Gosh, every pilot should know this. The recent Debonair accident was such a tragedy. I received a tail wheel endorsement in a Taylorcraft L-2 at Reid-Hillview airport in the early 1970's by Anna Frenzel, a former WASP pilot. Unfortunately, my first couple of landings looked like the first one here; not finding the ground. She clearly informed me of my errors. Her signature in my logbook is perhaps my happiest memory.
I remember doing partial panel patterns with my primary instructor way back in the day. We did 3 or 4 with everything except the altimeter and airspeed indicator covered up and they were "acceptable." Then he said, "this time let's really have some fun!" and covered up the rest. We did a few more with no flight instruments at all. "You'll be a little off altitude, you'll be a little off airspeed, and you won't land right on your spot, but you'll be fine." He was right. With the simple stuff most of us fly, eyes out the window are all we *really* need when it comes right down to it.
I've always felt the J-3 is, in its own way, as near a perfect airplane as there ever was❤. Honest, docile, and forgiving, even beautiful. I think many pilots today have lost touch with basic airmanship and don't get their heads out of the cockpit enough. THIS is the type of training we could all benefit from😉.
This brought back memories of flying the lovely L4 Cub (Military J3). I found that with the side open ( as it always was when I flew it) just as all 3 wheels were about to touch simultaneously the lower side door would float up as a sort of AoA indicator! What a lovely aeroplane!
One of the biggest part of the basics I learned during my flight training. And I’ll be bringing those skills with me on my check ride on the 9th of January.
Pitch and power will save you every time. I was a T-37 IP which of course had no autopilot or autothrottle and all instrument work was hand-flown. In the simulator I used a technique where I'd have a stash of those old rubber soap dishes that had about 25 suction cups on them. They fit perfectly over the various round instruments and I could selectively cover up the secondary indications to force the student's crosscheck to what mattered. So teaching an ILS for example, I'd set them up all stable on course (no crosswind) approaching GS intercept, and when we hit the glidepath I'd put it on freeze and cover up the airspeed, the VVI, and the LOC/GS display, leaving only the heading and attitude indicator as the only instruments to look at. I'd tell them when I take it off freeze you're going to do two things: lower the pitch 3 degrees and set the throttles at 70%. After that you only have to do two things down final: maintain that pitch you just set and hold your heading. Once we came off freeze I'd hack the clock for a minute and then put it on freeze again and uncover everything. Like magic, that ILS that used to be such a handful? Now they're dead on: on course, on glidepath, on speed, with a proper sink rate.
Always remember my instructor in the 150...."you need to get that picture thru the windscreen cemented in your mind for ever, like a sixth sense" He was darn right.
I really enjoy watching you in the J-3 Cub. I have many many fond memories of flying with my uncle in his J-3 Cub. He had 3 of them back in the day. The last one he got as a wreck and rebuilt it from the frame up. I have at least 100 hours of flying time in his 1946 J-3. Although, I was priced out of the hobby when I was younger, I enjoyed the time I had with. Your videos brings back a lot of memories. I love listening to that 65 HP Continental Engine when you prop it on the videos.
Love your channel. Among other things I'm a UK glider pilot, and when the cable breaks on launch we're trained to push over so hard that all the dust comes up off the floor so we regain flying attitude in moments. Maybe more power pilots should spend time in gliders (sailplanes to you rebels).
I got my Private certificate in gliders and added an airplane rating a couple of years later. I'm really glad I chose that route because I feel it made me a much better pilot. Flying gliders will really develop one's stick and rudder skills and is a heck of a lot of fun, to boot!
Yes, but considering this video is in fact "pitch and power" you would be missing 50% (or more) of the intended lesson. Do tow cables break often in gliders?
@@atatterson6992 Tow ropes are designed to break at the proper time. To quote Carle Conway in his book _The Joy of Soaring_ (a really nice introductory text), "If the tow rope is too weak, there is danger of an untimely break; if too strong it could transmit damaging loads to the glider... A rope that breaks _when it should_ offers a protection similar to a fuse in an electrical circuit. ... [T]he required breaking strength of the rope must be over 80% and less than 200% of the gross weight of the glider being towed." Tow ropes do break, although not very often. Mostly, they break when recovering from a slack towline situation. During instruction, budding glider pilots are well drilled in both broken line and slack line procedures.
Back in 1965, I was getting dual instruction in a Taylorcraft and a Cessna 140 as well as a Cessna 150. Never soloed the Taylorcraft but did 2 of my required solo cross countries in the 140. I had problems with the steep learning curve of a taildragger but once my instructor taught me to be more active with the rudder, the problems went away. Noticed that on both landings in this video, the pilot was very active on the rudder.
I went flying today. A Xmas present to me. I flew a 172 and had a blast. I just turned 61. I wish I was younger and richer so I know most certifications are out of my reach. But the flying club I belong to has a Citabra. I might challenge myself to get my tail wheel endorsement. This video inspires me. Greetings from SoCal F70 🙋🏻♂️
This is a gloriously excellent video! Right to the point, and no instrument-nonsense. Pure visual flying with a side dish of seat of the pants - and a reminder that landing a tailwheel aircraft isn't all that easy. Love it! Makes me want to go out flying (even if "just" in my flight simulator).
@@pplusbthrustFor the physics of taildragger flying, get X-Plane. It's really awesome. While no good J-3 Cubs are modeled yet, other taildraggers are modeled to the point of excellence. If you "just" want fantastic scenery, MSFS can be used.
Landing a tailwheel isn't really hard, and you have more options than you would in a nosewheel aircraft. You just have to be smooth, especially in a Cessna 140. Bounce that spring gear, and things get ugly. Best to go around with full power if you bounce it too hard.
