Cub's rock! I had the chance to go up in a friends original Clipped wing that started life as an L-4 Grasshopper. It was rebuilt from the ground up, pretty Blue/White sunburst paint, stitts poly, STOL kit, and more horsepower. What a blast to fly! With us 2 big guys in this plane, pointed into the wind, we pulled power back, nosed up and watched our shadow stop moving! I thought for sure with us two in a clipped wing the nose was going to drop any second but to no avail! Fun, fun, fun!
Thank you so much for all your videos. They are so much fun and informative. Just submerging me into the world of aviation. I have 12 hours under my belt now as a student pilot and couldn’t feel more blessed to start to become part of the community. It’s thanks to people like you, that have excited my mind and curiosity for learning something new.
Just completed my first solo last week in a Beech Sundowner BE23 and thanks to your videos I'm going up tomorrow with my new GoPro to record the flight and use it for my own self critique and possibly share with others. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
***** I have fifteen years experience flying in the Air Force but that was all in the back of large cargo aircraft as a loadmaster. I love flying and now finally being at the controls has been a life long dream and I'm loving it. The Sundowner is a blast! I had the choice between it and a Cessna and being that my CFI and I are pretty big guys I opt'd for the Sundowner so we could have some extra room. The Cessna would have been a tight fit.
Hello Steve: I enjoy your flying videos and your eclectic taste in flying challenges to pursue. I also appreciate the sensibility of the extremely well prepared novice that you bring to each of your flying adventures! I am an Alaskan Tail Dragger pilot with nearly 2000 hours and 38 years of flying in the Far North of Alaska, most off runway. I am concerned about your admonition to “avoid extending the glide” on landing that you emphasized in the early part of this video. Extending the glide while progressively holding the stick back as far as possible is the essence of the three point landing technique, especially for short unimproved fields where any successful landing is an “arrival” and your 31 inch tires and oleo struts take up the shock. I think you may have meant your comments for wheel landings only but a wheel landing can always be converted to a 3 point.
I'm half way through PPL training in CZ (cheaper than UK) and a great place to learn. Lots of 'simulated' IMC here in January! At long last I'm achieving this dream in my early 40s couldn't afford it before. I love your videos and brutally honest analysis! It is better when we can learn from each other's mistakes as aviators, but sometimes you just gotta do it the hard way! That cub looks like so much fun! Keep up the good work fella! Thanks.
That's cool, I'll keep watching for the inspiration. 1st solo cross country today if weather let's me - might not quite complete on this visit. Hope you recovered from your insane 'Extra' experience now! I'll have to hire some acrobatic time to learn spin recovery at least. That'll bring the butterflies back!
Remember that all your days of editing are worth it and your views and subscription count shows it. Trim is always your friend! Looking forward to your next Emerson flight video.
Thanks! and yes, I am happy to share and do get some great "review value" out of the time spent editing the footage for these videos :P Most of the mistakes and lessons I have analyzed and shared this way are locked into my brain :)
Thanks for the Video's I've watched all your tail wheel lessons (and others) as I am about to transition from a flex wing trike to a tail dragger. These videos are by far one of the best resources I have found to date. a HUGE thank you from a fellow Canadian (I fly out of Platsville and Fergus)
Dude, totally laughing at this vid. Love that you can laugh at yourself. I'm sure my tailwheel experience will be equally comical. And hopefully not costly!
I learnt to fly entirely on a pa11. So all my pilot student hours were on a tail wheel. That allowed me to "feel" when I'm flying too slow cause the airplane wants to "sit down" in its tale. That's because you of course try to pitch up to maintain altitude and therefore the tail goes down and you sense that feeling of the aircraft wanting to "sit down" a bit... try to feel it next time, it will help you avoid what happened on that last landing :) Awesome video as always!
So glad you're getting something out of the videos - I'm careful to make sure people don't see them as instructional as much as "experiential" - I think it comes across, eh?
Yeah absolutely! Procedures and instructions get you off the ground, but improvement/proficiency only comes from experiences; the more you can draw on, directly or indirectly, the better. Sincere thanks again! AH
My first tail wheel landing without my instructor ended up in a ground loop (in a cub). Not exactly a confidence booster, and I was left shaking. I was put in my place that day; I can't think of a more humble airplane than the cub. Love your videos btw!
Joeschmoe Thanks for the friendly comment, and sharing your story of being humbled - I have had a couple humbling flights in the Super Cub :P But have managed to avoid ground looping so far (knocking on wood :)
Nice work. I got back into flying after nearly 40 years, and I decided to get my tailwheel endorsement in the process. I know what you mean when you say it felt like your first solo. I did my first tailwheel solo off the ice on Lake Michigan; it was a hoot.
Yeah I think we talked about that when you saw my ski flying video! I'd love to arrange to fly together down there some time - it's not too far from Toronto...
excellent video.. what I meant to say regarding the video prior to this one was, sure, as a non pilot there are terms etc that are beyond my very basic knowledge but the enjoyment level for me is still very high and keeps me glued to the end of the videos. I can appreciate the time and talent it takes to put these together.
I've had my PPL for nearly as long, but I've taken some time off as the kids and other priorities have been front and center. I'm planning to start back by obtaining a tailwheel endorsement...your excellent videos have certainly helped to fuel the fire while also providing some valuable insight and perspective. Keep up the good work! - Steve S.
Steve Shank Right on! It is rewarding to hear that I am helping a fellow pilot (pr aspiring aviator) in any way! These sorts of comments REALLY help keep me going when I'm struggling to find the time to edit the videos (like I was with this one actually).
Steve! Good work again. You know, we've all botched a landing or two. I know I'm guilty of neglecting the trim wheel. Just think, going through all of this is going to help you out at ton when you start flying instrument approaches (if you haven't already). Trim is SO very important to be stabilized.
Joshua Reed Thanks Joshua! And watch the mail this week - I am finally caught up on the "Flight Suit Patch" reward mail out for the patrons - yours went int eh mail this morning!
