Best ground loop explanation I've seen

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Posted

Title says it all and I'm in the category that's already had one.

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Posted

That was a good video, and I've also been there and done that.  JImChuk

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Posted

Great explanation.

Nearly 1000 hours before the monster got me! I  was cocky, no damage  just real lucky.

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Posted (edited)

Got two on my first day of TW training!  

Tailwheel caster (click out) and springs were rigged REALLY bad, went to caster just after touchdown.... something anyone with some experience could handle,  but not me on the first day!  Got that (and my mind) set right and pressed on.

10 years later and waiting for the next opportunity to have my ass handed to me again LOL!

Edited by Yamma-Fox

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Posted

I had mine after 43 hours. I would not say I was cocky but more complacent. I was coming back from my longest cross country trip. I was tired and in a hurry to get home for a dinner engagement with my wife. I listened to AWOS at my home airport and it reported 23 @ 7. We have a 24 runway so i decided to use it. When I started monitoring the airport frequency the traffic was using 20. Instead of landing on 24 like I had planned I decided to land 20 with the other traffic. When I tuned final I was directly into the sun. I flared to high and sat down crossed up. I could not see but thought I could make it work. The next thing I remember was seeing the yellow center line out my left door. I over corrected with left rudder and was stabbing in left rudder to fix that when the tailwheel broke loose. The good thing was I had slowed the plane down a lot. As I felt it going around I leaned right and dove right aileron into the turn. She stayed on her feet and did a beautiful spin clear around on the runway. I sat there thinking "God I hope no one saw that". I looked across the taxiway and there stood the fuel truck driver with a big smile on his face. Asshole...... :)

What did I learn. Runway 24 would have kept me out of the sun, would have gave me less of a crosswind component and would have put me closer to my hangar. As soon as I turned final I told myself that I should go around and use 24....I didn't listen.  Fly the plan, go around if it does not feel right, stack the odds in your favor as much as possible when flying a short coupled TB and stay in control of the plane.  

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Posted

Yep, kind of like vance says, after my "learning day" I now always come down and in my head chant "go-around... go-around" if for the slightest reason things dont seem good.

That has saved me from other loops and would have saved me that first day as well.

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