@@dougrobinson8602 For many all those options are probably the thing that makes it more difficult. As you say, a bounce on a wheel landing can get awful, and not for the reasons that one thinks. And the optional, and often very desired, landing on the tailwheel slightly first is difficult to pull off, and requires very tight management of power. I love taildraggers…
Great video! I'm a flight instructor here in Brazil and we use a Brazilian model similar to the PA-11 called P-56 Paulistinha to teach. I did my PPL on the same aircraft. It used to be the most commom trainer in Brazil but is nowadays rarer to find. Pitch and power are the first lessons we give and although it should be the simplest of things, a lot of comercial pilots we get to transition in to tailwheels or to recheck their single engine license don't know how to do it properly. The basiscs shouldn't be forgotten!
Merry Christmas, Juan . Thanks for all the great content this year. By far, the most considered and informative covering of aviation topics on UA-cam! Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧
My dad had a Cub all the time I was growing up. I love the fact that it is the absolute KISS Keep It Simple Stupid. The Cub is the perfect No Nonsense Trainer.
I was fortunate enough to learn how to fly in a J-3. Best trainer ever. Full stop. You really didn't need instruments to fly it, as Juan showed, everything is visual. Basically the difference between a stall and a mush is that in a stall, the door flops up. darn it, now I have to go find someone to give me some Cub time!
I’ve only flown in the Super Cub, it was just a flight from Piper Field back to Frederick Maryland. I was in the front seat and group captain Willy Hackett RAF was the back seater. This cub belongs to my brothers glider flying club. It’s mostly used for tail wheel training and glider tow training. I don’t remember Willy saying anything about where to put the nose of the airplane on the horizon. If there had been air scoops like on the regular cub, he may have mentioned it. I just can’t remember. It was only the second time I had flown an airplane with a stick rather than a wheel. I found it very easy to do. I believe on the way up to Piper Field I flew an RV, they called it a mustang ll. It was quite fast, and I enjoyed every minute of it! On the way back, I flew in the super cub. Love the channel Juan!❤😊
That's pretty much spot on with speeds and visual references to fly the Cub. Had mine now 14 years, with 1200 take of and landings and around 350 MM, and haven't bent anything yet. The floating bottom door is your best indicatiaon of nailing the 3 point landings every time. Over the many years of flying almost anything with wings and a engine, the Cub if my favorite by far.
I love J3 Cubs!! The love for them started young as a remote control airplane of one and through life admiring them from afar at airfields and vintage fly-ins, so I’m envious of you being able to freely fly one! Congrats as well on 400k subscribers, this is testimony to your commitment to commentary on helping improve flight safety.
Well explained and demonstrated fundamental concepts and the yellow Cub is just right for it. I’m out of the flying thing but I wish more schools had tailwheel airplanes to take lessons in. The flight school I used to rent from had a 1946 J3 Cub, electric start, wind-driven generator to keep the battery charged, a C90 engine that climbed nicely and slightly chunkier tires for off-pavement fun. For the somewhat short time it was available to rent I got my tailwheel endorsement in it. It helped me tremendously with flying the C172: I was no longer timid on the rudder and found I wanted way more rudder (like the J3 Cub had) in forward slips than the Cessna had. Also had some neat, recorded flights with some of my kids. Maybe one day I’ll get a Luscombe ;). Thanks a lot for taking the time and fuel to post this 😎
Spot on teaching as usual Juan. The view from the back seat brought back so many good memories; and voices , long stilled, shouting those same directions above the staccato sound of a leaky 75 HP Lycoming. All the while we hobble along 3000' over the wheat fields of the Walla Walla valley.
Hi Juan I just got home from doing a Christmas rip in my little Murphy rebel. My CFI is a 70 yo high time tail dragger guy. He’s all about this kind of flying. His favorite saying is “the wing is the thing” Thanks for sharing your method! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Love that old J3. Flew one in C.A.P. to do holiday traffic counts for the state patrol. Cars & trucks passing us but we were having a blast! No smoking sign was taken seriously as it was painted on the fuel tank in your lap. Beautiful aircraft.
I never flew a J3. I did solo my dad’s Aeronca from the back once to see what it would be like. Blah. Later I flew a PA-12, but that had a 150 Lycoming for towing. Sweet airplane.
FWIW: I was a student pilot back in 1979-1980, and I soloed {at 18 years of age} in November of 1979. {I did not continue on and get my PPL, mainly due to the lack of $$$}. I mention all that to explain that I still remember _'becoming aware'_ from my flight instructor that on landing approach I used throttle to control rate of descent and aircraft attitude to control airspeed. I was already an AVIATION NUT even BEFORE I started taking flight instruction, but this throttle/attitude thing was new to me. Great video Juan. Sweet Cub...👍
My original instructor, Ken Hatch, was very clear about making sure I understood that the yoke controls the airspeed, and the throttle controls the altitude. He was also very keen on trimming the aircraft, particularly on approaches. Trimmed to his recommended approach speed the aircraft controls remained light, but stiffened quickly if you tried to use the yoke to control the altitude. He had me demonstrate how easy it was to stall the plane if you tried to control the approach speed untrimmed by brute force and pull back a little too much - you just couldn't feel the difference but the stall was dramatic.
Some of my friends have thousands of hours in fighters, including the F-5 (& T-38) , F-16, F-18, as well as various transport category jets. The F-5E/F Tiger is notable, because it has just enough thrust to get a pilot in trouble if they overestimate the performance, push the jet too far and let their airspeed decay, as the F-5 will bleed energy pretty fast compared to other jets like the F-16. Similarly, the F-5 can be a difficult tiger to control in the pattern if you don't manage your energy state, your airspeed. Do not forget the basics - Pitch and Power - as even a fighter jet like the F-5 or F-18 will bite you in the butt, especially in the pattern, and you'll go into a stall spin departure, and if you are lucky, you'll be able to eject in time. These are basic flying skills that apply in any aircraft, from a J-3 Cub to an F-18 to a 777...
