RE: Anyone ever flown something with a tail skid or non-steerable tail wheel?
I fly my little Fokker E.Vs with a non-steering tailwheel. It is not castored but fixed straight ahead. It is fine on payment. I just place the aircraft into the wind and use ailerons to keep the plane level. If I try to use rudder, forget it; the plane will be uncontrollable. It is important to let the plane build up speed a little slowly. It will usually veer off the path a little but, as long as I stay on the ailerons, I can take it off fine.
Landing is much harder, especially if there is some cross wind. I have to grease it in on the mains, let it settle onto the tailwheel and try to nail the tail to the ground with elevator. About half the time, it will go on its nose or on a wing, but not too badly.
The Fokker E.V is accurate in outline and proportion and as difficult to take off and land as any design there is.
I am starting a VK Camel and will probably work in a gyro on rudder, but that is a much larger model.
Allan