Braking and steering

[Greg Bockelman]

I am doing a TW endorsement for a guy in my Taylorcraft and have an issue that I need advice on.

It seems his feet aren't big enough to get much rudder travel while he is trying to use the brakes. Maybe they aren't really designed to be used together, I don't know.

Anyway, how do you all deal with that issue?

[mhorowit]

Re: Braking and steering

IMO, you wanna keep out of a situation where you need differential braking unless you have slowed to a walk. If my feet left the rudder pedals for the heel brakes either I was making a sharp turn while taxiing, or desperately trying to stop an increasingly sharp turn as the tailwheel was out of lock and useless.
To answer your question, trying to use both rudder and brake simultaneously takes effectiveness away from both. Just my .02; more experienced folks will weigh in after b'fast. - MikeH

[Greg Bockelman]

Re: Braking and steering

Thanks Mike. I agree with all the above. But my question has more to do with taxiing the airplane. Especially when the tailwheel goes into full swivil. It is hard to go opposite rudder and apply brake at the same time to straighten the airplane out. Example, turning around at the end of a narrow runway.

[ken hecht]

Re: Braking and steering

My instructor, said years ago,(45years) your a newbe, so to get started on taxiing this T-craft, it is best to have a positive steering on the tailwheel,and the Heath tailwheel assy. that came with my T-craft, did the trick. Minimal usage on brakes (wear etc) It is not a full swivel tailwheel to this date.
Ken
#375

[Greg Bockelman]

Re: Braking and steering

My instructor, said years ago,(45years) your a newbe, so to get started on taxiing this T-craft, it is best to have a positive steering on the tailwheel,and the Heath tailwheel assy. that came with my T-craft, did the trick. Minimal usage on brakes (wear etc) It is not a full swivel tailwheel to this date.
Ken
#375

You ever have to turn around on a narrow runway?

[lfries]

Re: Braking and steering

I have a scott 2000 and it taxi's like a dream. It only goes
to full swivel when I intend it too. Basically Im using, mostly, my Shimm
brakes to get it to go to full swivel. I never do a U turn or to tighthten a turn with the brakes unless I am at a speed that would insure I didn't get into a panic situation. If full deflection of the rudder isn't giving you the turn you want then use the brake and the most rudder available when braking. Just start your student off taxing slower than you would until they get the hang of
when the rudder pedals will give the desired result and when braking is
needed to get the result. And of couse the right combinaion to stop the
turn. I had a friend and his first two or three hours of taildragger time was
learning to taxi. I've never had anyone do that but I do see some wisdom
in his instructors methods. The same friend let me taxi his plane by myself before I flew taildraggers. The taxi to the hanger probably took off 5 lbs as
once I started I realized what I didn't know. I did get to the hanger but
at a pace that wouldn't get me in trouble no matter how I messed up.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Braking and steering

Shinns are good but not that good. For turning around, I always lock the brake then apply rudder and power to turn. Shinns don't turn well in a roll. I never use the brakes except when coming to a stop or a turn on a point. Otherwise they are useless and need to be considered useless especially with crosswind component landings. I have occasionally had a need to drag the brake to maintain a line while taxing down a runway during a crosswind taxi but i try not to fly if the wind is blowing that hard. I have exceeded the crosswind component of a Taylorcraft before and thank god it was in our F-21 with Cleavelands and a grassy spot to park it because it was not going to land on pavement period.

Mike

[tawadc95]

Re: Braking and steering

Why not just get out and pick the airplane up at the tail and turn it around.
It works good for me on a strip I use all the time that is narrow and I hate to turn on enough power in a mixed grass and bare spots of dirt to pivot the plane so I pick it up.

[mhorowit]

Re: Braking and steering

Thanks Mike. I agree with all the above. But my question has more to do with taxiing the airplane. Especially when the tailwheel goes into full swivil. It is hard to go opposite rudder and apply brake at the same time to straighten the airplane out. Example, turning around at the end of a narrow runway.

Greg - my (admittedly limited) experience is that if you allow a turn to continue past about 30^, the tailwheel will go into full swivel [not to say you can't turn more that 30^, you just have to turn, neutralize, turn, neutralize (nudge, nudge, nudge)]. After you are in full swivel your choices are: for a sharp turn - (like you wanna look at the pattern prior to making a u-turn onto the runway) differential braking and hope you have 10' or so of straight travel so the tailwheel will lock; if you have a competent person in the other seat, get out and pick up the tail , or, if you have the luxury of enough room, you can apply full rudder, push the yoke forward (takes pressure off tailwheel) and apply throttle. I've never been wildly successful with this method, but there are those are able to "blast" the tail around. I find myself mostly sweating and cursing with the brakes, although now that I know how to adjust them, things will be better. There is also a technique of "smoothing out" the curve - making the curve less sharp by anticipating the need to turn and turning as to take the width of the taxiway. Then you can always stick to grass strips where noone knows when you have exceeded the width of the taxiway - MikeH

[barnstmr]

Re: Braking and steering

Teach him to taxi with NO brakes. Push the stick (wheel) full forward and full rudder... blast the tail with propwash... This makes turning tight a lot easier because it lightens the weight on the tailwheel. It will make him a pro. He will learn to appreciate brakes for stopping and not rely on them for steering. My opinion.

[flyguy]

Re: Braking and steering

Unlocked tailwheel to the left, full right rudder and blast of power to relock tailwheel and straighten out airplane. Brakes not required. Duh, never thought of that. Thanks Terry.
Darryl

[tawadc95]

Re: Braking and steering

Amen Terry on your steering opinion

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Braking and steering

Completely correct just did my first "tail wheel talk" in two years to a fresh primary LSA Student this morning. Then away we go with a minimal amount of brake usage.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Braking and steering

Teach him to taxi with NO brakes. Push the stick (wheel) full forward and full rudder... blast the tail with propwash... This makes turning tight a lot easier because it lightens the weight on the tailwheel. It will make him a pro. He will learn to appreciate brakes for stopping and not rely on them for steering. My opinion.

That is the only way you can get a big antique, especially a Staggerwing to make a close quarter turn or you will be using a bunch of real estate to do a 180.

Mike