Sounds like quite an expensive "bite in the butt", not to mention the debris and vector damage caused by a pilotless F-16 upon the poor, innocent earth :-( Did your friends mention that or just the location of the "Eject" handle?
Love your channel, and how I do love those Cubs. Over the years I've put my share of hours in a Cub, and never "modified" mine. A lot of time was flying in the desert southwest {Az} but I stayed with C-65, wooden prop and spars and no electrical system. The other thing that was missing for 8 months out of the year was doors. So many videos I've watched with the pilots being "panel fixated" it's good to see you show the basics of stick and rudder flying. Thank you for your channel Juan, Safe flying...
Pitch and power! Whenever I had a student sent to me because they were failing to progress to solo I would just go flying with them with the artificial horizon and airspeed indicator covered. Look outside, put the nose where it needs to be for the power setting and flight regime you're in, then trim it to stay there. They would always be amazed when I uncovered the airspeed indicator for a second and the needle was right where it needed to be. Their flying would usually improve dramatically in just one session. I once even made an ATP candidate just do an hour of basic air work under the hood with the airspeed indicator covered, the improvement was dramatic when he just concentrated on pitch control and stopped chasing the airspeed needle.
Really interesting (I'm not an aviator) with a clear message, bearing in mind the recent Debonair tragedy, that pilots' first requirement is "fly the aircraft". This basic knowledge and skill is obviously fundamental to being a skilled and safe pilot who can cope with emergencies. Thanks, Juan,.
Exactly the point I was going to make. Debonair and her father would be alive today if she had had straightforward stick, rudder and throttle airmanship instruction from a competent instructor.
Great pithy instructional video! That is how I fly my 1940 J3C-65, but I have done it so long that I don't even think about it while I'm doing it. I do get 73 mph at 2150 rpm, though.
Reminds me of my instructor's constant reference to attitude flying to define the relationship between the glareshield and the horizon. 0 fingers in the climb, 4 fingers in the cruise and 6 fingers in the descent. Of course with the associated power settings.
I learned to fly in a 1946 CUB in central Florida in 1966 while in the Navy as an air traffic controller at the Sanford Naval Air Station. Some of the best times of my life, but the plane i flew did not have that many instruments.
BCATP yellow? What a beautiful aeroplane. I became familiar with that shade when modelling 33EFTS Caron, where dad was posted 1943 on his journey to piloting a Pathfinder Lancaster. Posted a video doc if anyone's interested.
I've never had the honor of flying an original, flapless and underpowered J-3 Cub, but was once thrown in the front seat of a 150hp Super Cub with the owner (a skydiving nut) in the back seat - and passing 3000' he departed the aircraft with a "yahooo!", for a hop'n pop. Flying the Super Cub is like putting on an old, comfortable glove, even if you have never flown one before! The only challenge was the heel brakes, a novelty for me but not really an issue, even having to land on a 300m (1000') spit of sand afterward, this is such a natural-feeling aircraft. My first taildragger was a H-295 Helio Super Courier which is a genuine handful, every taildragger I have flown after that has been a piece of cake...
I was watching your assessments of the TNFlyGirl (or whatever her handle is/was) incident, and this concept is what consumed all of my thoughts. This was a bit difficult for me to grasp in my training at first, so much experience driving cars teaches that pulling power slows you down, it takes a minute to learn to adjust airspeed with pitch.
You can't control pitch in a car usually (except by going up and down hills, and you don't do that as a means to control speed), so that's why you only think about using power to control speed. In a plane, you can also use pitch to control speed. Ironically, the lady in TN should have also thought about reducing power to reduce speed in the dive in addition to pitching up and adding nose up trim.
Authentic WW1 experience :) Maybe get a glider plane's parachute backpack, just in case. They are about 3 grand and flat on the back so you can use a normal seat. Alternatively just an emergency pouch stowed in the craft for about 600 but takes more prep time and presence of mind in an emergency. There seems to be a pattern that accidents are more frequent in old planes for various reasons. Less performance envelope, lack of ballistic chute, older metallurgy and less sophisticated engineering. And time to fatigue. We don't want to make Mike Patey sad :)
Sticks here from STIW... (JB Hall) Reminds me of wise advice before I was off to Whiting Field... (Remember PAT) Power, Attitude then Trim. The fundamental stick and rudder skills. Just grreat reminders for all of us. KEEP IT UP KELLAN!
My dad learned to fly in a J-2 with one of the top Female Flight instructors after WW II on the GI Bill with only partial vision in his left eye. Army Medic volunteer for the draft he lost his right eye when he was 12. Top testers from the CAA passed him with comments he was one of the steadiest pilots they had ever flown with. He never bought a plane he just did it to open the door for other veterans. Decades later with a little familiarization flying in his friends 172 he was able to recover the plane from a death spiral spin 500 feet off the ground when he his friend lost awareness in lowering clouds over Montana. Elk hunting trip was not successful, and he forced his friend to get his instrument rating after that trip. Good presentation of the basics.
Many years ago I was flying in northern Minnesota in a Cessna 150. Suddenly I was overtaking a J-3 Cub 1,000 feet below me. I wagged my wings at him and thought,”Goose….Goose… Talk to me, Goose.” Ah, delusions of grandeur.
Great info, Juan. As a non-fixed-wing pilot, I appreciate your insight. Hope you and the family had a Merry Christmas, and have yourselves a very Happy New Year.
