RE: Better Landings For The Great Planes 1/3 Pitts
Keep in mind that the TNT gear is not going to make the Pitts a *****cat. It subdues some of its bite, but it remains a high performance aerobatic short coupled airplane with high wing loading.
My smoothest landings have been wheel landings with a couple of clicks of throttle at touch down. The worst have been when I pulled back to idle and flared a little too early (about a foot off the ground). Bounced a few times before settling. I have had a few that I went around because the bounce was a tad too high. Smooth application to full throttle with some rudder to keep it straight and go around for another shot.
I have noticed that as I get more comfortable with the plane that I slow it more for landing. The elevator is less effective at low speed and once you flare near stall and you are too high it does not have enough authority to flare again and you can count on bounces. It's just a matter of either wheel landing or well timed flares to get smooth landings.
I have had no problems with ground looping or nose overs, though I have had a couple of times that I have hit rough spots in the grass on rollout or during taxi that it would have if I had not gotten on the elevator quick enough. Nothing that I have not seen on other scale tail draggers though.
Take offs are easy. I tried quick take offs where I drop the hammer, applied a heavy dose of right rudder and gotten smoothly airborne in around 25'. I have also done nice slow long take off runs with light rudder inputs to compensate for torque without any handling difficulties. ground handling was good in both types.