Orange Lust Thanks guys! And yes, it was nearly 4 days to get this sucka done. I had a TON of footage to go through and worked really hard to get the final cut down under 20 minutes.
Another great video with great angles, editing, and very good commentary!!! Very good analysis to, of what you were not getting right. I love the Super Cub too! Back in the 90s no Go-Pros though, so only have the memories. - Trim is your best friend, although if you think the Cub's trim is bad, at least it works in the direction of trimming! - You want to try flying some old Piper Cherokee 140s with roof mount window winder trim handles! - You are winding sideways like the prop!
Great video! I just starting, 5 landings so far! I fly a Citabria. Ground work is very challenging. My instructor told about dancing feet, but I wasn't sure how to do it. Thanks to your video I have a better idea of what to do. I will put it to the test tomorrow!
Congrats, *****! Great flyin'! It's another fine production. Thanks for the share and... lengthy work putting it all together. It's appreciated. See ya 'round the pattern! #Aviation #Tailwheel
Wow! Another awesome video! I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing your experiences and your thinking. I find it very helpful to realize we all experience the same fears and frustrating thought loops that make for a rough day. Every now and then, though, we get it all right and it is such a feeling of pure freedom and oneness with the machine, the weather and the whole universe! Thanks!
I gained my private pilot's licence many years ago but it has long since expired simply because I had twin sons to bring up and educate. However, learning to fly when I was young was one of the greatest things I've ever done. And as for my first solo I still re- enact it most evenings. Imagine being up in an aeroplane on your own!! Most of my contemporaries when I was learning to fly changed their auto/car every year to keep up with the latest. I drove my old car into the ground in order to be able to pay for my flying lessons. I have great memories of sweaty palms, a pumping heart, dreadful landings but at the end I had my licence. How many of my old buddies can remember their top-of-the range car/auto from those days?? Best wishes, Alan.
Alan Simpson Thanks so much for sharing your story Alan! I too would rather fly more often than have a newer car :) I really appreciate this comment and am glad you enjoyed the video...
That first dragger solo was more nerve-wracking than any other solo I've done. Just don't overthink it, take off then on upwind realize that landing solo is not optional anymore. The best quote I've ever heard was from my tailwheel CFI... "You start learning when I get out."
I really love what you do. Thanks for sharing your flying adventures. I can relate to sweating in the cockpit as I'm focusing on flying the plane and especially landing.
My first solo flight was in a Piper Cub which ended with a dead-stick landing just off the departure end of the runway. No big deal, just more prairie land. Learned about carburetor ice. The instructor drove out to where I'd landed, gave me a prop and told me to fly back to the airport. In fact, I had 60 hours before I flew my first tricycle gear airplane, an Ercoupe .
Great video and congratulations on your first tail-wheel solo! You should be proud, I'm scared of those things myself, but great job! :) Doing "First time solo" anything is always nerve wracking. I'm stuck on 13 hours (flying here is expensive), but the last time I went flying we practiced touchdowns on the Cherokee at a small (not short) strip by the coast. Eight touchdowns and I thought "yeah I'm getting the hang of it". So did my instructor because coming in to San José he says "Ok, lets see if you learned anything, you land it, I won't touch a thing unless you screw up". Boy that iced my blood. Landing at MRPV is tricky, with the crosswind and sloping runway, but its comfortably wide and very long but I still had that little voice in my head that said "are you sure you know what you're doing?" But I did alright and as soon as I was successfully on the ground, I just wanted to be back up there again and try more landings. Gotta love flying!
Ouch! Great reminder to keep up on the trim for a nice approach configuration. Again a great video to show physics in action especially when airspeed is on the low end. Fast bleed off!
Excellent video and ride in the cub. I owned several cubs over the years and amassed about 400 hours in them and around 1,000 T/O's & Landings sometimes doing 10 touch and goes in a single flight hour. You get to where you do not need instruments at all. It becomes all seat of the pants flying as you become one with the airplane. Nothing is more fun to own and fly than a cub unless you fly a Corben Baby Ace, especially a C Model as I also owned 2 Baby Aces, one a C Model and the other a D Model. Great fun, but the C Model was a joy to fly as was my clipped wing J3 cub with a Continental C-90 on the nose. Too old to fly now but I miss flying taildraggers, especially the landings. I also enjoy seeing a cub in the air and watching them glide down to a perfect landing on a beautiful day. Nothing like it. I miss the wonderful sound of the engine and prop in the air and at idle during the flair and when the cub is stationary.
Great videos. So helpful and well edited and commented. I just started to learn flying a taildragger. Only done a couple of hours mixed with aerobatics in a Great Lakes, an open biplane. It's addictive though and quite a contrast to flying a Cirrus SR20.
Very interesting video. Last time I flew the Super Cub I must have trimmed it right down wind as for the rest of the circuits the instructor got me to leave it alone. And I must admit when I lowered flap I didn't seem to be "fighting the trim" and she would barrel along at 70kts on final like she was on rails.
Gabriel Fuentes Awesome thanks! and YES I'd love to do some Caribbean flying! I have one flying friend down there, and you've added an other reason to go! Please send me your details via email - I file ALL invites to fly with new friends and will try to visit them all at some point! flightchops at gmail dot com
I loved the part about not looking at the airspeed on the take off roll. To this day, I still do the same. You can feel when they want to lift off. The only time I'm ever looking inside on the takeoff roll is in the T6 to check I'm not overboosting the manifold pressure at 36" and to make sure the oil pressure is there. It tells you when it wants to lift off. The odd thing about the landing as well is I'm never looking for a specific number, and you'll find that with more exposure in different airplanes. Although keeping in mind the airplanes I fly normally require a different approach than most airplanes, I usually carry an extra 5 knots or so in the approach due to that "stretching the glide" reason. It's deadly in the T6 (due to the sweep in the wings), though not so much in the Extra but the danger is still there. You're doing an awesome job, dude. The botched landings will continue to happen as you jump into new types where you can't see out the nose at all on the landing, but that's what makes this type of flying so fun. You're constantly learning. You can be a potato and still land anything with a nosewheel, but this is where your skills really start to show themselves.