Thanks, Juan. I'd just like to point out that pitch does not exclusively control airspeed and power does not exclusively control altitude. Some of the comments on here have me wondering if people understand that. There are situations in which pitch is "primary" for airspeed because it controls airspeed more effectively than power, such as during the landing approach. But if people ignore power as a means to control speed as well, that could be dangerous. Imagine you find yourself in a high-speed, power on dive and you only think about using pitch to decrease your airspeed. No, you have to also reduce your power. Best wishes for the new year & safe travels!
I love the video. Never flown a cub but it is on my bucket list. Most of my instructing is at a CAP summer flight academy. First couple of lessons is all about pitch/airspeed control. I instruct in gliders and airplanes. I wish all students could start in a sailplane or a simple plane like a cub. They might avoid some of the mistakes I made starting out. I can't speak from experience but I suspect a cub flies something like a schweizer 2-33. Lots of adverse yaw and with the benefit of low horsepower you probably get to feel what I call "pure flight" without torque & p factor masking your feel for the aircraft.
Great video showing attitude control by visual references, I used to use a grease pencil to help new students learn the proper attitude for climbs, descents and level flight. However, I must respectfully disagree on pitch and power. Pitch always controls altitude and power controls airspeed unless power is fixed, then power is fixed pitch controls altitude and airspeed. I can send you FAA instruction teaching this method and notes from an Air Force Manual teaching the same. It is how I was taught in the 70’s as a student and how I taught as an instructor from 1978 until 1987 when I started my airline career retiring in 2014. I do enjoy your videos and I also watch all of Dan Gryder’s videos. Both of you are doing a great job increasing General Aviation safety.
I can show you a Navy FA-18 manual for carrier operations that says pitch is for AoA and power is for altitude (glide path) on final approach with manual control (pitch controls glide path during an automatic approach). And power is certainly variable during a carrier approach.
@@igclapp AoA is altitude. Changing pitch changes altitude or vertical speed. The quickest and most efficient way to change altitude is with pitch, not power. The quickest and most efficient way to change airspeed is with power if power is not fixed. I have a real life story that proves my point. If you would like to ear it let me know.
MERRY CHRISTMAS JUAN WOW BRINGS back so many memories my first flight 64 years ago WAS is in one of these my uncle was a sharp cookie my mother’s brother she was so proud of him she trusted her son to her brother to take me on my first flight I always cherish that and I was in the Air Force After that because of that I have always loved airplanes I wasn’t old enough to operate it but we had corsair little plane on strings no remote control back then you kept going round and round and round and pretty soon you get dizzy and fall down that I laughed so hard at🤣my dad and my brother Main thing was we all had fun nobody got hurt because We doing the right things we hoped Live clean work clean party clean and things should work out for you
Gosh, every pilot should know this. The recent Debonair accident was such a tragedy. I received a tail wheel endorsement in a Taylorcraft L-2 at Reid-Hillview airport in the early 1970's by Anna Frenzel, a former WASP pilot. Unfortunately, my first couple of landings looked like the first one here; not finding the ground. She clearly informed me of my errors. Her signature in my logbook is perhaps my happiest memory.
That's so great!!!
@@DrDisconnect666just out of curiosity, how do you stall something that is floating?
I understand you didn't appreciate what she wrote.
I think she felt it was her duty to do it.
Got my tail wheel sign off in a B 18...all my tailwheel time in a E 18...
I have a feeling the Debonair accident is what prompted Juan to make this video.
I remember doing partial panel patterns with my primary instructor way back in the day. We did 3 or 4 with everything except the altimeter and airspeed indicator covered up and they were "acceptable." Then he said, "this time let's really have some fun!" and covered up the rest. We did a few more with no flight instruments at all. "You'll be a little off altitude, you'll be a little off airspeed, and you won't land right on your spot, but you'll be fine." He was right. With the simple stuff most of us fly, eyes out the window are all we *really* need when it comes right down to it.
Yep watching that woman messing about barely looking outsuide is just awful...My old CFI in vfr. "Eyes up and out..scan once, then out again.
The Basics BRILLIANT 👍👍😊Thank you
I've always felt the J-3 is, in its own way, as near a perfect airplane as there ever was❤. Honest, docile, and forgiving, even beautiful. I think many pilots today have lost touch with basic airmanship and don't get their heads out of the cockpit enough. THIS is the type of training we could all benefit from😉.
Its too slow. 600mph or bust
This brought back memories of flying the lovely L4 Cub (Military J3). I found that with the side open ( as it always was when I flew it) just as all 3 wheels were about to touch simultaneously the lower side door would float up as a sort of AoA indicator! What a lovely aeroplane!
One of the biggest part of the basics I learned during my flight training. And I’ll be bringing those skills with me on my check ride on the 9th of January.
Juan i don't even fly but you're a god send. Knowledge is (pitch and) power
Pitch and power will save you every time. I was a T-37 IP which of course had no autopilot or autothrottle and all instrument work was hand-flown. In the simulator I used a technique where I'd have a stash of those old rubber soap dishes that had about 25 suction cups on them. They fit perfectly over the various round instruments and I could selectively cover up the secondary indications to force the student's crosscheck to what mattered.
So teaching an ILS for example, I'd set them up all stable on course (no crosswind) approaching GS intercept, and when we hit the glidepath I'd put it on freeze and cover up the airspeed, the VVI, and the LOC/GS display, leaving only the heading and attitude indicator as the only instruments to look at. I'd tell them when I take it off freeze you're going to do two things: lower the pitch 3 degrees and set the throttles at 70%. After that you only have to do two things down final: maintain that pitch you just set and hold your heading. Once we came off freeze I'd hack the clock for a minute and then put it on freeze again and uncover everything.
Like magic, that ILS that used to be such a handful? Now they're dead on: on course, on glidepath, on speed, with a proper sink rate.
