Near Ground Loop - Explained!

Had a close call with a ground loop landing a 8KCAB Super Decathlon at HKKR (Hawthorne Municipal).
Using both cockpit and external camera I diagnose and explain what went wrong here so you can avoid these mistakes in your own landings!
Fly often! Fly safe!

[@jimmydulin928]

Thanks for the video, Trevor. Videos allow us old Ag instructors, who are used to teaching from a picnic table, stay in the game at old age. Try preventing ground loop with constant rapid dynamic proactive rudder movement rather than reacting to the tail coming around front with reactive jabs. Staying ahead of the airplane means to be moving rudders the same as the tennis player shifting from left to right foot dynamically and proactively waiting for the service. Staying ahead of the airplane means to be walking the rudder pedals same as the defensive basket ball player who moves his feet rapidly while watching his man's number for any movement. As Sundance said in the movie, "I'm better when I move."
Your problem was that you were exactly centered on the centerline and flat footed. Watch the rudder in the wing camera view. It is not moving constantly and rapidly, dynamically and proactively, to bracket the centerline extended and centerline. Unfortunately the price of the airplane you are flying has stunted your training. We old guys who allow the student to walk the rudder pedals constantly dynamically and proactively to bracket the centerline and centerline extended cannot ride the controls. Today's training is more about the instructor saving the airplane than about the student learning by doing, which is much faster and much more thorough training. The Champ I learned in cost me $3.00 per hour wet and a really modern Tri-Pacer was $10.00 per hour wet. My airplanes were all less than $6500 except Ag planes, Stearman $10,000 and CallAir $12,500.
Also I taught deceleration with full flaps enough to get a good sink rate requiring dynamic power to exactly control glide angle and rate of descent from short final in. On very short final coming into ground effect, use of the apparent brisk walk rate of closure further decelerate allows touchdown slowly and softly on the numbers with power very accurately. At this slower than Vso, an out of ground effect number anyway, a very short roll will get us slow enough to ground loop without damage. I allowed lazy feet students to actually ground loop. It really gets their attention and they never go flat footed again.
Dynamic proactive rudder, walking the pedals, keep us ahead of the airplane: already moving when we taxi, already moving when we bring the tail up causing precession, already moving when we bring the mains off causing P factor, already moving on short final to bracket the centerline, already moving when we touch down, already moving when we roll out, already moving when we taxi.
Sit on the picnic table and watch airplanes land. The pilots using the steering wheel (adverse yaw) will be very apparent. We don't want to turn on short final, thus absolutely no need for aileron except to counter drift in a crosswind (set wing and leave). By walking the rudder pedals we yaw correctly. By bracketing the centerline with dynamic proactive rudder, we automatically keep the wing level or set at the proper bank for crosswind.

[@steeldesignerpro261]

I used to fly a1978 Decathlon and had my ground loop experience due to a poor design choice. The parking brake set control was identical to the air vent. I pulled and partially set the brakes during a summer flight. This led to bouncing from main to main and a 180 on the runway. I managed to keep about 18” under the wing tip so no damage. I have now added “parking brake off” to all my check lists. A colorful zip tie now identifies the brake lock. Safe flying.

[@sangriamunky]

Thank you for sharing!

[@troynichols8706]

Really good debrief

[@buzzypeterson1147]

How about don’t use Stu’s in a tailwheel. Circle the sock and look at it. Always pin the tail down, 7000 hours now 4100 tailwheel. A good number in the decathlon. The 180 horse was kind of a dog. Lot of fuel for such low torque. Biggest thing is don’t get behind the plane again. You fly it, it doesn’t fly you. You were along for the ride for a second there. It will teach you not to be a passenger.

[@otiselevator7738]

Never land downwind!

[@tztz1949]

Why land in a quarterimg tailwind?