Thanks man! I really appreciate the feedback coming from a guy with your experience! I can't wait to build more time, and then really scare myself trying to land a plane like the T6 :P
Very nice, man! Looks like a blast. "Mouth. Is . Dry" lol that really reminds me of my first checkride. I couldn't hydrate my mouth fast enough afterwards. Another great tail dragger vid I'm jealous
When I am solo I've started keeping a water bottle in the back seat that I can reach... but a bad landing means it ends up on the floor... I am seriously thinking a flight suit with "ankle pockets" is in order - perfect for water bottle... and I can now see the value of a flight suit for many other things when flying planes like this with really nothing to the interior.
I love your videos!! Getting a tailwheel endorsement is one that's on my to-do list. Obviously there's no substitute for getting some air under your butt, but its great when guys like you show us the good AND the bad so guys like me can take away some lessons learned. Lots of valuable information here. Thanks for sharing!
CJG Noad I'm a weekend warrior rental pilot - so I wouldn't say I fly "a lot" - but I am at ZBA probably 2-3 times per month for a flight or some training! Are you an owner or a renter?
NineRocks Yes sir - flying tail wheel was always a goal of mine - I waited a little too long, but at least I finally got into it - as a result, I've just had the best flying season of my nearly 20 years of being a weekend warrior private pilot!
Get in that Cub! You're talking J3, yeah Eric? There is one I can train on near by! - I bet it is a challenge with just 65 HP and PIC has to sit in the back seat yeah?
Nah, I fly an army cub (PA18-90). It's a 90bhp cub where the PIC is in the front. It's a heep of fun! Doesn't have flaps either, so side-slipping is pretty much the only way to get down. But then again, if you put the cub in a full side-slip it really falls down. But you know that by now :p I would like to try the J3 for the back seat experience though. As well as because of how iconic that plane is.
Eric Lund I hear ya Eric! And yes, I love slipping the Super Cub for those nearly verticle descents :P And I think you saw the pics on FaceBook from when I flew it for my 20th hour from the back seat with my instructor up front - That will make a fun video :)
I have watched many of your videos and find them fascinating to watch. I like how you analyze your learning from your errors. What I find to be my fear, is the dialog between you and the ATC! It sounds so confusing. I replay to my dismay at not being able to discern the instructions.
+cornflake73 Glad you're enjoying the videos! As with anything else new, it all seems hard to understand until you get through training - following along with ATC is not hard after you learn to do it.
As a 14 year old pilot with 16 hours, I have another 2 months until I go solo; in Australia, with a recreational pilots license you can go solo at 15. 5 hours and solo! That's pretty quick, but then again, you know how to fly a plane, just not a taildragger.
R.i.p splattered tail wheel jk it was just a positive touchdown as the heavy metal guys call it you will get your rythem down pat soon enough with it like you did with tricycle it was intresting to see how to fly one so I can stop nosing em over on the sim during the takeoff roll lol
***** Thank you so much for these videos man. It's been about 5 years since I got my license during college... after which I basically stopped flying due to financial reasons. I am just now getting back into it with a little cash to spend, and the realization that it's part of who I am. You're perspective is incredibly relate-able to someone like me that just wants to fly to feed my soul. Let me know if you're ever in CT, I'd love to share some time with you!
Colin Bunting Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this comment! I am happy to have helped you get back into flying in anyway, and would definitely look you up if I'm in CT! - and same to you if you're in Toronto.Please email me your details at flightchops at gmail dot com
Great video, i particulary like the camera angles, loving to see how everything goes together, feetcam is too rare on take off videos, instead we tend see the ever so boring cowling.
My grandpas plane which he sold CG-JZW is a piper tri pacer converted to rail wheel with 2ft fuselage extension and 22 inch wingspan extension per wing and that plane was amazing can hold a lot more than a supercub seats 4 people and can hold a lot of weight. The new owner who we know is putting $100,000 into the plane
On October 17, 1982 I made my first solo in N1590P, a 1956 PA-18-135 Super Cub (although it had just been fully restored with a 150 HP O-320) on runway 25 at PIR, 150' by 6881 ft of WWII surplus concrete runway. It was literally my first solo as a student pilot with 8.2 hours total time, all of that in N1590P. I made three of the worst landings in my life. Actually 9 or 10 if you count all the bounces. The last landing I'd made before the instructor had stepped out had been perfect, and being young, dumb and nervous I didn't want to mess with that perfect trim, totally ignoring the fact that my 200 pound instructor was no longer in the back seat. Lesson learned? When your 17 year old self weighs about 130 pounds soaking wet and you're trimmed for 70 MPH with your 200 pound instructor in the back, when he gets out, unless you re-trim the aircraft, you WILL NOT have enough back stick available to stall the aircraft and your attempted three point landings are going to look really...really.......really......ugly. My instructor however wasn't concerned as while they were ugly they were straight down the runway with no side loading on the gear. He stood there by the side of the runway and let me keep at it until I figured it out. In. His. Freshly. Restored. Absolutely. Gorgeous. Supercub. His confidence in my was amazing, and inspiring. It's exactly what my 17 year old self needed and it's a debt I can never repay, but instead can only pay forward. We did another 1.1 hours of dual on the 23rd and another 1.0 hours of cross wind landing practice on the 24th. After we taxied back to the ramp on the 24th, he stepped out of the cockpit and told me to go do a half dozen takeoffs and landings on the active runway for my second solo. I did five stop and goes, and one full stop landing. Those were six of the most perfect landings I've ever made. I checked the trim religiously on every downwind leg. Every. Time. Next Thursday, will be 37 years to the day since I discovered I could fly. I'm in the midst of a massive career change and I'm thinking maybe I want to start teaching people to fly - in a Super Cub. No other aircraft in those 37 years has ever awed me like a Super Cub levitating off the ground with a glorious mix of sound and vibration, with the smell of dope and fabric, warm oil and avgas. Nothing matches the joy of chasing your shadow in a Super Cub over the fence for a landing on a short grass strip on a beautiful late afternoon. All other flying is just a pale attempt to match it.