Always remember my instructor in the 150...."you need to get that picture thru the windscreen cemented in your mind for ever, like a sixth sense" He was darn right.
I really enjoy watching you in the J-3 Cub. I have many many fond memories of flying with my uncle in his J-3 Cub. He had 3 of them back in the day. The last one he got as a wreck and rebuilt it from the frame up. I have at least 100 hours of flying time in his 1946 J-3. Although, I was priced out of the hobby when I was younger, I enjoyed the time I had with. Your videos brings back a lot of memories. I love listening to that 65 HP Continental Engine when you prop it on the videos.
How much are these airplanes worth these days? Thx.
Love your channel. Among other things I'm a UK glider pilot, and when the cable breaks on launch we're trained to push over so hard that all the dust comes up off the floor so we regain flying attitude in moments. Maybe more power pilots should spend time in gliders (sailplanes to you rebels).
I got my Private certificate in gliders and added an airplane rating a couple of years later. I'm really glad I chose that route because I feel it made me a much better pilot. Flying gliders will really develop one's stick and rudder skills and is a heck of a lot of fun, to boot!
Yes, but considering this video is in fact "pitch and power" you would be missing 50% (or more) of the intended lesson. Do tow cables break often in gliders?
@@atatterson6992 Tow ropes are designed to break at the proper time. To quote Carle Conway in his book _The Joy of Soaring_ (a really nice introductory text), "If the tow rope is too weak, there is danger of an untimely break; if too strong it could transmit damaging loads to the glider... A rope that breaks _when it should_ offers a protection similar to a fuse in an electrical circuit. ... [T]he required breaking strength of the rope must be over 80% and less than 200% of the gross weight of the glider being towed."
Tow ropes do break, although not very often. Mostly, they break when recovering from a slack towline situation. During instruction, budding glider pilots are well drilled in both broken line and slack line procedures.
@@johnopalko5223 Wow, thank you Sir for such a great response. Happy New Year!
@@atatterson6992 And to you, my friend!
Back in 1965, I was getting dual instruction in a Taylorcraft and a Cessna 140 as well as a Cessna 150. Never soloed the Taylorcraft but did 2 of my required solo cross countries in the 140. I had problems with the steep learning curve of a taildragger but once my instructor taught me to be more active with the rudder, the problems went away. Noticed that on both landings in this video, the pilot was very active on the rudder.
In a boat with one oar over the stern they call that rudder action "sculling"!
You are a good man, Juan keep them safe. No shortcut to experience.
I went flying today. A Xmas present to me. I flew a 172 and had a blast. I just turned 61. I wish I was younger and richer so I know most certifications are out of my reach. But the flying club I belong to has a Citabra. I might challenge myself to get my tail wheel endorsement. This video inspires me. Greetings from SoCal F70 🙋🏻♂️
This is a gloriously excellent video! Right to the point, and no instrument-nonsense. Pure visual flying with a side dish of seat of the pants - and a reminder that landing a tailwheel aircraft isn't all that easy. Love it! Makes me want to go out flying (even if "just" in my flight simulator).
I like the way you think and need to download a sim.
@@pplusbthrustFor the physics of taildragger flying, get X-Plane. It's really awesome. While no good J-3 Cubs are modeled yet, other taildraggers are modeled to the point of excellence. If you "just" want fantastic scenery, MSFS can be used.
Landing a tailwheel isn't really hard, and you have more options than you would in a nosewheel aircraft. You just have to be smooth, especially in a Cessna 140. Bounce that spring gear, and things get ugly. Best to go around with full power if you bounce it too hard.
@@dougrobinson8602 For many all those options are probably the thing that makes it more difficult. As you say, a bounce on a wheel landing can get awful, and not for the reasons that one thinks. And the optional, and often very desired, landing on the tailwheel slightly first is difficult to pull off, and requires very tight management of power. I love taildraggers…
Man that little guy sounds GOOD taking off what a sweet little airplane and our favorite pilot
flying it!
Great video! I'm a flight instructor here in Brazil and we use a Brazilian model similar to the PA-11 called P-56 Paulistinha to teach. I did my PPL on the same aircraft. It used to be the most commom trainer in Brazil but is nowadays rarer to find.
Pitch and power are the first lessons we give and although it should be the simplest of things, a lot of comercial pilots we get to transition in to tailwheels or to recheck their single engine license don't know how to do it properly. The basiscs shouldn't be forgotten!
Merry Christmas, Juan . Thanks for all the great content this year. By far, the most considered and informative covering of aviation topics on UA-cam! Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧
My dad had a Cub all the time I was growing up. I love the fact that it is the absolute KISS Keep It Simple Stupid. The Cub is the perfect No Nonsense
Trainer.
I was fortunate enough to learn how to fly in a J-3. Best trainer ever. Full stop. You really didn't need instruments to fly it, as Juan showed, everything is visual. Basically the difference between a stall and a mush is that in a stall, the door flops up. darn it, now I have to go find someone to give me some Cub time!
CLEAR PROP!
I’ve only flown in the Super Cub, it was just a flight from Piper Field back to Frederick Maryland. I was in the front seat and group captain Willy Hackett RAF was the back seater. This cub belongs to my brothers glider flying club. It’s mostly used for tail wheel training and glider tow training.
I don’t remember Willy saying anything about where to put the nose of the airplane on the horizon. If there had been air scoops like on the regular cub, he may have mentioned it. I just can’t remember. It was only the second time I had flown an airplane with a stick rather than a wheel. I found it very easy to do. I believe on the way up to Piper Field I flew an RV, they called it a mustang ll. It was quite fast, and I enjoyed every minute of it! On the way back, I flew in the super cub.
