Taylorcraft Winds

[McRay7ac]

Its been a wile sense I have a flown Tail dagger, my question is that I will be flying west Texas
and a lot in east texas what winds will a Taylorcraft safety takeoff and land in, I have not found reading material on Taylorcraft that covers winds and cross winds or is it mostly on a persons
experience. I do know that you do not go off with out tying your aircraft down, here in Texas you might come back and fine it up side down. Ray

[Guest]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

Hi Ray,

Straight on constant velocity winds have not been so much of an issue for me.

Constant velocity crosswinds are more work.

Gusts and large variation winds are the worse.

I recall working like crazy one day to land in a 10-15k cross wind on a very narrow runway (20' approx.) and wondered if I was going to get back on the ground. Don't want to do that again.

When I was young foolish person (now I am just older) I used to like to go out a fly after a high pressure passed thru in Connecticut and fly in direct down the runway winds that I bet were 15-20k because the airplane lifted off at so slow speed. I Don't do that anymore.

That's much of an answer and maybe just a history of dumb things to do.

I bet others will jump in with more appropriate info.

I know this though, you have to get good a landing on one wheel and gliding in a side slip, very good actually because that will be the key to landing in cross-winds.

I used to practice take offs on a long paved runway by going down the runway with one wheel on the ground and one in the air. Did this while being on one side of the centerline then move the plane to the centerline and while crossing the centerline swap wheels (one that was up goes down, one that was down goes up). Did this crossover the centerline and wheel swap practice until I ran out of runway and when the wind was minimal. Helps one get accustomed to being on one wheel and one wind low in x-wind.

A good tail wheel instructor will help, try to find one.

Dave

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

I talked to one of the best tail wheel instructors around and he said a student should not go with more than 10kts of wind in a Taylorcraft until he knew what he is doing.
It isn't so much how much wind the plane will take off and land in, shoot, my Taylorcraft will take off WITHOUT ME in a 35 knot wind! With the ENGINE OFF! It isn't even really if you can take off and land. It is can you TAXI with a cross wind without ground looping or loosing control. A solid 10 knot cross wind when you are taxiing can be a real hand full when you are low time. Gusts are worse. It can be really hard to get out and tie her down before she rolls across the ramp too.
FLYING in wind is easy. Rolling around on the ground and getting on the ground is what will tear you and your plane up.

Best advice is from Dave. Get a GOOD tail wheel instructor (and NOT one who owns a Decathalon that can taxi in a tornado compared to a Cub or Taylorcraft!) If he tells you he wants to wait for calmer conditions for your first cross wind instruction, that is a good indication he may be a keeper.

Hank

[flyguy]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

The limits I have experienced with cross winds are landing with 15 kts across the runway, and takeoff with 22 kts at 90 degrees. Normally here when I come back on a summer afternoon there will be a 15 to 20 kt crosswind, but there is a matching angle turn off from the main runway (800ft) that has a additional 500 ft overrun that was the end of a removed runway. I always use that when the standard crosswind is blowing.

My 15 knot experience was just to see how it would go on the main runway and it turned out to not be too bad. What I have found with the Taylorcraft wing is that the plane flares better in a crosswind because you have the extra drag from the sideslip.

I don't think I would like to try more than 15 kts at 90 degrees from the runway.

By the way I am talking about left crosswinds. In my 12D right crosswinds are a whole 'nother thing because of the visibility problem.

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

Like flyguy said - 15 knots direct crosswind if you are on your game. Maybe somewhat more with wide runway or grass field. 7 knots direct crosswind for low time T-crafter. 5 knots for a student.

[Bonanza91K]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

Wheel land them.

Jim

[Guest]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

Jim,

How does wheel landing help?

You have to put the tail on the runway in the crosswind at low speed eventually.

Dave

[skip]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

Wheel land them.

Jim

When I first got 34237 I wheeled it on a lot because the BC12-D wheel lands so nicely. The when I started doing more back country stuff the consensus over a variety of tail wheel pilots was that the transition from tail up to tail falling through on a wheel landing was the dangerous part. I started holding the slip right down through the three-point landing and have found that this is much more controllable for me. The Taylorcraft slips so well that one can set the approach attitude and hold the same attitude through the flare, the UpwindMain/Tailwheel squeaking on ... the downwind main on, and then all the way down the runway with what is basically the same flying condition throughout.

I still love to wheel the plane on, but for crosswinds I have found the slipping three-pointer better for me. I have my minimums set and demonstrated at a 15 kt direct x-wind.

And as everyone is saying, just watch my next landing spiral off into the weeds...

[McRay7ac]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

Thanks for the info I am hoping this week I will take the Taylorcraft to the airport and install the wings and finish up the annual inspection. I still have not found a instructor I would like to use, I am ether taking the aircraft to cxo Conroe, Tx or uts Huntsville, Tx to later to build my own landing strip.

If anyone knows and instructor in this area thats north of Houston that knows Taylorcraft or a good tail wheel instructor let me know. I need 5hr instruction
and 15 landing for insurance.

thanks Ray

[McRay7ac]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

Thanks for the info I am hoping this week I will take the Taylorcraft to the airport and install the wings and finish up the annual inspection. I still have not found a instructor I would like to use, I am ether taking the aircraft to cxo Conroe, Tx or uts Huntsville, Tx to later to build my own landing strip.

If anyone knows and instructor in this area thats north of Houston that knows Taylorcraft or a good tail wheel instructor let me know. I need 5hr instruction
and 15 landing for insurance.

thanks Ray

[flyguy]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

I would completely agree with Skip and Dave. I rarely use a wheel landing, but there is one case where it works great for me. If there is a heavily gusting wind right down the runway my 12D might jump "straight" up in the middle of a 3 point flare. A wheel landing with a solid plant on to the runway with a forward control movement works perfect under those conditions.
Darryl

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

15kt is about max but I have landed in a lot more full lock to lock in a skid in our F21 and the only thing that saved my ass was the cleveland brakes.

[ERicter]

Re: Taylorcraft Winds

Was just landing in quartering tail wind tonight, landing 200 with wind 300-330 @ 10-12 knots.
Great practice, I did not have one great landing, it was pretty tough actually. I believe the gust were more than that.
Did my first sandbar landing last weekend, gust all of 20 mph rolling over the trees, 800 foot strip and came in and lost lift and hit quit hard and the 29s soaked it right up, my buddy said it didn't look to bad, but on the roll out (I thought I was done flying) the right wing decided to go flying again, went up quite high real fast, got her back down and parked it. Remember, fly till tie down! There were 2 husky that came in after that the also bounced so I didn't feel so bad.
A black bear came in that night and bit a near new beautiful husky on the rudder and fuselage, then walked to my buddy's plane and bit one of his brand new 29's on his citabria and walked up to the Tcraft and decided it was way too nice of a craft to mess with and walked away. Had a great weekend, felt great to get the first sandbar landing done, looking forward to more.