Hey guys. Just curious how many of you are pilots and what do you all fly?

I have a 2002 Maule MX-180c and own a hanger at KFTG just to the east of Denver.

I live to fly and fly to hunt...

Haven't flown in years. When I started medication for high blood pressure and then Insulin for diabetes couldn't pass the Doctors visit. Once many years ago I owned a part of a group owned Aeronca Chief. Learned to fly in a Champ while in high school. I can't think of any thing that totally absorbs me more than flying. It's something you never forget once you've done it. The desire never goes away. Never flew more than simple light planes. A little time in a Redlegs club Navion at Ft Sill while in the Army. Once tried to buy a Fairchild 24 Ranger powered till I found the mainspar was riddled with rot and needed replacement. Cost was too high for a poor guy on a shoestring budget. Was surely a nice aircraft though. Had a Dr friend in Centerburg,Oh once that owned and flew a Maule,only one I have actually been in. It was very impressive at the time and probably the most high performance aircraft I have ever been in. Most memorable time was getting to fly in the jump seat of a 747 most of trip from Atlanta to Johannesburg on SAA back when they would let passengers on the flight deck. If the First Officers was not so busy 'making fuel' I think they would have let me sit in the right seat. I got to fly 'up front' on two trips and was actually in Zimbabwe when 911 took place ending all that pleasure.

Sold my Cessna 180 a few years back. Now I just fly the B-757 and 767. I fly over KFTG every week as I'm based out of Denver.

I live on a grass strip (WN13)10 miles west of Seattle/Tacoma airport & fly a rebuilt 1969 Maule M4 220 from there.

m4220

Instrument and commercial, but haven't flown much in a while. Playing Rancher and hunting seem to eat up all my play money.

I have my private pilot license but just don't fly enough. Rated on the Cessna 182 and the Cherokee 180.

I'm instrument rated and own N52791, a 1978 Cessna 177RG based at KERV. I'm having some fun working on a tail wheel endorsement in an Aeronca Champ.

quote:

Originally posted by David W:
I'm instrument rated and own N52791, a 1978 Cessna 177RG based at KERV. I'm having some fun working on a tail wheel endorsement in an Aeronca Champ.

Pretty sure I did my commercial checkride in a mid 70's 177RG. Not a plane you see every day.

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
Sold my Cessna 180 a few years back. Now I just fly the B-757 and 767. I fly over KFTG every week as I'm based out of Denver.

Now why did you go and sell a 180!!!

Seriously that is my dream plane. That or its big brother...the 185.

New pilot with right at 100 hrs and now working through my instrument rating.

Want a taildragger but everyone keeps talking me out of it. Probably end up going the conservative route when I do buy, which will be next summer or so, and get a 182 and then move up to a 206.

Tried recently to buy a Stationair but couldn't get insurance. Insurers want more hours.

BTW a Maule was on the short list but when I tried to actually shoehorn myself into one (6'4") I quickly ruled it out. Still love'em tho!

As a Maule owner, I would try to talk you out of a taildragger. My maule is a spectacular performer and it is relatively new, so I don't have a lot of the issues most people have with older aircraft.

Maule makes a nose dragger version that I wish I had.

It takes an incredible amount of flying to stay proficient in the TD version of the maule. It's just plain quirky on the ground. If I was located where there was a grass strip, I'd be a happy camper. You can get away with more x-wind on a forgiving grass strip.

I have lots of time in 180's and cubs - They are a little more forgiving than the maule, but you still need to put in the time to stay proficient. That's not to say that you don't need to put in the time in a tri-gear, they are just a lot more forgiving.

JDA

quote:

Originally posted by Vanderhoef:

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
Sold my Cessna 180 a few years back. Now I just fly the B-757 and 767. I fly over KFTG every week as I'm based out of Denver.

Now why did you go and sell a 180!!!

Seriously that is my dream plane. That or its big brother...the 185.

I had to make a choice with all the cut backs we went through. Keep the plane or feed the kids. I almost put the kids up for adoption.

I sold my 180 to a guy who got into a mid air about 6 months later...

Here she was about three days before I sold her.


Here she is after having a C-210 take her tail off at 10,500'.

Vanderhoef,

I have well over 2,000 hours of tail wheel time. In everything from light singles to heavy twins and a smattering of war birds thrown in.