Love the channel Juan!❤😊
That's pretty much spot on with speeds and visual references to fly the Cub. Had mine now 14 years, with 1200 take of and landings and around 350 MM, and haven't bent anything yet. The floating bottom door is your best indicatiaon of nailing the 3 point landings every time. Over the many years of flying almost anything with wings and a engine, the Cub if my favorite by far.
The door is a stall warning device. In a good three point landing that puppy should coming up. That's how I was taught to fly it.
Are the P-47 and P-51 pretty much the same? As tail-draggers is there a huge differnce with all that extra engine weight or essentially the same?
Been flying my 1946 J3-C85 for many years, and appreciate this sound piloting advise .
Thanks for the refresher. Takes me back all the way to 1958
Im terrified of flying. I probably will never do it again. But I love your videos!
I love J3 Cubs!! The love for them started young as a remote control airplane of one and through life admiring them from afar at airfields and vintage fly-ins, so I’m envious of you being able to freely fly one!
Congrats as well on 400k subscribers, this is testimony to your commitment to commentary on helping improve flight safety.
Well explained and demonstrated fundamental concepts and the yellow Cub is just right for it. I’m out of the flying thing but I wish more schools had tailwheel airplanes to take lessons in. The flight school I used to rent from had a 1946 J3 Cub, electric start, wind-driven generator to keep the battery charged, a C90 engine that climbed nicely and slightly chunkier tires for off-pavement fun. For the somewhat short time it was available to rent I got my tailwheel endorsement in it. It helped me tremendously with flying the C172: I was no longer timid on the rudder and found I wanted way more rudder (like the J3 Cub had) in forward slips than the Cessna had. Also had some neat, recorded flights with some of my kids. Maybe one day I’ll get a Luscombe ;). Thanks a lot for taking the time and fuel to post this 😎
Spot on teaching as usual Juan. The view from the back seat brought back so many good memories; and voices , long stilled, shouting those same directions above the staccato sound of a leaky 75 HP Lycoming. All the while we hobble along 3000' over the wheat fields of the Walla Walla valley.
I have a 46 Cub as well, it is amazing how the wing naturally loves 65 MPH, I use the same windshield reference points.
Hi Juan I just got home from doing a Christmas rip in my little Murphy rebel. My CFI is a 70 yo high time tail dragger guy. He’s all about this kind of flying. His favorite saying is “the wing is the thing” Thanks for sharing your method! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Love that old J3. Flew one in C.A.P. to do holiday traffic counts for the state patrol. Cars & trucks passing us but we were having a blast! No smoking sign was taken seriously as it was painted on the fuel tank in your lap. Beautiful aircraft.
I never flew a J3. I did solo my dad’s Aeronca from the back once to see what it would be like. Blah. Later I flew a PA-12, but that had a 150 Lycoming for towing. Sweet airplane.
Absolutely, never stop learning! Never be complacent because you think you know everything.
Beutiful Cub.
Thx Juan
FWIW: I was a student pilot back in 1979-1980, and I soloed {at 18 years of age} in November of 1979. {I did not continue on and get my PPL, mainly due to the lack of $$$}.
I mention all that to explain that I still remember _'becoming aware'_ from my flight instructor that on landing approach I used throttle to control rate of descent and aircraft attitude to control airspeed.
I was already an AVIATION NUT even BEFORE I started taking flight instruction, but this throttle/attitude thing was new to me.
Great video Juan. Sweet Cub...👍
My original instructor, Ken Hatch, was very clear about making sure I understood that the yoke controls the airspeed, and the throttle controls the altitude. He was also very keen on trimming the aircraft, particularly on approaches. Trimmed to his recommended approach speed the aircraft controls remained light, but stiffened quickly if you tried to use the yoke to control the altitude. He had me demonstrate how easy it was to stall the plane if you tried to control the approach speed untrimmed by brute force and pull back a little too much - you just couldn't feel the difference but the stall was dramatic.
Juan , I never stop learning while watching your videos. Thank you. Merry Christmas!
Nicely explained, in the UK we sometimes call it point and squirt :)
I learned to fly in a C150. I really learned to fly in an Aeronca Champ, adverse yaw is so much more apparent.
Great stick and rudder skills! I'm not sure how much I trust an airline pilot who doesn't fly a taildragger regularly!
I am buying the RC version of this airplane and do a little flying of my own. What an amazing machine Juan.
Some of my friends have thousands of hours in fighters, including the F-5 (& T-38) , F-16, F-18, as well as various transport category jets.
The F-5E/F Tiger is notable, because it has just enough thrust to get a pilot in trouble if they overestimate the performance, push the jet too far and let their airspeed decay, as the F-5 will bleed energy pretty fast compared to other jets like the F-16.
Similarly, the F-5 can be a difficult tiger to control in the pattern if you don't manage your energy state, your airspeed.
Do not forget the basics - Pitch and Power - as even a fighter jet like the F-5 or F-18 will bite you in the butt, especially in the pattern, and you'll go into a stall spin departure, and if you are lucky, you'll be able to eject in time.
These are basic flying skills that apply in any aircraft, from a J-3 Cub to an F-18 to a 777...
Power, Attitude, Trim
I got my private pilot license in 1979 I feel fortunate that my instructor stressed the basics back then.
I believe Pedersen used to or still does own a Talon that was hangered at JeffCo airport.
Sounds like quite an expensive "bite in the butt", not to mention the debris and vector damage caused by a pilotless F-16 upon the poor, innocent earth :-(
Did your friends mention that or just the location of the "Eject" handle?
@@CarlE.Mankinen god that would be a cool thing to fly
Love your channel, and how I do love those Cubs. Over the years I've put my share of hours in a Cub, and never "modified" mine. A lot of time was flying in the desert southwest {Az} but I stayed with C-65, wooden prop and spars and no electrical system. The other thing that was missing for 8 months out of the year was doors. So many videos I've watched with the pilots being "panel fixated" it's good to see you show the basics of stick and rudder flying. Thank you for your channel Juan, Safe flying...
