February 18, 2025
gkochersberger_tailwheel

By Greg Kochersperger

I got into aviation because I loved the thought of flying. But as I’ve been building my own airplane the past two years, my love for flying has waned a bit and been replaced by my love of pounding rivets. I still like to make a few big trips per year so most of my flying these days is just to maintain currency and proficiency for those longer trips. But in a word flying has become a little bit boring. I’ve actually let myself fall dangerously close to “rusty pilot” status. My instrument currency is out, my flying club annual review was due, and perhaps biggest, FAA flight review was due. I knew I could go up with a CFI buddy of mine and knock them all out, but I wanted to do something different.

I thought about getting a tailwheel endorsement to earn myself a little bit of credibility with the experimental crowd I find myself associating with these days. It’s always something I thought I wanted to do. Who doesn’t have nostalgia for flying an old Piper Cub low and slow across the American countryside. I had actually inquired at a few places years ago that had Cubs but hit a pretty big hurdle when I was informed of a strict 200 lb weight limit. Knowing I wouldn’t likely be getting down to that fighting weight, I gave up on the idea.

Determined though that getting a Tailwheel endorsement might be just the thing to reignite my passion for flying, I reached out to Big Q Aviation in Midlothian because I heard they had a Citabria and did a little tailwheel and aerobatic training. I explained what I wanted to do – get my flight review while also getting my Tailwheel endorsement. I was disappointed to hear the Citabria was down for a few months. “You could do it in the Cub though if you want.” I explained my previous roadblock, but was assured my weight would be ok. I was ecstatic and booked my first session with one of their CFIs.

I met John at the FBO a few days later and we did a little ground to talk about tailwheel aerodynamics and technique, then out to the plane. A very nice little J3 Cub. Eighty-five horses, no electrical, traditional yellow with lightning bolt. Not going to win any awards, but a solid airplane that immediately won my affection. What’s not to love about a Cub? We preflighted the airplane, pulled it out of the hangar and reviewed starting procedures. I sat in the back seat and got on the brakes. “Switch off”, gave a couple shots of primer and John pulled the prop through three times. Crack the throttle, “Contact”, mags on, and John swung the prop through. It didn’t quite catch on the first flip, but it happily started on the second or third flip.

We began taxiing out and I quickly realized that the heel brakes were very difficult for me to use. From the back seat your feat are wedged between the front seat and sides of the airplane. I could position my feet well enough for the rudders but to activate the brakes required repositioning my whole shoe. It was awkward at best. My wide running shoes I wore for the day were not helping things. Continued taxiing and making S turns so I could see from the back seat and took advantage of the wide open door to stick my whole head out in the slipstream for some forward visibility. We taxied to the grass runway and a series of high-speed taxi runs to let the tail cone up and allow me to get a feel for the directional control. I kept the stick a little forward to keep her pinned to the runway and provide good visibility over the nose. We did about four passes down the runway like this, and I’m sure John was judging my ability to keep it tracking straight. I guess I passed that test because he said on the next one, just release the forward pressure on the stick and let her lift off.

At about 60 mph, we were climbing out but pretty slowly. I asked him if we were climbing to 1000’, standard traffic pattern altitude, and he replied “oh, we’ll never make it that high.” We hit about 800’ about the time we were abeam the numbers in downwind. Time to start coming down. Cubs are particularly susceptible to carb ice and John wanted to be sure I was working the carb heat into my pre-landing flow even on pretty warm day. So, I reach for the carb heat which is located on the right side of the front seat beyond my foot. I reach as far as I can, and then stretched another couple inches to grab the knob. My back immediately shoots with pain to let me know “don’t do that again!” I immediately realize I’d never be able to fly this plane alone as I will not be reaching for the carb heat again. We agree that John can operate the carb heat for the remainder of the day as long as I call it out per the checklist.

We did 15 landings in the grass that day, three point and wheel landings. We brought it in high and aggressively slipped it down; it was a lot of fun. I got the hang of the landings pretty well, but then again there was almost no wind. When we were done for the day John complimented me on a good job flying, but said “I can’t sign you off without some crosswind landings.” We agreed to meet again in a couple weeks and make sure there was a little crosswind.

