Okay, what are some tips for landing a tail dragger. Been trying it on RealFlight (P-51 and Extra 300S) and I suck!!!

Thanks

First of all do not even attempt it on the P-51 unless you have a lot of taildragger exp. Warbirds can be nasty as most have the main gear at or behind the wings leading edge which makes them kinda twitchy, mainly on ground handling but landing them requires a very soft touch.

On the Extra just cut throttle to about one or two clicks above idle just after you turn to base as long as you are about 50 feet above the runway and just as you cross over the end of the runway at about 10 feet, cut power the rest of the way and let it settle down all the while adding up elevator SLOWLY.

Just like the real thing...

It's not just because it is a taildragger. You need to use a lot of throttle management on the P-51, use the fun fly field that it comes with, and practice with no wind at first. Not even bother to try to use flaps at first either. I have been practicing with the Mustang, it bounces like crazy if you're not dead on. That's what Realflight is good for. It makes you keep at it until you are smooth. When you want another challenge, download from Realflight's swap page, Bingo Field. It is my field here, and a fair aprroximation of what I fly off of. You need to change the wind around to see where the easiest direction is for you to land is. Takeoffs can be in any direction. It's the landing that is a small challenge.

Except for warbirds & bipes, tail dragger landing is no more difficult than tri-gear, and the very same techniques apply. Flare in the final few feet & hold it off until it just sinks onto the runway in a 3-pointer. If it balloons when you flare, you are going too fast, so don't land on the main gear only or you will probably bounce from too much speed.

Some (but not all) warbirds & bipes require main-gear-only landings & they can indeed be tricky.

I like to flair, and descend to about 6" - Then HOLD it there. Keep adding up elevator until the plane just can't keep flying and slowly loses that last 6" and settles in on all 3 wheels at once.

The best way to land a tail dragger that I have found is:

1. Have your throttle at ABOUT 1/8 throttle while on final.

2. FLY the plane down until the mains are about 3" from the ground.

3. Gradually reduce the throttle and at the same time gradually add in A LITTLE up elevator. What you want to do is bleed off speed, not balloon up. The plane will settle in for a nice three point landing.

4. Remember, MOST warbirds land a lot hotter than a sport plane. With a warbird remember to not loose too much speed until your mains are about 3" from the ground otherwise you may tip stall.

5. I suggest NOT using flaps while learning to do this.

6. Practice on RealFlight the way I suggested until you can do it without bouncing, then you should have little if any problems at the field.

This will take some practice to get co-ordinated between the throttle and elevator. Keep in mind that while all your tail draggers will land similarly, there will be differences between planes.

For the Extra, and any other plane, the key is a combination of proper speed and proper descent rate. The ideal landing is as already described, get the plane within inches (2-3, not 12-24) of the ground and keep adding up elevator until it won't fly any more.

In windy conditions, especially when gusty, I tend to land hot. Doing so requires very careful control of the decent rate so it is almost zero when the wheels touch the ground. If you can do this it won't bounce and the drag will immediately start slowing the plane. It's also critical to not immediately feed in large amounts of up elevator, or the plane may take off again, with possibly disasterous results. This is much easier on grass than a hard surface.

If you fly planes with trike gear, you can reduce the tendency of the plane to bounce by adjusting the height of the nose gear so the plane sits a little nose down. When the plane is on all 3 wheels, it's not going to want to lift off. This also can help your takeoffs. The plane will not takeoff until you decide to add up elevator.

I have found using the Realflight that if you land on the mains, which requires precise throttle and pitch control, I can grease it in every time. Most of the Warbirds like this kind of approach as you can keep the speed up and the airplanes are less likely to "balloon" once in ground effect.
-Tom