Volume 3, Issue 7	August, 2004

INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER TAILDRAGGERS vs. TRICYCLE LANDING GEAR This 50 yr. old subject about airplanes has some relevance for gliders. Most gliders nowadays are taildraggers. The Grob and the PW-5 sit on a forward wheel like a tricycle gear airplane, but the Blaniks and all the privately owned gliders in the club sit on a tailwheel. (Guess what the 2-33s were!) You must pull the stick back before applying wheel brakes in all tailwheel aircraft. Pulling the stick back uses the elevator down-force to keep the tail on the ground. If braking causes the tail to rise you can easily scrape the nose on the runway and grind away metal or fiberglass. It is important to brake early in the landing roll; you still have some airspeed and the elevator can do its job. Applying the wheel brake at the end of the roll is almost certain to lift the tail, damage the nose skin underneath, and then slam the tail back down when all momentum is gone. Heavier pilots can have this happen while still rolling at a good clip. The Blanik wheel brakes are sensitive to the touch and are very effective; think TAILDRAGGER when you use the wheelbrakes on the Blanik. Nyal Williams

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