I do enjoy these videos! Although I do find the tail wheel flying very over dramatic, kind of like reality tv! I'm a private pilot just about to do the Cpl, My first plane was a citabria 7eca, then piper pa 16 (clipper). Like I said I enjoy it, but very very dramatic lol
+Johan Loewen Maybe starting out with tail wheel made it less dramatic for you, but as a guy that had nearly 20 years flying tricycle gear before trying tail wheel - this is as dramatic as it felt - reality TV or not.
Strange my worst and my best landing both happen on the same day when I received my endorsement a few weeks ago. I learned to keep the power until right before touching down. #BoseA20
I'm a PP with some taildrager experience.. I was trying to understand you but it seemed like you were way over analyzing and making it much harder than it was.... was this the search for perfection or am I missing something?
Both? You're missing something I guess... but I am definitely on a quest to improve. I don't expect to achieve perfection, but I'm sure as hell gonna work toward getting better. And yeah, as a "weekend warrior" that doesn't get to fly a ton, I wanna get the best value of the time that I do log, so I am definitely gonna arm chair fly, and analyze the heck out of the flying that I do get to do...
Ray Forrester IFR training videos coming up! :) Seriously - I got a little over halfway through last year, and then got side tracked enjoying tail wheel flying too much this summer :) I'll be back at IFR soon - and will do my best to make engaging IFR training videos that aren't too boring (I expect it will be a challenge)
***** You are correct for the J3 Cub - You have to fly it solo from the rear seat. But this is a Super Cub, and you have to fly it solo from the front seat.
Howdy Steve, Great video - quad screens now - wow - no wonder you were up for four days and as many nights, the quality of the edits and general flow of your video story is fantastic. Now for the flying…very impressive accomplishment(s) these past six months. Congrats in all facets of flight and through the learning curve of several different t-draggers to boot. One last thing: if you insist on continuing with the rudder cam angles…you’re really going to have to do something about those shoes and socks. May I suggest you swap the leather "boots" (sort of speak) for something we can easily all follow your fancy footwork with? How about these: theshoegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Nike-AM-1-Orange-Shoes.jpg All kidding aside, this was one of the best to watch from a POV perspective. Keep it up! Jim
Experience is the best teacher!
MrAviation101 For sure - and reviewing and sharing experiences is even better to help solidify the learning :)
Cub's rock! I had the chance to go up in a friends original Clipped wing that started life as an L-4 Grasshopper. It was rebuilt from the ground up, pretty Blue/White sunburst paint, stitts poly, STOL kit, and more horsepower. What a blast to fly! With us 2 big guys in this plane, pointed into the wind, we pulled power back, nosed up and watched our shadow stop moving! I thought for sure with us two in a clipped wing the nose was going to drop any second but to no avail! Fun, fun, fun!
mytmousemalibu That sounds awesome! I can't wait to get into more of these amazing tail wheel planes!
Thank you so much for all your videos. They are so much fun and informative. Just submerging me into the world of aviation. I have 12 hours under my belt now as a student pilot and couldn’t feel more blessed to start to become part of the community. It’s thanks to people like you, that have excited my mind and curiosity for learning something new.
I've been enjoying watching these taidragger vids again and have been reminded what a cool, calm, witty guy Dennis is.
Very informative. The Cubs are very humbling. Thanks for sharing.
Just completed my first solo last week in a Beech Sundowner BE23 and thanks to your videos I'm going up tomorrow with my new GoPro to record the flight and use it for my own self critique and possibly share with others. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Happy to share and glad you liked it - flying the Sundowner must be fun!
***** I have fifteen years experience flying in the Air Force but that was all in the back of large cargo aircraft as a loadmaster. I love flying and now finally being at the controls has been a life long dream and I'm loving it. The Sundowner is a blast! I had the choice between it and a Cessna and being that my CFI and I are pretty big guys I opt'd for the Sundowner so we could have some extra room. The Cessna would have been a tight fit.
Hello Steve: I enjoy your flying videos and your eclectic taste in flying challenges to pursue. I also appreciate the sensibility of the extremely well prepared novice that you bring to each of your flying adventures! I am an Alaskan Tail Dragger pilot with nearly 2000 hours and 38 years of flying in the Far North of Alaska, most off runway. I am concerned about your admonition to “avoid extending the glide” on landing that you emphasized in the early part of this video. Extending the glide while progressively holding the stick back as far as possible is the essence of the three point landing technique, especially for short unimproved fields where any successful landing is an “arrival” and your 31 inch tires and oleo struts take up the shock. I think you may have meant your comments for wheel landings only but a wheel landing can always be converted to a 3 point.
I'm half way through PPL training in CZ (cheaper than UK) and a great place to learn. Lots of 'simulated' IMC here in January! At long last I'm achieving this dream in my early 40s couldn't afford it before. I love your videos and brutally honest analysis! It is better when we can learn from each other's mistakes as aviators, but sometimes you just gotta do it the hard way! That cub looks like so much fun! Keep up the good work fella! Thanks.
Jez Wilde Thanks Jez! I'm so glad to arm chair fly with you while you get into the training!
***** I'm doing flight class
That's cool, I'll keep watching for the inspiration. 1st solo cross country today if weather let's me - might not quite complete on this visit. Hope you recovered from your insane 'Extra' experience now! I'll have to hire some acrobatic time to learn spin recovery at least. That'll bring the butterflies back!
Remember that all your days of editing are worth it and your views and subscription count shows it.
Trim is always your friend!
Looking forward to your next Emerson flight video.
Thanks! and yes, I am happy to share and do get some great "review value" out of the time spent editing the footage for these videos :P
Most of the mistakes and lessons I have analyzed and shared this way are locked into my brain :)
Thanks for the Video's I've watched all your tail wheel lessons (and others) as I am about to transition from a flex wing trike to a tail dragger. These videos are by far one of the best resources I have found to date. a HUGE thank you from a fellow Canadian (I fly out of Platsville and Fergus)
Dude, totally laughing at this vid. Love that you can laugh at yourself. I'm sure my tailwheel experience will be equally comical. And hopefully not costly!