Tail wheel flying is more challenging but it's nothing to be afraid of. You need to respect it but it's not an impossible task to master. And once you do master it it's one of the most pure forms of flying and one of the most honest types of flying machines there is. A tail wheel airplane demands a skilled touch with a lot more mastery and art thrown in than a tricycle gear airplane does. A nose wheel is a training wheel.

Did all of my Commercial and Instrument work in my father's 1967 180H with an Owl stol kit stall fences and aileron gaps you could drag it over the fence at 35mph indicated. I must say that I like the 185 better that much heavier then the 180 so when you put the stick in your stomach it was done flying.
Vanderhoef...
If you want a taildragger get one, there's not a lot of mystery to it and it will make you a better pilot.

started-ed with an Aeronica champ in the late 60's 85 hp "" mine was the super ""

flew a 210 and an Aztec for 3 sets of engine changes each bird


made yearly runs in the Aztec from phx to Alaska on fishing trips back in the day

still putt around in the 210

the F model Aztec is for sell with good engine time cant afford the gas and the kids left home

it is a 1977 year F with extended tanks

known ice

I have a Cessna 172 RG and are operating from my own grasstrip. Before that I have flown Rans S 10 with tailwheel.

ATP in multiengine land, Lear Jet, DA-10.
Commercial single engine land and sea and glider
Have owned Aeronca 7AC, Cessna 180, Piper J-3, Piper PA 18-150, Taylorcraft L2, and Beech 58 Baron. Haven't done much flying the last 18 years and yes, I do miss it.

multi, inst, 2500+hrs... sold the 310n in jan this yr to buy tx hill country property..

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
Vanderhoef,

I have well over 2,000 hours of tail wheel time. In everything from light singles to heavy twins and a smattering of war birds thrown in.

Tail wheel flying is more challenging but it's nothing to be afraid of. You need to respect it but it's not an impossible task to master. And once you do master it it's one of the most pure forms of flying and one of the most honest types of flying machines there is. A tail wheel airplane demands a skilled touch with a lot more mastery and art thrown in than a tricycle gear airplane does. A nose wheel is a training wheel.

Real shame what happened to your 180! Any fatalities?

As to whether or not a new pilot should buy a tailwheel plane, I hear very mixed opinions. Seems that those that fly one try to discourage me, while those that used to or want to fly one tell me it's very manageable.

In the end it may boil down to the simple issue of cabin width....the extra 4 inches in the 182/206 sure is nice on those longer trips. But then again those Skywagons are sexy as hell!!

Thanks for the input fellas!

quote:

Originally posted by jimatcat:
multi, inst, 2500+hrs... sold the 310n in jan this yr to buy tx hill country property..

Whereabouts in the hill country? I have a ranch north of Junction.

I have an instrument rating but haven't flown in several years. Cost prohibitive when shooting full time

quote:

Originally posted by Vanderhoef:

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
Vanderhoef,

I have well over 2,000 hours of tail wheel time. In everything from light singles to heavy twins and a smattering of war birds thrown in.

Tail wheel flying is more challenging but it's nothing to be afraid of. You need to respect it but it's not an impossible task to master. And once you do master it it's one of the most pure forms of flying and one of the most honest types of flying machines there is. A tail wheel airplane demands a skilled touch with a lot more mastery and art thrown in than a tricycle gear airplane does. A nose wheel is a training wheel.

Real shame what happened to your 180! Any fatalities?

As to whether or not a new pilot should buy a tailwheel plane, I hear very mixed opinions. Seems that those that fly one try to discourage me, while those that used to or want to fly one tell me it's very manageable.

In the end it may boil down to the simple issue of cabin width....the extra 4 inches in the 182/206 sure is nice on those longer trips. But then again those Skywagons are sexy as hell!!

Thanks for the input fellas!

Found this Online...

N3389d, a cessna 180 aircraft with 2 persons on board collided midair with another aircraft, a mesa flight 70 cessna 210 registration unknown, with 4 persons on board, no injuries reported, n3389d force landed in a field

13,000 plus flight hours, medically retired off the B757 at age 48. Took over six years to get my medical back. Flown over 1k in both Tailwheels airplanes and Army helicopters along the way, including the Stearman in my Aviatar. Sold 224 in '05 when I hurt my neck and lost my medical.

