’QUINN BETTER PILOT / SAFETY WIRE
Wheel Versus Three-Point Landings An ongoing debate
WANT TO START AN interesting debate? Just ask a tailwheel pilot if three-point or wheel landings are best. EAA’s “2010 Survey of the Average Aviator” in the November issue of EAA Sport Aviation found 51 percent of the 1,077 total respondents chose wheel landings. Whether executing a three-point or wheel landing, safely landing a tailwheel aircraft starts with precision flying–exact airspeed control on final approach, precise longitudinal axis alignment with the runway, and zero side-drift throughout the touchdown and the landing roll. With the main gear in front of the center of gravity (CG), directional control in a taildragger is more critical, which is why precision is so important. THREE-POINT LANDINGS
Tailwheel trainees are usually first taught the three-point, full-stall landing technique in which all three wheels touch down at once. It is similar to landing a nosewheel aircraft by rounding out about 6 inches above the runway and holding the aircraft off until it stalls gently onto the runway. The difference is tailwheel aircraft design allows its pitch attitude to be increased to a nose-high attitude resulting in a full-stall, three-point touchdown, as described in the FAA-H-8083-3 Airplane Flying Handbook. A properly executed three-point landing results in a minimum landing roll that can be reduced further with variations that include soft-field and short-field landing techniques. A common error is not raising the aircraft’s nose to the threepoint attitude. As a result, the main wheels touch first, then the tail wheel as the aircraft begins porpoising. Full aft elevator will stop the action by holding the tail wheel down. Another common mistake is allowing the aircraft to touch down before it is stalled. If the resulting bounce isn’t too high and there is enough runway left, the pilot might be able to salvage the landing. However, if the bounce is high, the best option would be to add full power and go around. WHEEL LANDINGS
airspeed (5-plus knots) and some power are needed to fly the aircraft to a level pitch attitude about 6 inches above the surface before gently flying onto the runway. At initial touchdown, two things need to happen simultaneously: 1) The stick (or yoke) should be pushed forward to prevent the tail from lowering, and 2) the throttle should be closed, if not already. The aircraft must be held in a level flight attitude with increasingly forward elevator until slowing enough to lower the tail without becoming airborne. A common error is too rapid of a descent, resulting in the aircraft bouncing back into the air upon touchdown. When this happens, the best option is to execute a go-around unless sufficient runway remains to convert to a three-point landing. Another common mistake is lowering the tail before the aircraft loses its flying speed, which causes it to become airborne. The best corrective action is to convert to a three-point landing or go around. In strong crosswinds, not lowering the tail while there is still sufficient rudder control can result in a high-speed ground loop. Regardless of a tailwheel pilot’s preferences, FAR 61.31(i) requires that normal (three-point) and wheel landings be taught, unless the aircraft manufacturer has recommended otherwise. Robert O’Quinn, EAA 742434, is a part-time certificated flight instructor who focuses on tailwheel training.
In an EAA survey, 51% of respondents preferred wheel landings to three-point landings.
In his book, Stick and Rudder, Wolfgang Langewiesche described the wheel landing in which the main gears touch down first with the aircraft in a level pitch attitude, as “the natural way of landing an airplane.” The National Transportation Safety Board doesn’t track accidents based on the type of landing, so there aren’t statistics that definitively show one technique to be safer than the other. However, the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook recommends wheel landings be used in turbulence or in crosswinds. Properly executed wheel landings begin with a final approach similar to that of a three-point landing. However, a slightly faster
70 Sport Aviation December 2010
PHOTOGRAPHY BY H. G. FRAUTSCHY