I learnt to fly entirely on a pa11. So all my pilot student hours were on a tail wheel. That allowed me to "feel" when I'm flying too slow cause the airplane wants to "sit down" in its tale. That's because you of course try to pitch up to maintain altitude and therefore the tail goes down and you sense that feeling of the aircraft wanting to "sit down" a bit... try to feel it next time, it will help you avoid what happened on that last landing :)
Awesome video as always!
Thanks for this Steve. I take lots of stuff from your vids, so all your effort is appreciated. Keep up the great work!
So glad you're getting something out of the videos - I'm careful to make sure people don't see them as instructional as much as "experiential" - I think it comes across, eh?
Yeah absolutely! Procedures and instructions get you off the ground, but improvement/proficiency only comes from experiences; the more you can draw on, directly or indirectly, the better. Sincere thanks again! AH
My first tail wheel landing without my instructor ended up in a ground loop (in a cub). Not exactly a confidence booster, and I was left shaking.
I was put in my place that day; I can't think of a more humble airplane than the cub.
Love your videos btw!
Joeschmoe Thanks for the friendly comment, and sharing your story of being humbled - I have had a couple humbling flights in the Super Cub :P But have managed to avoid ground looping so far (knocking on wood :)
Nice work. I got back into flying after nearly 40 years, and I decided to get my tailwheel endorsement in the process. I know what you mean when you say it felt like your first solo. I did my first tailwheel solo off the ice on Lake Michigan; it was a hoot.
Yeah I think we talked about that when you saw my ski flying video! I'd love to arrange to fly together down there some time - it's not too far from Toronto...
excellent video.. what I meant to say regarding the video prior to this one was, sure, as a non pilot there are terms etc that are beyond my very basic knowledge but the enjoyment level for me is still very high and keeps me glued to the end of the videos. I can appreciate the time and talent it takes to put these together.
Keith Vander Wees Thanks Keith!
Great video! learned a lot from it, airspeed, trim, don't stretch your glide, a lot of fun you got there.. can't wait to take my tailwheel training..
Widiavianto T Happy to share - and yeah, get started tail wheel flying - you'll love it!
I've had my PPL for nearly as long, but I've taken some time off as the kids and other priorities have been front and center. I'm planning to start back by obtaining a tailwheel endorsement...your excellent videos have certainly helped to fuel the fire while also providing some valuable insight and perspective. Keep up the good work! - Steve S.
Steve Shank Right on! It is rewarding to hear that I am helping a fellow pilot (pr aspiring aviator) in any way! These sorts of comments REALLY help keep me going when I'm struggling to find the time to edit the videos (like I was with this one actually).
Steve! Good work again. You know, we've all botched a landing or two. I know I'm guilty of neglecting the trim wheel. Just think, going through all of this is going to help you out at ton when you start flying instrument approaches (if you haven't already). Trim is SO very important to be stabilized.
Joshua Reed Thanks Joshua! And watch the mail this week - I am finally caught up on the "Flight Suit Patch" reward mail out for the patrons - yours went int eh mail this morning!
***** Right on! I'll keep a look out. Appreciate it.
great video . love your honesty and humbleness.. a really down to earth guy . . thxs enjoyed it .
What a great video ! Your four hours of editing is greatly appreciated !!
@ Bruce Malo: four days he said ;)
Orange Lust Thanks guys! And yes, it was nearly 4 days to get this sucka done. I had a TON of footage to go through and worked really hard to get the final cut down under 20 minutes.
Very difficult to get everything right. Great video, THANKS for the share.
Another great video with great angles, editing, and very good commentary!!! Very good analysis to, of what you were not getting right. I love the Super Cub too! Back in the 90s no Go-Pros though, so only have the memories. - Trim is your best friend, although if you think the Cub's trim is bad, at least it works in the direction of trimming! - You want to try flying some old Piper Cherokee 140s with roof mount window winder trim handles! - You are winding sideways like the prop!
Great work as always Steve. Must be hard balancing real life and the channel but your content is a real inspiration. Keep it up!
Awesome video!! Thanks for putting so much time and effort into creating these them.
Bob Plourde Happy to share - Glad you liked it Bob!
Great video! I just starting, 5 landings so far! I fly a Citabria. Ground work is very challenging. My instructor told about dancing feet, but I wasn't sure how to do it. Thanks to your video I have a better idea of what to do. I will put it to the test tomorrow!
+superman1s Right on! report back how it goes!
Mouth is dry ( that was funny ) was always part of my checklist too, Nice video...........Thanks
Steve Camden Thanks for the comment Steve - I know you've been watching since the early days, and I appreciate the constant support and feedback.
Easily one of the best channels on the RUclipss.
exceptional work on your editing, camera angles...and of course flying
this channels gonna blow up in the future
DJ Dalite Thanks DJ! I'm constantly surprised and humbled by how awesome the reaction is to the videos - I'm more than happy to continue sharing.
Absolutely loved the editing/analysis! Very educational!
Congrats, *****! Great flyin'! It's another fine production. Thanks for the share and... lengthy work putting it all together. It's appreciated.
See ya 'round the pattern!
#Aviation #Tailwheel
Thanks for sharing and glad you liked it!
Thank you. I am enjoying your series.
Alan Butler very cool that you're watching them back to back :) I have more coming - it is a constant learning experience to fly these planes!
Wow! Another awesome video! I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing your experiences and your thinking. I find it very helpful to realize we all experience the same fears and frustrating thought loops that make for a rough day. Every now and then, though, we get it all right and it is such a feeling of pure freedom and oneness with the machine, the weather and the whole universe! Thanks!
Bryan Skrenes Thanks Bryan! I really did feel like a kid again soloing for the first time - I'm happy to share this one!
I gained my private pilot's licence many years ago but it has long since expired simply because I had twin sons to bring up and educate.