Currently flying a B200 KingAir and looking for a "family" wagon. Most likely a Stinson 108 or a Fairchild F24.

Hi all
I've been flying 50+ years 30,000+ started my airline career on a Norsemam(skis)retired 37 years later on B767 along the way made 5000+ bomb runs on the fires in the PBY and operated the B737 off the ice of the arctic ocean had a very interesting career.
Tail draggers from cub to DC3 with many types in between Surestrike put it very well about flying a tail dragger the trick in learning to handle one is to start on the GRASS it makes it far easier to start.
Aircraft I've had are J2 cub/Champ/C170B(2)/C150(for son to train on)/MauleM5 210c/now have a Steen Skybolt
Get your tail dragger. Real men fly tail draggers.
Bill

quote:

Originally posted by Vanderhoef:
Real shame what happened to your 180! Any fatalities?

As to whether or not a new pilot should buy a tailwheel plane, I hear very mixed opinions. Seems that those that fly one try to discourage me, while those that used to or want to fly one tell me it's very manageable.

In the end it may boil down to the simple issue of cabin width....the extra 4 inches in the 182/206 sure is nice on those longer trips. But then again those Skywagons are sexy as hell!!

Thanks for the input fellas!

Good ending to the mid air story. Everybody walked away from it. And that doesn't happen to often in a serious mid air collision like that one.

Vanderhoef,

I honestly don't think that you would find any professional tail wheel pilots that would tell you to not fly a tail wheel airplane. It really is simply a matter of proper training and continued proficiency. operating a tail wheel airplane is true flying it takes skill and it's rewarding. A light tricycle gear airplane is akin to driving a bike with training wheels on it.

The guys who are scared by tail wheels are the ones who have never had the training or time to truly master the finer points of flying an airplane.

Commercial, instrument, multi-engine, land and sea. Naval Aviator, USMC A-4's of various following letters including TA-4J's... Most of my operational experience was in VMA-311 and H&MS-12. Upon return from SEA flew A-4C's and T-39's (Saberliner) at VT-86, Glynco, GA.

BTW, that's an A-4E (Modex WL-16)in my avatar (and if you look closely), you may be able to read my name on it. Unfortunately, one of my squadron mates jumped out of it in the middle of the Yellow Sea.

I've owned several tail draggers to include a Super Cub, Cessna 140 (wheels and skis), Citabra (floats and wheels), Luscombe 8E and a Teal Amphibian (displacement hull and tail dragger).

In the summers of law school, I'd buy an airplane and fly it up the AlCan Highway to Alaska, play for a month up there, sell it and come home, usually with an extra dollar in my pocket. Interestingly, my Super Cub was crashed right outside Merrill Field (Anchorage) on the first flight of the fellow who bought it from me. N234T was the tail number.

Now.... I just fly single-seat fighters in my dreams.

Kick the tire and light the fire!!!!!

JudgeG,
Tell me a little about how you liked that Teal, I almost bought one of them as it looks like it would be lots of fun. Was always curious as to how they performed in real life.

m4220

Vietnam aged Army CWO with about 2300 hrs of TH13, OH23,OH47, UH1C,D,H, with Instructor rating in all. Enjoyed the flying but, being shot at while strapped in a beercan really sucked. Quit flying when left the service as my only choices were spraying bananas in Costa Rica, or flying a decrepid old CH34 out over the gulf. Had enough chemicals with the agent orange thing, so can't imagine how bad it would have been spraying bananas and veggies from a OH47.
Took another path and have no regrets.
My hat is off to my RVN pilot peer group of some the finest and bravest young men that the times had to offer.

quote:

I honestly don't think that you would find any professional tail wheel pilots that would tell you to not fly a tail wheel airplane. It really is simply a matter of proper training and continued proficiency. operating a tail wheel airplane is true flying it takes skill and it's rewarding. A light tricycle gear airplane is akin to driving a bike with training wheels on it.

Except when you're in a severe crosswind trying to land on a 30 foot wide runway with the power on to get to the ground, the trim full aft, snd it's getting dark.

You're banging the rudder pedals so hard that you find bruises on your feet next morning.

Hell yes, flyin' a tail dragger is easy; it's the landings that make life interesting. Kinda like riding a tricycle backwards at 70 mph in the driving rain.

