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Wheel Landings
Which is better, wheel landings, or three-point?
I know there are a few pilots who think every landing should be three-point, even in a crosswind. I believe there is a far greater number who think all landings should be three-point unless wind conditions dictate a wheel landing. But I'm in a third camp. I think every landing should be a wheel landing unless there is some compelling reason to land three-point. I'll lay out my case here and I look forward to reading your comments, pro or con.
Wheel landings offer several advantages over three-point landings. The level attitude allows better visibility over the nose. The center of gravity being more nearly directly over the wheels reduces the tendency to ground loop. The constant practice keeps you sharp for those days when only a wheel landing will do. Most importantly, the higher landing speed gives better rudder authority to counteract gusty crosswinds, and a greater margin of lift to prevent a hard landing when a gust from the front suddenly subsides. They allow better control over the touchdown point, which can get the wheels on the ground sooner so they can be used for directional control and for slowing down. The tail-up attitude also allows you to load the wheels sooner via a negative angle of attack so you can get on the brakes sooner. It also allows you to take off sooner if you decide to go around. Wheel landings put you in firm control of your taildragger, safe from the mischief of capricious winds, recalcitrant engines, and minor misjudgments of speed and distance.
Three-point landings do offer the advantage of a slightly slower touchdown speed, which can make for a slightly shorter roll-out if everything goes perfectly (about 50 feet shorter in my Cub on asphalt). Three-point landings can therefore be useful for super short fields where there is not enough room to get stopped after a wheel landing.
However, realizing this minimal advantage requires hitting your spot precisely, which is more difficult in three-point attitude. This requires a very slow approach, and often involves hanging it on the prop until the last second, in order to avoid overshooting.
Getting into a field shorter than is comfortable for a wheel landing requires accepting and artfully managing some additional risk, including the risk of a stall/spin on final approach, the risk of touching down too soon if the wind suddenly subsides, the risk of dropping it in short of the runway if the engine sputters while you are dragging it in, the risk of floating too far if you happen to come in a tiny bit too fast, the risk of a ground loop if you get rotated by a gust just prior to touchdown, and the risk of hitting obstacles obscured by the nose during the three-point roll-out.
And don't forget the risks inherent in landing in such a short spot in the first place. Will the surface offer good braking action? Will you be unable to get stopped in time, but already be too slow for a go-around? Assuming the field turns out to actually be long enough to land in, is it also long enough for a takeoff? Will the soft surface or tall grass make it impossible to gain enough speed in the available distance? In other words, if it is not safe for a wheel landing, do you really want to land here?