However, learning to fly when I was young was one of the greatest things I've ever done. And as for my first solo I still re- enact it most evenings. Imagine being up in an aeroplane on your own!!
Most of my contemporaries when I was learning to fly changed their auto/car every year to keep up with the latest. I drove my old car into the ground in order to be able to pay for my flying lessons.
I have great memories of sweaty palms, a pumping heart, dreadful landings but at the end I had my licence.
How many of my old buddies can remember their top-of-the range car/auto from those days??
Best wishes,
Alan.
Alan Simpson Thanks so much for sharing your story Alan! I too would rather fly more often than have a newer car :) I really appreciate this comment and am glad you enjoyed the video...
That first dragger solo was more nerve-wracking than any other solo I've done.
Just don't overthink it, take off then on upwind realize that landing solo is not optional anymore.
The best quote I've ever heard was from my tailwheel CFI... "You start learning when I get out."
I really love what you do. Thanks for sharing your flying adventures. I can relate to sweating in the cockpit as I'm focusing on flying the plane and especially landing.
Dowdy Jackson Thanks! I'm happy to share - glad you enjoy the videos.
Another great video. Tail wheel training is one of the line items on my list of training musts.
Rod Boone Thanks Rod - and for sure - Tail Wheel flying is awesome!
My first solo flight was in a Piper Cub which ended with a dead-stick landing just off the departure end of the runway. No big deal, just more prairie land. Learned about carburetor ice. The instructor drove out to where I'd landed, gave me a prop and told me to fly back to the airport. In fact, I had 60 hours before I flew my first tricycle gear airplane, an Ercoupe .
very impressive video. looking forward to more.
Dazza Ginger Thanks! And you won't have to wait long - I'm uploading another pretty awesome Super Cub flight today.
Great video and congratulations on your first tail-wheel solo! You should be proud, I'm scared of those things myself, but great job! :) Doing "First time solo" anything is always nerve wracking. I'm stuck on 13 hours (flying here is expensive), but the last time I went flying we practiced touchdowns on the Cherokee at a small (not short) strip by the coast. Eight touchdowns and I thought "yeah I'm getting the hang of it". So did my instructor because coming in to San José he says "Ok, lets see if you learned anything, you land it, I won't touch a thing unless you screw up". Boy that iced my blood. Landing at MRPV is tricky, with the crosswind and sloping runway, but its comfortably wide and very long but I still had that little voice in my head that said "are you sure you know what you're doing?" But I did alright and as soon as I was successfully on the ground, I just wanted to be back up there again and try more landings. Gotta love flying!
Thanks for sharing your story! It's great to make progress and feel yourself improving at various aspects of flying!
Very entertaining, great work on the editing too its really appreciated. Good work!
Ouch! Great reminder to keep up on the trim for a nice approach configuration. Again a great video to show physics in action especially when airspeed is on the low end. Fast bleed off!
Wow! I envy you...getting to fly a taildragger. That’s like shaking hands with the Red Baron.
"It's really just a flying Jeep."
I really enjoy what you do, Steve. Keep it up!
You watched it right to the end! Thanks Robert :)
Excellent video and ride in the cub. I owned several cubs over the years and amassed about 400 hours in them and around 1,000 T/O's & Landings sometimes doing 10 touch and goes in a single flight hour. You get to where you do not need instruments at all. It becomes all seat of the pants flying as you become one with the airplane. Nothing is more fun to own and fly than a cub unless you fly a Corben Baby Ace, especially a C Model as I also owned 2 Baby Aces, one a C Model and the other a D Model. Great fun, but the C Model was a joy to fly as was my clipped wing J3 cub with a Continental C-90 on the nose. Too old to fly now but I miss flying taildraggers, especially the landings. I also enjoy seeing a cub in the air and watching them glide down to a perfect landing on a beautiful day. Nothing like it. I miss the wonderful sound of the engine and prop in the air and at idle during the flair and when the cub is stationary.
Awesome video! Great first flight in that beautiful taildragger :D Keep playing with trim :D Saludos and awesome job !
Great video, thanks for all the work you put in!!!
Great videos. So helpful and well edited and commented. I just started to learn flying a taildragger. Only done a couple of hours mixed with aerobatics in a Great Lakes, an open biplane. It's addictive though and quite a contrast to flying a Cirrus SR20.
Markus Q So glad you enjoyed it and got something out of it Markus!
Loved it thanks for investing the time to make it,
Thanks - the feedback is rewarding and makes it easier to justify the time spent editing.
Excellent video with good commentary.
Very interesting video. Last time I flew the Super Cub I must have trimmed it right down wind as for the rest of the circuits the instructor got me to leave it alone. And I must admit when I lowered flap I didn't seem to be "fighting the trim" and she would barrel along at 70kts on final like she was on rails.
Yes that's the way to do it - I've since had much better luck staying on top of the trim.
Thanks for uploading these great videos! They're awesome!
-Cheers from San Juan, PR! You would love caribbean flying!
Gabriel Fuentes Awesome thanks! and YES I'd love to do some Caribbean flying! I have one flying friend down there, and you've added an other reason to go! Please send me your details via email - I file ALL invites to fly with new friends and will try to visit them all at some point! flightchops at gmail dot com
Great footage! Congratulations from The Netherlands. Regards, Benjamin
Thanks! It is so cool to know these videos are being seen and enjoyed all over the world!
I loved the part about not looking at the airspeed on the take off roll. To this day, I still do the same. You can feel when they want to lift off. The only time I'm ever looking inside on the takeoff roll is in the T6 to check I'm not overboosting the manifold pressure at 36" and to make sure the oil pressure is there. It tells you when it wants to lift off.
The odd thing about the landing as well is I'm never looking for a specific number, and you'll find that with more exposure in different airplanes. Although keeping in mind the airplanes I fly normally require a different approach than most airplanes, I usually carry an extra 5 knots or so in the approach due to that "stretching the glide" reason. It's deadly in the T6 (due to the sweep in the wings), though not so much in the Extra but the danger is still there.
