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Fortunately, this ground loop recovery leading to a nasty departure stall/spin crash resulted in no injuries. However, it could easily have been much worse, so it is worth analyzing to see what lessons can be drawn from this pilot's experience. This accident offers quite a few lessons that could help save you from a similar or far worse fate. We review those lessons on the Lessons Learned page.
The fact that there are enough reported ground loops to cause taildragger hull insurance premiums to be roughly double what they are for tricycle gear airplanes of similar value by itself indicates that we have a serious ground loop problem. However, the problem is even bigger than that because ground loop accident statistics represent just the tip of the iceberg. The vast majority of ground loops end up doing no damage, so are never reported. But even when a ground loop results in no damage, it demonstrates that the "pilot in command" is not really in command of the aircraft. We go over how to stay in command on the Ground Loops page.
Departure stall/spin accidents are less common, but are often fatal, making them a serious problem as well. I’m a big fan of Dan Gryder and his YouTube channel Probable Cause. You should check it out as well as his website DanGryder.com. Dan has been doing a great job of calling attention to this and pleading with pilots to keep their speed up by getting the nose down in the pattern and on takeoff, especially during a power failure. We discuss departure stall/spin prevention on the Stall/Spin Prevention page.
Ground loops and departure stalls can always be avoided if we possess the proper reflexes. Those reflexes don't come out of thin air. They are the result of training, including lots of repetition. We outline the necessary reflexes and how to train them on the Taildragger Reflexes page.
I am occasionally critical of traditional taildragger training, and I point out some of the training pitfalls I think new taildragger pilots should try to avoid, all on the Pitfalls to Avoid page.
I like to poke a little fun at people who think some taildraggers are squirrelly, but I know this can be a controversial topic. We can argue about that on the Squirrelly Taildraggers page.
I believe that all landings should be wheel landings, and I make my case for that on the Wheel Landings page.
I am an outspoken advocate of tail-up braking. I believe that the accidents caused by tail-up braking happen because pilots fail to learn in advance how to brake properly with the tail up. I feel strongly that tail-up braking should be learned under controlled conditions at a time and place of your choosing, rather than after your rudder has lost effectiveness while slowing down from a crosswind wheel landing and you find yourself headed off one edge of the runway. We'll discuss that on the Tail-up Braking page.
Whether student pilots should be required to learn spin entry and recovery has been a controversial subject for decades. Which side of the debate are you on? We address this question on the Spin Training Page.
Short field takeoffs are a favorite topic of most taildragger pilots. We explore the right and wrong way to do them on the Short Field Takeoff page.
Short Field landings are of universal appeal, but some risks need to be kept in mind. We review all that on the Short Field Landings page.
Side-slips and slipping turns are great fun, very useful in hitting a chosen landing spot without needing power, and very entertaining to watch. We explore this taildragger staple on the Side-slips page.
The purpose of all this is to generate discussion so we can learn from each other. Whether you agree or disagree with me or one of the other comments, we would all would like to know what you think and why.
Use the Contact Me page to leave your comments. I will respond to as many as I can, and I will post the most interesting and thought provoking ones at the bottom of this page, or if your comment seems directed to one of the other pages, I will post it there.
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