Page 24 - Dec21T

This happened to me repeatedly for several days until I finally fig- ured out I must be doing something wrong. So, I looked up some old Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) directions I had stashed away on how to properly land these big Cessna tail- draggers. The MAF directions say get set up at 500 feet on final with full flaps, power at 14 inches, with the airplane trimmed to be hands-free at the absurdly low airspeed of 60 knots. Control the approach to the landing spot by adjusting power, keeping the pitch slightly positive. As you pass over the threshold, gradually pull the power off and flair slightly. Sure enough, this worked every time, with only an oc- casional slight bounce. After a dozen fairly good landings, my seriously de- flated ego was slowly being restored.
But then there was the problem of directional control as the airplane decelerates on the runway. Unlike the twins and turbines I fly that all have nosewheels, a tailwheel’s center
of gravity is aft of the main gear. If deceleration and braking occur in any- thing but a straight ahead direction, that center of gravity wants to swap places with the nose of the airplane. Landing with one foot even slightly on one brake is also bad as the airplane immediately heads toward that side and the center of gravity just encour- ages that further. Some very quick rudder work is required to prevent heading into the grass. Even with my best effort, my first 10 landings must have looked pretty hazardous to any- one watching. And this with a twin and turbine pilot who prides himself in staying on the white line all the time until the exit markings are reached.
With the airplane slowed down to what seemed a safe, fast walking speed, but still on the runway, I then gave attention to such things as rais- ing the flaps and turning off the pulse lights. The flaps are controlled by a long handle located on the floor, and you have to look down to see what you
Factory Direct
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22 • TWIN & TURBINE / December 2021