You're doing an awesome job, dude. The botched landings will continue to happen as you jump into new types where you can't see out the nose at all on the landing, but that's what makes this type of flying so fun. You're constantly learning. You can be a potato and still land anything with a nosewheel, but this is where your skills really start to show themselves.
Thanks man! I really appreciate the feedback coming from a guy with your experience!
I can't wait to build more time, and then really scare myself trying to land a plane like the T6 :P
If you think that trim is weird, try the overhead crank in the Seabee.
***** no thanks. :) I can only imagine how strange that must feel... But in all seriousness, yes, I'd love to try a Seabee!
Very nice, man! Looks like a blast.
"Mouth. Is . Dry" lol that really reminds me of my first checkride. I couldn't hydrate my mouth fast enough afterwards.
Another great tail dragger vid I'm jealous
When I am solo I've started keeping a water bottle in the back seat that I can reach...
but a bad landing means it ends up on the floor... I am seriously thinking a flight suit with "ankle pockets" is in order - perfect for water bottle... and I can now see the value of a flight suit for many other things when flying planes like this with really nothing to the interior.
***** lol yeah I think all planes should have pouches like Cessna's do. Water, charts, kneeboard etc.
you are a good pilot is always learning
Is the lever with the red knob that you see in the rudder cam the tailwheel lock? Awesome videos by the way!!!!
IPROGordon That's the glider tow release control.
I love your videos!! Getting a tailwheel endorsement is one that's on my to-do list. Obviously there's no substitute for getting some air under your butt, but its great when guys like you show us the good AND the bad so guys like me can take away some lessons learned. Lots of valuable information here.
Thanks for sharing!
+Adam Overturf Right on! thanks Adam!
Dennis is an excellent instructor... Great video! CZBA for the win!
CJG Noad Yes, Dennis is pure awesome! I'm so glad to be able to work with him.
Do you fly from CZBA a lot? I have never seen you there!! *****
CJG Noad I'm a weekend warrior rental pilot - so I wouldn't say I fly "a lot" - but I am at ZBA probably 2-3 times per month for a flight or some training! Are you an owner or a renter?
Cool! I'm a student... almost done my private! *****
Great job! Keep up the good work!
NICELY DONE FELLOW PILOT..CONGRATS !!!
CaptainDoron Thanks!
nice work man! Absoutely gotta include tailwheel in my future flight training.
NineRocks Yes sir - flying tail wheel was always a goal of mine - I waited a little too long, but at least I finally got into it - as a result, I've just had the best flying season of my nearly 20 years of being a weekend warrior private pilot!
Really, really enjoyed the video!!!
+flightchops That sounds great man, will do!
Great video. Excellent edit work. I see what you mean about tail draggers.
Thanks Alex!
Awesome video mate!
Great stuff! (as usual :P )
Well... Now you made me want to go for a ride in the cub... What a great bird...
Get in that Cub! You're talking J3, yeah Eric? There is one I can train on near by!
- I bet it is a challenge with just 65 HP and PIC has to sit in the back seat yeah?
Nah, I fly an army cub (PA18-90). It's a 90bhp cub where the PIC is in the front. It's a heep of fun! Doesn't have flaps either, so side-slipping is pretty much the only way to get down. But then again, if you put the cub in a full side-slip it really falls down. But you know that by now :p
I would like to try the J3 for the back seat experience though. As well as because of how iconic that plane is.
Eric Lund I hear ya Eric! And yes, I love slipping the Super Cub for those nearly verticle descents :P
And I think you saw the pics on FaceBook from when I flew it for my 20th hour from the back seat with my instructor up front - That will make a fun video :)
I have watched many of your videos and find them fascinating to watch. I like how you analyze your learning from your errors. What I find to be my fear, is the dialog between you and the ATC! It sounds so confusing. I replay to my dismay at not being able to discern the instructions.
+cornflake73 Glad you're enjoying the videos! As with anything else new, it all seems hard to understand until you get through training - following along with ATC is not hard after you learn to do it.
First solos are things we never forget
+Flying in Iceland agreed, as soon as he said "alright , you're on your own" i had that feeling come back when i was told the same thing :D
As a 14 year old pilot with 16 hours, I have another 2 months until I go solo; in Australia, with a recreational pilots license you can go solo at 15. 5 hours and solo! That's pretty quick, but then again, you know how to fly a plane, just not a taildragger.
+duttonfx Congrats on the solo!
XO INSANITY
Hey!!!
XO INSANITY
Yeah, how have you been?
Great job on the video and flying
What a great takeoff!!!
Thank you for posting this.
Steven Crowe Happy to share - glad you liked it!
Nice video. Well done and great info
FlyingDeacon Glad you enjoyed it!
Well done!
Chris Brantley Thanks Chris!
R.i.p splattered tail wheel jk it was just a positive touchdown as the heavy metal guys call it
you will get your rythem down pat soon enough with it like you did with tricycle it was intresting to see how to fly one so I can stop nosing em over on the sim during the takeoff roll lol
+crapper1 I know this is a little old comment but at least his Go Pro stayed on. XD
Taxing, taxing...dont stretch the glide, great lessons chops.
***** Thanks! Glad you enjoyed my struggles :)
Dude...you have a rad channel.
+Givnasty hey thanks!
OMG I HAVE THAT SAME HEADSET!!!! I guess it is a pretty popular headset. lol
Like the shoes ha I wear the same type they're great flying shoes!
yeah - I looked high and low to find a good pair of flying shoes for the Super Cub!
***** Thank you so much for these videos man. It's been about 5 years since I got my license during college... after which I basically stopped flying due to financial reasons. I am just now getting back into it with a little cash to spend, and the realization that it's part of who I am. You're perspective is incredibly relate-able to someone like me that just wants to fly to feed my soul. Let me know if you're ever in CT, I'd love to share some time with you!
Colin Bunting Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this comment! I am happy to have helped you get back into flying in anyway, and would definitely look you up if I'm in CT! - and same to you if you're in Toronto.Please email me your details at flightchops at gmail dot com
Trim is vital!
