TCraft tough?

[IslandGuy]

Hey anyone got any good hard landing stories?
I'm using my BC-12D to learn to fly, and just finished my second solo hour.
My instructor says it always seems worse from in the plane than it really is, but I can help but think I'm pounding the hell out of my bird... actually I'm not that bad, haven't even set off the ELT yet!
I know Taylorcraft is a strong plane, and mine seems none the worse for wear, just be nice to hear it from other TCraft owners.
cheers, Lawrence.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: TCraft tough?

many years ago I was in a T-craft with my uncle that we had a VERY hard landing in. Just after taking off, engine coughed hard on a slug of water and quit. We turned around and landed back on the runway and the landing felt like a rollercoaster jolt. It slightly tweaked the right gear, but not enough to be cause for replacement. The are definitely tough.

Mike

[rotaxflyer]

Re: TCraft tough?

During my checkout on ZYG, I did about 3-4 hours of crosswind work. Some of the landings were BAD. After that day, I checked the bungees and found that the safety cable was completely embedded within the rubber. No damage to ZYG though. They are tough.

Andy.

[VictorBravo]

Re: TCraft tough?

Look up the FAA accident reports and see whether there are incidents of Taylorcrafts falling apart in mid-air. Let us know if you find any examples of that happening

[Armstrong]

Re: TCraft tough?

The guy I bought my t-craft from would do full stall landing every time he landed , problem was, he would do them 10 feet in the air ,and the plane would come down hard. He ended up bending the right gear and making a dent in the rudder with the tail wheel. He was a pilot for Emery air freight , but never could land the T-craft right.
He introduced me to fatal weather flying. Before I bought the plane from him, we flew down to Sun and Fun from TN. He took off in thick fog and clouds, climbed on top( about 3-4 min) and then crossed the mountains. We flew down scud running and dodging T- storms all the way( pucker factor 5). On the way back we flew around ,under ,and through T- storms (oh god save me! ,pucker factor 10) and after being upside down a couple of times I finally told him, land the plane or I will throw you out, and land it myself. We saw a hole to get down through and he landed in a field , of course he dropped it in and bent the gear. When we got out of the airplane, I called him a bad pilot, and we actually punched each other around abit. A couple of years latter he flew into the side of a mountain.
Its a sturdy airplane. I have landed in many rough feilds and never damaged it.

[mhorowit]

Re: TCraft tough?

It will, however, come out second best in a battle with a ditch - Mike

[48fordnut]

Re: TCraft tough?

The guy I bought my t-craft from would do full stall landing every time he landed , problem was, he would do them 10 feet in the air ,and the plane would come down hard. He ended up bending the right gear and making a dent in the rudder with the tail wheel. He was a pilot for Emery air freight , but never could land the T-craft right.
He introduced me to fatal weather flying. Before I bought the plane from him, we flew down to Sun and Fun from TN. He took off in thick fog and clouds, climbed on top( about 3-4 min) and then crossed the mountains. We flew down scud running and dodging T- storms all the way( pucker factor 5). On the way back we flew around ,under ,and through T- storms (oh god save me! ,pucker factor 10) and after being upside down a couple of times I finally told him, land the plane or I will throw you out, and land it myself. We saw a hole to get down through and he landed in a field , of course he dropped it in and bent the gear. When we got out of the airplane, I called him a bad pilot, and we actually punched each other around abit. A couple of years latter he flew into the side of a mountain.
Its a sturdy airplane. I have landed in many rough feilds and never damaged it.

Too bad you didn't do some real damage to him after landing. that sort of guy are not the good pilots, that survived, just lucky. will rogers said it best'' common sense is not as common as you think''.I worked with some of those freight guys, and they had a get home itis about them.

[M Towsley]

Re: TCraft tough?

Hey Armstrong,

Darwin's theory proves itself again. Glad you weren't with him for that last ride. I learned to fly in my Taylorcraft, I know my instructor had more grey hairs after that then when we started. Had several ugly crosswing landings, if you want to call them that, an almost ground loop once on grass and once on the pavement. My plane still tracks nice and straight and smooth. Haven't found anything bent or broken yet. Hate to think about its life the last sixty years and eleven days. Lots of owners before me, hope there are many more after. Even though my landings are much better, I hope my L-2 has the same stout gear, albeit slightly narrower.

[cpirrmann]

Re: TCraft tough?

I had one rough landing where I dropped it in pretty hard. When I got out, I noticed the landing gear legs were much lower from the fuselage than usual meaning the lg were splayed apart. I finally put 2 + 2 together, lifted up on one wing and they sprang right back together.

[hangarb7]

Re: TCraft tough?

Although my instructor was a locally famed tailwheel guy and a terrific pilot, he had me start my approaches at 70 mph. 70 mph in a BC12D!

I had previously used 60 mph to get checked out in a Cub for my first tailwheel sign-off, but used 70 as I was instructed.

Well, when you make your approach and flair, you can't pull her up to a landing (three point) attitude, because she'll zoom back up, so his technique was to feel for the runway by flairing and then moving the yoke back and forth, closer and closer to the stall. When he was in the right seat, I could do it fine, grass field or not.

When I was by myself, WOW, that sucker would zoom up then come down with a boom and crossways skitter, then a bounce up and finally I would wrestle it onto the runway. I finally realized that everytime that happened, I wouldn't ultimately have the yoke all the way back, which is dangerous in any crosswind.

So I learned on this forum that approaches are better (better!) starting at 60 or below. The first solo approach I made at 58 mph, she landed herself after I pulled her up into a three point on the flair. Most of the landings after that have been much, much better. Some have been light kissings of the tarmac with narry a chirp, just the rolling of the wheels. Grass landings are even better. The one thing you have to remember is that even on these beautiful greasers, you still have to keep that rudder moving; don't let a good landing lull you to complacency.

Make sure you aren't letting that speed creep up when you are by yourself.

By the way, after all those huge bumps and grinds, she still lands straight and true.

Jack Dernorsek
N44057
'46 BC12D

[gilligansae]

Re: TCraft tough?

Well, the old timers and guys with more Tcraft time than me will probably chime in here, but I have approx 350 hrs in my Tcraft and about 800 landings and can say with all honesty that it is the most forgiving airplane I have been in.
For instance.......:
My landings on the way back from OSH were as follows:

Lakefield OH (first leg 4 hrs 20 min) - Wind 90 degrees to the field 16 gusting 25. Used about 1500' to get her down and straight but kept her upright.

Ona, WV (two hrs later) Wind 90 degrees to the field 10 gusting to 18.

Broadfield (I think) OH - next day, same as Lakefield, 16 G25

Grove City, PA - got one down the chute ---18 right down the runway

Back home, Spencerport, NY - 90 degrees to the field 12 mph.

All good experience, no real bad bouncers. Couldn't ask for a more rugged airplane.

[mhorowit]

Re: TCraft tough?

The one thing you have to remember is that even on these beautiful greasers, you still have to keep that rudder moving; don't let a good landing lull you to complacency.

No truer words ever spoken! - Mike

[VictorBravo]

Re: TCraft tough?

Although my instructor was a locally famed tailwheel guy and a terrific pilot, he had me start my approaches at 70 mph.

That should be a sales and marketing poster for Taylorcraft... "The cruising speed of a J-3 is the landing approach speed on the T-craft"