Tail-Draggers Ground Operations Commandments

Every once in a while I'm getting questions regarding how to taxi/control a tail-dragger aircraft. I've decided to write this post as a fast-guide.

Even though it is a discussion board, every once in a while I may edit this initial, 1st post so it will be updated.

OK then...

Tail-wheel TAXI Commandments - Single Engine aircraft:

1. Tail wheel airplanes are harder to master, both in real life and in X-Plane!
   
2. Mastering a tail-dragger on the ground needs PRACTICE. Sometimes HOURS of practice, so don't expect just to sit in, pushing the throttle and have success in controlling a tail-wheeled aircraft!
3. Ground loop is a natural behavior! it means that the aircraft indeed is a tail-dragger!
   
4. Make sure you have a Rudder assignment to your joystick (or use rudder pedals). Tail draggers aircraft can't handle ground operations effectively without a rudder!
5. Taxi - start rolling SLOWLY straight ahead and only after a few feet, while the aircraft is moving slowly, begin with a turn! Do not try to make a turn while standing still, unless you are using differential braking or differential power. You may either go straight AND/OR proceed to a ground loop.
6. When taxi, don't hesitate to use FULL rudder throw for making the aircraft to do what you want it to do! This is especially important at slow taxi speeds.
7. When taxi, try to 'push' the plane with short, high RPM "bursts" (throttle) and rudder control. Airflow from the propeller is good for your rudder, making it work and being more effective. It will help pushing the tail around as desired.
8. When taxi make sure you are pulling the stick backwards, to force the tail-wheel to keep contact with the ground. It will help your plane to steer if it is featuring a steering tail-wheel, and improve the aircraft stability in turns, because of that 3rd point of contact (tail wheel).
9. When taxi, you need sometimes to use *all rudder* to get the plane into a turning trend, and once the trend begins...in some cases...almost a full counter-rudder input will be needed to stop that trend exactly where you want it to.
10. During ground operations, the rudder is ALWAYS working!
11. This is VERY IMPORTANT now: because of all of the above, aircraft response on the ground in a tail dragger should be initiated somewhat aggressively, but the reaction should be anticipated as well, so the pilot will have the ability to counter act with needed inputs. Failing in the anticipation part will result a "Pilot Induced Ground Loop". The aircraft is not to blame, but a "too late, too weak" counter input to aircraft motion.
    
    

Tail-wheel TAXI Commandments - Multi Engine aircraft:

1. All of the above for single engine aircraft should be followed!
2. When taxiing a multi engine aircraft: Multi engine tail draggers are usually larger, heavier, having more inertia than singe engine tail draggers (EuroFOX vs DC-3/C-47). In such aircraft, the use of differential power and differential braking is very important to your success. Make sure you have a dual-throttle joystick for that. Experienced pilots may have success also without using differential power.
3. CAUTION: These large ships frequently do not feature tail wheel steering systems, and their tail-wheel is castoring...free to rotate. To survive a taxi with such tail wheel mechanism, you must follow all of the rules for the single engine aircraft above, but with EXTRA CARE...meaning...doing it slowly. In general, like most of the required qualities of a pilot...it should be carried with the perfect mix of being a gentle-man and an aggressive warrior. So..be aggressive, but gentle...

Taking off:

1. If you are having a free-tail wheel aircraft: MAKE SURE IT IS LOCKED! Failing to do so will make your aircraft over sensitive and the free rotating tail wheel will easily over maneuver the tail into a ground loop.
2. Apply some brakes, and throttle up...so the airflow will get your rudder alive ASAP! It will make your rudder input effective and will allow you to make aggressive but gentle corrections as you are starting to roll. CAUTION: careful with the brakes + high RPM...the nose might turn over and you will get a prop strike.
3. Do not hesitate with rudder inputs! In the first stage of the ground roll, where airspeed is low, but RPM is high, YOU WILL NEED TO FIGHT to get the aircraft running on the center line. FIGHT means being a warrior, hard work, high pace fight. Do not expect it to just follow that center line with some mild corrections. It won't happen.
4. As airspeed is getting higher (tail is high as well), gradually return to be a Gentleman again. Now it will behave as a tricycle in most aspects.

Landing:

1. If you are having a free-tail wheel aircraft: MAKE SURE IT IS LOCKED! Failing to do so will make everything feels good, and then, all of the sudden, as airspeed slows down, and your thoughts are wondering towards the hanger...you will have it big-time...uncontrollable aircraft due to tail wheel over steering on the ground.
2. It's a reverse transition from the take off one: You need to prepare yourself from being a GENTLEMAN and become a WARRIOR again. Because it won't let you follow that center line without a fight!
3. (On your first landings in the simulation): PLAN TO USE ALL THE RUNWAY. Do not retard the engine/s to idle upon touchdown. The other way around: Keep the throttle up enough to allow a SLOW deceleration, and before using the brakes, let the aircraft gradually saddle down. Plan to get to a full-stop at the end of the runway. As you will gain practice, you may try and shorten your landing run.

Taxi back to the hangar:

1. Same as Taxiing from standing still.

* I am a real-world pilot, with real-world experience in flying tail-draggers (real Cub, real DC-3). If you will follow these general instructions, you will find that operating **any** tail-dragger in X-Plane 11 may not be as hard as it sounds. X-Plane 11 is having some issues with grass and off runway ground behavior, but all in all, operating a tail dragger is doable and plausible with the current issues as well.