Comes down like a refrigerator... nice!
Great details and movie :)
Great video, i particulary like the camera angles, loving to see how everything goes together, feetcam is too rare on take off videos, instead we tend see the ever so boring cowling.
Thanks :)
instructor is as cool as ice :)
Lain Kojima yes, Dennis = Yoda.
We all need trim.,.Great vid,Thanks..Old Chevy ...lolo
justin tyme Glad you enjoyed it Justin!
My grandpas plane which he sold CG-JZW is a piper tri pacer converted to rail wheel with 2ft fuselage extension and 22 inch wingspan extension per wing and that plane was amazing can hold a lot more than a supercub seats 4 people and can hold a lot of weight. The new owner who we know is putting $100,000 into the plane
I solo'ed in a 1962 home built (cub) stick, taildragger on a grass strip. Learn on a stick and you can fly anything.
On October 17, 1982 I made my first solo in N1590P, a 1956 PA-18-135 Super Cub (although it had just been fully restored with a 150 HP O-320) on runway 25 at PIR, 150' by 6881 ft of WWII surplus concrete runway.
It was literally my first solo as a student pilot with 8.2 hours total time, all of that in N1590P. I made three of the worst landings in my life. Actually 9 or 10 if you count all the bounces. The last landing I'd made before the instructor had stepped out had been perfect, and being young, dumb and nervous I didn't want to mess with that perfect trim, totally ignoring the fact that my 200 pound instructor was no longer in the back seat.
Lesson learned? When your 17 year old self weighs about 130 pounds soaking wet and you're trimmed for 70 MPH with your 200 pound instructor in the back, when he gets out, unless you re-trim the aircraft, you WILL NOT have enough back stick available to stall the aircraft and your attempted three point landings are going to look really...really.......really......ugly. My instructor however wasn't concerned as while they were ugly they were straight down the runway with no side loading on the gear. He stood there by the side of the runway and let me keep at it until I figured it out. In. His. Freshly. Restored. Absolutely. Gorgeous. Supercub. His confidence in my was amazing, and inspiring. It's exactly what my 17 year old self needed and it's a debt I can never repay, but instead can only pay forward.
We did another 1.1 hours of dual on the 23rd and another 1.0 hours of cross wind landing practice on the 24th. After we taxied back to the ramp on the 24th, he stepped out of the cockpit and told me to go do a half dozen takeoffs and landings on the active runway for my second solo. I did five stop and goes, and one full stop landing. Those were six of the most perfect landings I've ever made. I checked the trim religiously on every downwind leg. Every. Time.
Next Thursday, will be 37 years to the day since I discovered I could fly. I'm in the midst of a massive career change and I'm thinking maybe I want to start teaching people to fly - in a Super Cub. No other aircraft in those 37 years has ever awed me like a Super Cub levitating off the ground with a glorious mix of sound and vibration, with the smell of dope and fabric, warm oil and avgas. Nothing matches the joy of chasing your shadow in a Super Cub over the fence for a landing on a short grass strip on a beautiful late afternoon. All other flying is just a pale attempt to match it.
Hey Steve do any tail wheel plans have auto pilot?
I do enjoy these videos! Although I do find the tail wheel flying very over dramatic, kind of like reality tv! I'm a private pilot just about to do the Cpl, My first plane was a citabria 7eca, then piper pa 16 (clipper). Like I said I enjoy it, but very very dramatic lol
+Johan Loewen Maybe starting out with tail wheel made it less dramatic for you, but as a guy that had nearly 20 years flying tricycle gear before trying tail wheel - this is as dramatic as it felt - reality TV or not.
How would you rate the learning you get from all the video ... later in review ?
sweet!
Hey man I saw your go pro mount on the strut if u don't mind me asking which mount did u use?
It's the GoPro "roll bar mount" that fits nicely on the thin strut of the Super Cub
FlightChops ok thank you do u think it would work on a champ?
not sure, but before rigging anything, check with your instructor and/or a mechanic to be sure there are no adverse effects.
FlightChops ok thank you very much love your channel very much
Strange my worst and my best landing both happen on the same day when I received my endorsement a few weeks ago. I learned to keep the power until right before touching down. #BoseA20
I'm a PP with some taildrager experience.. I was trying to understand you but it seemed like you were way over analyzing and making it much harder than it was.... was this the search for perfection or am I missing something?
Both?
You're missing something I guess... but I am definitely on a quest to improve.
I don't expect to achieve perfection, but I'm sure as hell gonna work toward getting better.
And yeah, as a "weekend warrior" that doesn't get to fly a ton, I wanna get the best value of the time that I do log, so I am definitely gonna arm chair fly, and analyze the heck out of the flying that I do get to do...
***** Understood. Keep it up, I do enjoy your videos. I'm hoping to see some instrument training videos.
Ray Forrester IFR training videos coming up! :)
Seriously - I got a little over halfway through last year, and then got side tracked enjoying tail wheel flying too much this summer :)
I'll be back at IFR soon - and will do my best to make engaging IFR training videos that aren't too boring (I expect it will be a challenge)
I thought you always had to sit on the rear in the Piper Cub!
***** You are correct for the J3 Cub - You have to fly it solo from the rear seat. But this is a Super Cub, and you have to fly it solo from the front seat.
Ohh I understand, I'll check them out and see what the differences are
Howdy Steve,
Great video - quad screens now - wow - no wonder you were up for four days and as many nights, the quality of the edits and general flow of your video story is fantastic.
Now for the flying…very impressive accomplishment(s) these past six months. Congrats in all facets of flight and through the learning curve of several different t-draggers to boot.
One last thing: if you insist on continuing with the rudder cam angles…you’re really going to have to do something about those shoes and socks. May I suggest you swap the leather "boots" (sort of speak) for something we can easily all follow your fancy footwork with? How about these: theshoegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Nike-AM-1-Orange-Shoes.jpg
All kidding aside, this was one of the best to watch from a POV perspective. Keep it up!
Jim
Thanks Jim - Love those orange shoes! :P