I was hooked on the Cub. So much fun and gave me that little boost of aviation I needed. Instead of cruising the builder forums, I was now searching online for barn find Cubs that I could purchase. It’s a good thing I don’t have a big hangar somewhere – it would be full of beat-up old taildraggers.

The night before my next planned session with John, I checked the weather forecast and it was clear in the morning with a light crosswind, perfect. The next morning was clear, but as I drove south to Midlothian an overcast started to develop and was getting lower and lower as I got to the airport. John greeted me at the FBO and seemed as disappointed as I was. We sat out in the ramp for a bit staring up at the sky trying to judge how high the ceiling was. We both agreed it was less than 1000’ and then we watched a departing jet quickly disappear on departure confirming what we suspected. By then most of the airports around Dallas were reporting IFR, including Love Field which had at least updated their TAF to say it would burn off in about an hour. That gave us time to go inside and do a little bit more ground to satisfy my flight review. Then we got the plane ready and pulled it out of the hangar. This time, I got to prop it. John and another student had flooded it earlier in the week so he was leery of over priming it. Tried just propping it with no primer. Tried about four times, but it wouldn’t fire. He finally gave it a couple shots and then it fired on the first blade. Taxiing out I confirmed that the narrower shoes I had selected for the day much improved my access to the heel brakes. I was even successfully was able to reach the carb heat during run up, although quick concluded I would still leave those duties to John to save my back.

We would flew from the pavement this time. My takeoff was good but first landing not so much. I felt pretty defeated and quickly lost the confidence I had built a couple weeks before. Bounce, bounce, bounce. We kept at it, alternating between wheel and three points with only marginal improvement. Several times I powered up to go around, but John would talk me back down on the remaining runway. I finally had a minor break through when I realized I just wasn’t committing enough to the landing. On a wheel landing you need to push that stick a little forward and pin it down. Alternately, on a three point that stick need to be all the way back in your lap and don’t give any back. That’s a lesson that I can take to my tricycle gear landings as well.

I was finally back in the groove and consistently giving acceptable landings. Comfortably alternating between the turf and the pavement. We did 17 more landings and had hit an arbitrary total of 3 hours on the Hobbs that we decided was a good minimum number. We pulled into the FBO and parked, and he signed off my tailwheel endorsement and flight review in my log book. Then he told me to go back out and do three in the pattern solo. I was more anxious than during my first true solo during my private. Maybe something about it being in the Cub and knowing how many great aviators had their first solo in a yellow Cub just like this one.

He helped me start it up, and I taxied over to the paved runway and put the power to her. Without a CFI, and a little light on fuel, she soared up to 800’ before I even go to the end of the runway. I made my first circuit and did a three point in the grass. Not my best, but not bad. Next circuit opted for a wheeler in the grass. I kept reminding myself to commit and pin that nose down. Well, I overdid it a bit and felt like I had a windshield full of grass in front of me. No prop strike, everything was ok, but it humbled me a bit. Next landing would go for a three point on the pavement. The wind was starting to pick up a bit by now and was blowing much more across the runway. I bounced the landing and panicked a bit, put a little power in and tried to get it flying again for another attempt. I didn’t commit. And when it bounced again, I really focused on keeping the stick back and getting the tail down. I can’t recall all the events of the next 5 milliseconds but I was definitely heading toward the left side of the runway and fighting to keep her straight. “This is it,” I thought,” the dreaded ground loop.” Well, it wasn’t that bad really and I did manage to keep it on the runway and facing generally the right direction. I was far enough toward the end still that I was hoping John hadn’t really seen it. I was embarrassed and deflated. But I had my three solo landings in a Cub.

After getting my private and gradually progressing up through larger and faster airplanes, it is hard to describe the satisfaction of getting back to basics and just enjoying the flight. We never even left the pattern, but it was some of the most fun I’ve had flying. Going low and slow with the doors open just can’t be beat.
Here am I six months later still thinking about flying that little Cub and still searching Barnstormers looking for a distractions from my build. Weather is getting nicer – I think I’ll give John a call and go fly her again.