Merry Christmas , wonderful way tp spend time with the family !
Folks up north in Canada are out snowshoeing and riding their snow mahines etc
Just wanted to say how much I appreciate and enjoy your videos.
I'm glad you're telling people to keep their eyes outside the cockpit! 👍
Merry Christmas Juan, I’ve said it before but your channel should be mandatory viewing for all pilots.
I’ve seen them all and Juan’s is the best one.
Pitch and power! Whenever I had a student sent to me because they were failing to progress to solo I would just go flying with them with the artificial horizon and airspeed indicator covered. Look outside, put the nose where it needs to be for the power setting and flight regime you're in, then trim it to stay there. They would always be amazed when I uncovered the airspeed indicator for a second and the needle was right where it needed to be. Their flying would usually improve dramatically in just one session. I once even made an ATP candidate just do an hour of basic air work under the hood with the airspeed indicator covered, the improvement was dramatic when he just concentrated on pitch control and stopped chasing the airspeed needle.
Pitch & Power…That’s what I learned…a long, long time ago. Probably saved my life a dozen times!
Another great video, keep them coming, nice flying for fun, I'm always learning, lovely summer flying out of Wangaratta, Australia
I don’t think there’s anything more pure than flying a J-3 cub! Lovely video, clear, concise and to the point!
Never stop teaching!
Really interesting (I'm not an aviator) with a clear message, bearing in mind the recent Debonair tragedy, that pilots' first requirement is "fly the aircraft". This basic knowledge and skill is obviously fundamental to being a skilled and safe pilot who can cope with emergencies. Thanks, Juan,.
Exactly the point I was going to make. Debonair and her father would be alive today if she had had straightforward stick, rudder and throttle airmanship instruction from a competent instructor.
Thanks for taking us back in time. Your little Cub has soul.
Some of the most thorough content a pilot could ask for out here in the webs
Great pithy instructional video! That is how I fly my 1940 J3C-65, but I have done it so long that I don't even think about it while I'm doing it. I do get 73 mph at 2150 rpm, though.
Reminds me of my instructor's constant reference to attitude flying to define the relationship between the glareshield and the horizon. 0 fingers in the climb, 4 fingers in the cruise and 6 fingers in the descent. Of course with the associated power settings.
Nice ! I remember the old days flying the 46 J3.
Learned in a champ in the 70's...great stick & rudder plane also! Merry Christmas from Pa!
I learned to fly in a 1946 CUB in central Florida in 1966 while in the Navy as an air traffic controller at the Sanford Naval Air Station. Some of the best times of my life, but the plane i flew did not have that many instruments.
BCATP yellow? What a beautiful aeroplane.
I became familiar with that shade when modelling 33EFTS Caron, where dad was posted 1943 on his journey to piloting a Pathfinder Lancaster. Posted a video doc if anyone's interested.
Great stuff Capt. Brown! Gotta have those basic things sharp, even if you fly the coolest jet with all the bells and whistles
Unfortunately, it looks as if TN Flygirl did not have those down, regardless of certifications and hours...not sure her CFI's did, either!.. :(
Wonderfully concise and illustrative!
Love the music theme too.
I've never had the honor of flying an original, flapless and underpowered J-3 Cub, but was once thrown in the front seat of a 150hp Super Cub with the owner (a skydiving nut) in the back seat - and passing 3000' he departed the aircraft with a "yahooo!", for a hop'n pop.
Flying the Super Cub is like putting on an old, comfortable glove, even if you have never flown one before! The only challenge was the heel brakes, a novelty for me but not really an issue, even having to land on a 300m (1000') spit of sand afterward, this is such a natural-feeling aircraft.
My first taildragger was a H-295 Helio Super Courier which is a genuine handful, every taildragger I have flown after that has been a piece of cake...
Very cool! Not many pilots can say the have much less owned a Helio
Try a Luscombe. Not as evil as some people seem to think, but not very forgiving. Easiest I've ever flown was a Maule.
Takes me back to 1969 at 15 years old in Civil Air Patrol where the Squadron had a L4 Cub. I did as much sandbagging as possible. ❤❤❤😊
Merry Christmas from a dull dismal France.
Pareil !
And S Wales.
And a rainy Central Florida 🍻
And rainy Seattle
Has france ever been bright and merry? Seems all you guys know is heartache. Wishing better for you.
Beautiful Cub and Luscombe.
I was watching your assessments of the TNFlyGirl (or whatever her handle is/was) incident, and this concept is what consumed all of my thoughts. This was a bit difficult for me to grasp in my training at first, so much experience driving cars teaches that pulling power slows you down, it takes a minute to learn to adjust airspeed with pitch.
You can't control pitch in a car usually (except by going up and down hills, and you don't do that as a means to control speed), so that's why you only think about using power to control speed. In a plane, you can also use pitch to control speed. Ironically, the lady in TN should have also thought about reducing power to reduce speed in the dive in addition to pitching up and adding nose up trim.
I imagine that Pete knows about pitch and power by now. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Juan!
Wow, the curvature of the earth looks amazing
😮
Cub... awesome fun
How many people would be alive today if they had just taken the time to learn this?
Juan is a very good teacher.
