Bo, a taildragger is inherently unstable on its wheels whereas a trike is inherently stable, that's why trainers full size and model prefer trikes. In the full-size world there are flying schools that offer specific taildragger conversion courses. Converting from trike to taildragger is not a solution, it is another extra problem you do not need! A plane is like a dart, no matter which way it starts off there is only one way it is stable and it will flip itself to point in that direction. A trike is like a dart pointing forward, a taildragger is like a dart being thrown backwards and it does its damndest to flip itself the "right" way around. At low speeds where the tailfin has not enough airflow to control the direction, the plane is dominated by the drag of the 2 main wheels. If these are behind the CG as per trike then it will stay that way, if they are ahead of the CG as per taildragger, the drag tries to get behind the weight just like a dart. At flying speed on take off or landing the tailfin and rudder have enough power to overcome this, but at lower speeds the wheels win, especially on landing where the momentum of the weight is trying to overtake the drag of the wheels and the braking effect of the prop is pushing the nose backwards instead of pulling it forwards.

If you are not raising the nose enough on landing, then by removing the noseleg you are asking the prop to hit the ground for you, this is not good for the prop, the engine or the bulkhead!

Flying a model plane is not easy, they are not toys, they are real aeroplanes and there is no magic cure! Practice practice practice!

Perhaps I can help by explaining the landing procedure? The aircraft should be on a steady shallow descent towards the landing point, probably at a lower speed than the one you have been taught to fly around at. Now comes the thing that model fliers seem to find hardest to understand, full size fliers have no problem since the instruments make it starkly clear - a plane's speed is controlled by elevator not throttle. A plane's up or down is controlled by throttle not elevator. There is clearly a cross-over interaction between throttle and speed, and elevator and up/down, but to control the speed you use elevator and to control whether or not you are going up or down at that speed you use the throttle. So to slow the plane a little for landing you have to gently ease on a touch of up elevator, and adjust the throttle to make a gentle descent. At about 1 foot off the ground you start to arrest the descent by using elevator to slowly slowly raise the nose so that the plane flies a gentle curve to be flying level to the ground say 2 or 3 inches above it, at the same time you are closing the throttle. By now you should be slightly nose high, flying along the ground, throttle closed. If the model now touches down, ok, you have already got the nose up a bit. Ideally what happens is that as the speed bleeds off and the model starts to drop you gradually and smoothly pull in more and more elevator to hold it off until it just will not stay up any longer and the main wheels kiss the tarmac. The basis of this is: flare to arrest the descent and fly the plane parallel to the ground, as it slows keep pulling back to hold it off until it stops flying. Don't do this 2 feet up as when it stops flying it will drop 2 feet!

On calm days or evenings it really can be that good, every landing.

Harry