Great Lakes by Waco - A modern take on a vintage biplane

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Take a walk around the Great Lakes by Waco aircraft. The open cockpit biplane features modern avionics and a more comfortable interior than the original 1930s design.
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[@Charon58]

I had the privilege of flying a classic Great Lakes for a while. It was loud and slow and impractical and an absolute joy to fly.

[@Cousin.]

Nice. Another good vid. : )
I'm just about to start my Tail Wheel training!

[@d34nroad]

congrats!

[@kbalch]

I flew this very Great Lakes with Bob (I met Mike that day, too) out of Plant City during SnF this past April. What a fantastic airplane!! I'm currently getting my proverbial ducks in a row and am hoping to order one at OSH next month.

[@jmflyer55]

Time stamp 0:46 seconds... With over 40 years of flying, it's my firm opinion that EVERY student pilot should be required to fly a tailwheel aircraft to an acceptable level, to qualify for their private pilots license.
While MANY will disagree with their argument being, "Student pilots today will likely never be PIC of a tailwheel aircraft, therefore requiring them to show proficiency as part of their PPL training is totally unnecessary".
My response to this common answer is this: Having student pilots show proficiency in (conventional) tailwheel aircraft, is NOT to be sure if they fly one, that they're capable of doing so. I'm not suggesting it be looked at as a more advanced "type rating" is looked at. Just FYI, I've been suggesting this for over three DECADES. And I've strongly suggested it for so long, for mainly just ONE reason! And that reason is its GREATLY improves ALL student pilots flying abilities, more precisely, rudder control.
Throughout my 40+ years of flying, ranging from a CFI flight instructor, to power-line patrols, forest fire break inspections, (VERY often in 'mountainess' remote wilderness locations), bush flying for a short time (unfortunately), search and rescue pilot with the Civil Air Patrol, to late night/overnight round robin cargo drops in an "ancient" King Air that was mostly broken than ever repaired which was flown all single pilot IFR before the days of GPS, with the majority of drops being at small uncontrolled airports all completely deserted at 11:00pm or 3am depending which of the about 8 drops/pick-ups it was, and these were all way up north in the mountains with heavy snow and ice the norm, snow covered runways etc., you get the picture I'm sure, then to airline flying. Pretty regular, like many who've flown a long time, its made of an assortment of different types of flying.
Over these many years I flown with a lot if other pilots. And especially more lately than years ago, I see guys (and gals) fly aircraft as if the rudder pedals aren't even there! I see it quite regularly. There seems to be a severe deficiency in many pilots ability to correctly control the rudder. And even student pilots should be very well aware of what can easily happen in uncontrolled rudder flight. Low air speed, the aircraft is slipping unbeknownst, then bang, there ya go into your first and last spin when you get that left wing stall.
The point is, by making atudent pilots show proficiency in tailwheel aircraft, FORCES them to learn to use the rudder properly. And once this skilled is learned, it stays with you for good. It reminds me of that tragic airline crash that involved a little wake turbulence, and the first officer started applying FULL left then right rudder, back and forth ultimately breaking the entire tail off the aircraft! How does an a guy flying for the airline, have such poor management or even common sense about the rudder? But besides that, I see it all the time in just ordinary flying. A pilots feet sometimes never manipulating the rudder pedals at all, during an entire flight.
So my suggestion of learning to fly a tailwheel aircraft as part of primary training, has nothing to do with whether they ever fly one again! Its all got to do with learning to be proficient with use of the rudder, in the nose wheel aircraft they fly today.
With the incredibly lightened workload of todays glass panels, coupled autopilots, "GPS direct" navigation, even in Cessna 172 aircraft, it seems to me that with navigation in flight being so simple now days, it would free up enough time to add tail wheel proficiency to the training. Because if there's one thing that's definitely missing with many of todays young pilots, its stick and rudder VFR flying. Shut the panel down and they have no idea gow to fly the aircraft, because they're no ling taught that way like we were back in the day. The ability to feel the aircraft through the controls. The stall buffet etc.. All seem to be a thing of the past. The saying used to be, "Eyes up, looking outside" when VFR. Today, it seems all eyes are on the instruments constantly, watching the autopilot fly the route in the GPS, even in a Cessna 172. And IMO, that's wrong, and its making less capable pilots.
The thing to remember is, not all nee pilots train for a career in aviation. Most will fly their own general aviation aircraft. So once they acquire the PPL, there's not really any second chance to be forced to learn good/proper rudder control and maintaining coordinated flight.
Sorry for the lengthy comment, but I believe this is an area that pilots are really suffering in today. And I would live to see todays CFI's push student pilots of use if the rudder. It very well may save their life one day and their passengers lives.

[@d34nroad]

Long reply, good read. Should start a website.

[@ts1ezrdr]

"A big guy like me..." and "...even someone my size..." Well now, just how big a boy are ya?