How to handle a gust from the rear

4 posts in this topic

Posted

Had an odd one a few flights ago.  Mt home base is burried in the trees.  Typically quite docile below the tree line regardless of wind above (which is typically out of the South West or South East.  However, in this case I had a stiff breeze (12G16) out of the North East.  Wind was 060, runway was 120.

When I got below the tree line things got rather squirrely so I decided to wheel land.  When I had the bird planted on the ground I pulled power and waited for the tail to drop.  Unexpectedly I got hot with a quartering tail gust.  Tail got blown up (from the neutral point) and bird weather vaned to the left.  Wasnt sure what to do with this (really surprised me).  So I just hit hard right rudder to straighten it out.  The tail finally game back down slowly.

So...   if this happens (unexpected tail wind during a wheel landing) what is the best approach?  Shot of power?  didnt want to change the elevator setting as wasnt sure what the relative wind was going to do, but maybe there is a good option there as well.

 

Larry

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Posted

IMO -  Never wheel land in gusty conditions.  You're just asking for trouble.  Get the tail on the ground and locked asap. 

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Posted

Thanks for the feedback. General consensus I was taught during training was that a wheel landing is preferred in this conditions. (though I hear arguments in both camps).

Not as a negative to your suggestion (as that is what I am looking for) but as a background to where my mind set was: an example excerpt from the Champ drivers website:

When should/could wheel landings be done? When crosswind is strong, when winds are gusty whether crosswind or not, any time the pilot feels like it, if uncertain about the landing surface and need to land there, and at intervals for practice. Wheel landings are required by FAR to receive a tailwheel endorsement but I have found several cases where persons with endorsements had never done them. 

I have had problems in gusty conditions doing three pointers with getting blown back up when least expected, just before touchdown (probably a lightweight bird with undercamber wing doesn't help in that regard, stall is 30 mph), so tend to default to the wheel when in that scenario.

Will be interesting to see what other have experienced here.  I only have about 100 hours in this bird, and each flight is a learning experience, so looking for advice you folks might have here; particularly wheel vs three point (in these birds) and what the best corrective action might be for the scenario I found myself in.

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Posted

Power up for a go around. Hard on the ego but easy on the wallet and even easier to do. Trying to salvage shit landings leads to shit airplanes. As for wheel landings, leave them for the guys that want to spend their flying time fixing their plane.  The tailwheel always has to come back down, you might as well do it while the rudder is still affective.  Brycekat

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