Authentic WW1 experience :)
Maybe get a glider plane's parachute backpack, just in case. They are about 3 grand and flat on the back so you can use a normal seat. Alternatively just an emergency pouch stowed in the craft for about 600 but takes more prep time and presence of mind in an emergency. There seems to be a pattern that accidents are more frequent in old planes for various reasons. Less performance envelope, lack of ballistic chute, older metallurgy and less sophisticated engineering. And time to fatigue. We don't want to make Mike Patey sad :)
Sticks here from STIW... (JB Hall) Reminds me of wise advice before I was off to Whiting Field... (Remember PAT) Power, Attitude then Trim. The fundamental stick and rudder skills. Just grreat reminders for all of us. KEEP IT UP KELLAN!
My dad learned to fly in a J-2 with one of the top Female Flight instructors after WW II on the GI Bill with only partial vision in his left eye. Army Medic volunteer for the draft he lost his right eye when he was 12. Top testers from the CAA passed him with comments he was one of the steadiest pilots they had ever flown with. He never bought a plane he just did it to open the door for other veterans. Decades later with a little familiarization flying in his friends 172 he was able to recover the plane from a death spiral spin 500 feet off the ground when he his friend lost awareness in lowering clouds over Montana. Elk hunting trip was not successful, and he forced his friend to get his instrument rating after that trip.
Good presentation of the basics.
No elk?
I suppose that might have been a good thing if the quarters weren't lashed down properly during the "death spiral" :)
Thanks for the lesson! Merry Christmas. My dad rebuilt a Taylor craft and we had some fun rides. He liked tail draggers.
"Pitch + Power = Performance." I heard that a million times from my first CFI (1971).
Many years ago I was flying in northern Minnesota in a Cessna 150. Suddenly I was overtaking a J-3 Cub 1,000 feet below me. I wagged my wings at him and thought,”Goose….Goose… Talk to me, Goose.” Ah, delusions of grandeur.
Great info, Juan. As a non-fixed-wing pilot, I appreciate your insight. Hope you and the family had a Merry Christmas, and have yourselves a very Happy New Year.
Primary Instrument when flying VFR is the Windshield!!
Thanks, Juan. I'd just like to point out that pitch does not exclusively control airspeed and power does not exclusively control altitude. Some of the comments on here have me wondering if people understand that. There are situations in which pitch is "primary" for airspeed because it controls airspeed more effectively than power, such as during the landing approach. But if people ignore power as a means to control speed as well, that could be dangerous. Imagine you find yourself in a high-speed, power on dive and you only think about using pitch to decrease your airspeed. No, you have to also reduce your power. Best wishes for the new year & safe travels!
I think you are missing the point here...don't over think it. It's not rocket science...(well....almost lol)
Received a Blancolirio t-shirt for Christmas from my daughter. Thanks @Brie FromTX 😊
Merry Christmas!
stick and rudder never gets old...
This!
This is the real recreational flying. This is why I fly.
Great video! Love these back-to-basics videos now and again for arm-chair UA-cam flyers like me.
I love the video. Never flown a cub but it is on my bucket list. Most of my instructing is at a CAP summer flight academy. First couple of lessons is all about pitch/airspeed control. I instruct in gliders and airplanes. I wish all students could start in a sailplane or a simple plane like a cub. They might avoid some of the mistakes I made starting out. I can't speak from experience but I suspect a cub flies something like a schweizer 2-33. Lots of adverse yaw and with the benefit of low horsepower you probably get to feel what I call "pure flight" without torque & p factor masking your feel for the aircraft.
An old friend flew Cubs during WWII and the "fun" he had😊
So glad to have found this channel!!! It's so well done!
Great video showing attitude control by visual references, I used to use a grease pencil to help new students learn the proper attitude for climbs, descents and level flight. However, I must respectfully disagree on pitch and power. Pitch always controls altitude and power controls airspeed unless power is fixed, then power is fixed pitch controls altitude and airspeed. I can send you FAA instruction teaching this method and notes from an Air Force Manual teaching the same. It is how I was taught in the 70’s as a student and how I taught as an instructor from 1978 until 1987 when I started my airline career retiring in 2014. I do enjoy your videos and I also watch all of Dan Gryder’s videos. Both of you are doing a great job increasing General Aviation safety.
I can show you a Navy FA-18 manual for carrier operations that says pitch is for AoA and power is for altitude (glide path) on final approach with manual control (pitch controls glide path during an automatic approach). And power is certainly variable during a carrier approach.
@@igclapp AoA is altitude. Changing pitch changes altitude or vertical speed. The quickest and most efficient way to change altitude is with pitch, not power. The quickest and most efficient way to change airspeed is with power if power is not fixed. I have a real life story that proves my point. If you would like to ear it let me know.
Perfect single point landing at the end 😉.
Nice! Happy New year Juan.
MERRY CHRISTMAS JUAN
WOW BRINGS back so many memories my first flight 64 years ago WAS is in one of these my uncle was a sharp cookie my mother’s brother she was so proud of him she trusted her son to her brother to take me on my first flight I always cherish that and I was in the Air Force After that because of that I have always loved airplanes
I wasn’t old enough to operate it but we had corsair little plane on strings no remote control back then you kept going round and round and round and pretty soon you get dizzy and fall down that I laughed so hard at🤣my dad and my brother
Main thing was we all had fun nobody got hurt because We doing the right things we hoped Live clean work clean party clean and things should work out for you
I have always dreamed of flying . That was my favorite of all of your videos . Very informative .
surly, I can't be alone in, patiently, anticipating & awaiting this video?
Excellent as always Juan.
Pitch and Power give Performance. Every Airman Basic Skills, from a student pilot to Airline Pilot..
Thanks Juan! Your instruction/ Inspiration never exceeds my need for learning
The stick is Airspeed, the throttle is altitude.
Good reminder that you can't stall an airplane at zero g. Also love tailwheel planes. Merry Christmas Juan! I really enjoy your channel.
Years ago I had the opportunity to fly in a Tiger Moth. Climb, cruise and the approach was all at 70 mph.