I got my first rides today in a -6A and -7 (thanks Phil and Keith!). Phil was kind enough to let me taxi, takeoff, fly, and land in his 6A. Keith on the otherhand let me taxi and fly his -7, but takeoff and landing was all him (a good thing, too). It sealed the deal for me, and I'll definitely be ordering a nosewheel for mine! Here are my (110 hr. private pilot) observations...
What a pain to taxi a taildragger! Always 'dancing' on the pedals just to keep it on the taxiway. Can't see where you're going. Wind gusts push you around pretty good too. The -6A was a piece of cake to taxi, nearly identical to the Symphony I took my private checkride in (also had a castering nosewheel).
On takeoff, same deal. Can't see what's on the runway until the tail comes up. Keith was very busy with the rudder the whole time, too..
The landing in the 6A was no problem. I was a little too zealous with the elevator, but for my first landing attempt in a RV, it wasn't too bad. An hour later in the 7, Keith had to really work to get that thing down, and had a couple little bounces, too (keep in mind that this guy is an airline pilot, and has flown his RV for a good number of hours now, too). And he even commented that they are much less forgiving of things like not landing perfectly straight down the runway, etc.
And after flying in both, I can understand why insurance rates are less for the nosedraggers now, too!
All of this adds up to make sure I ask for a third big wheel on my fuselage order form!
What a pain to taxi a taildragger! Always 'dancing' on the pedals just to keep it on the taxiway. Can't see where you're going. Wind gusts push you around pretty good too. The -6A was a piece of cake to taxi, nearly identical to the Symphony I took my private checkride in (also had a castering nosewheel).
On takeoff, same deal. Can't see what's on the runway until the tail comes up. Keith was very busy with the rudder the whole time, too..
The landing in the 6A was no problem. I was a little too zealous with the elevator, but for my first landing attempt in a RV, it wasn't too bad. An hour later in the 7, Keith had to really work to get that thing down, and had a couple little bounces, too (keep in mind that this guy is an airline pilot, and has flown his RV for a good number of hours now, too). And he even commented that they are much less forgiving of things like not landing perfectly straight down the runway, etc.
And after flying in both, I can understand why insurance rates are less for the nosedraggers now, too!
All of this adds up to make sure I ask for a third big wheel on my fuselage order form!