Oh,and then there's a Harvard MK 4, otherwise known as a AT-6 Texan. Mine was built by Canadian Car and Foundry back in 1952. I NEVER made a landing that I thought was clean. However I did learn what the words 'copious sweat" really meant.

Appreciate the feedback guys.


Who knows.....maybe there's a skywagon in my future after all....
Anyone know a good tailwheel CFI in the Denton, TX area?

Also, glad to hear everyone walked away from the mid-air, Surestrike! What a nightmare!!

M4220:

Funny that the Teal has come up. I saw the first one I've seen in years at the Jekyll Island, Georgia Airport just last Sunday.

I found it to be very easy to operate from the water and that's where I usually based it, running up on a guys boat ramp for storage.

I found the wheels hard to raise (or lower) with the lever system (on mine, anyway... I picked it up new from the factory in St. Augustine, btw). It had no windshield defrost and flying into a bit of ice would make you IFR immediately... I once cleared out a tiny hole with by sticking a credit card through the window and scraping so I could land after hitting a bit of freezing rain. I loved the stick and overhead throttle.

Flying it from land was no problem on landing, but you really had to be ahead of the a/c on takeoff because if you didn't get the nose down immediately upon elevator effectiveness, the damn thing would try to fly from 3-points before the ailerons were fully functional.

So... I found myself, as soon as I added power for takeoff, pushing the nose fully forward and holding there and easing off the down stick to catch the nose level, and accelerating at that attitude until rotation speed.... in other words, I got the nose to where it would be on the water before any back stick.

That make any sense?

quote:

Originally posted by m4220:
JudgeG,
Tell me a little about how you liked that Teal, I almost bought one of them as it looks like it would be lots of fun. Was always curious as to how they performed in real life.

BTW, the airspeed was just about the same with the wheels up (actually rotated forward, I think?) as when fully down and locked. So... flying from land to land, it made no sense to mess with them... just left them down. Flying from water to land or vice versa, the power of your right arm came into play... and it needed some power!

m4220

quote:

Oh,and then there's a Harvard MK 4, otherwise known as a AT-6 Texan. Mine was built by Canadian Car and Foundry back in 1952. I NEVER made a landing that I thought was clean. However I did learn what the words 'copious sweat" really meant.

poprivit.

Hmmmm Harvard MK 4..

Did it look kind of like this?




That is actually an SNJ-4 same idea only the Navy version of the AT-6. That's me in the one I used to instruct in. Tail wheel checkouts, lots of folks who just wanted to experience flying one, some dudes who needed a checkout for insurance purposes as they were either buying a T-6 or some other war bird.

Honestly not trying to be a smart ass here but I never found the T-6 that tough to handle on the ground. She's a big old pussy cat really, even in a cross wind and once you get into the grove you can make some of the sweetest wheel or three point landing imaginable in that bird.

I'm typed in an L-18 lodestar and flew it for a freight company for a bit, also flew the Howard 250 and 500, flew 180's and 185's in Alaska, PA-18's floats wheels and skis. Soloed in a C-195 got my private license in a L-19 Bird dog, have bit of time in DHC-2 Beaver used to teach aerobatics in a Citabria. I've done plenty of big wind and gusty cross wind landings in a tail wheel airplanes and yes it takes some work I've never had bruised ankles. Sounds like you were over controlling my friend. What the HELL were you hitting your ankles on any way. A Harvard/T-6 has got ruder pedal channels and the rudder pedals move fore and aft they have no side movement at all?

Must have been one hell of a night!

My wifle gave me a gift of an hour in an AT-6 in Galveston several years ago.
I'm not a pilot, just an old wanna be!
I am so jealous!

Soloed: June, 1966 18 yrs old
Last trip: June, 2011...thanks FAA Aeromedical for screwing me!
In between, about 30,000 hrs in everything from J-3 to Boeing
767 and everywhere from Rome to Dublin to Rio to Hawaii.
I miss the airplane, most of my crews and NOT the *&^% union.
I miss the sky most of all.

Gave up in 1997
Pacemaker and other heart conditions.
Owned Cessna 210 and leased 250 Comanche
Also flew like most 172 and 183 RG.
Love to have owned a 235 HP
P-7 Maule

Larry

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
Sold my Cessna 180 a few years back. Now I just fly the B-757 and 767. I fly over KFTG every week as I'm based out of Denver.

If I may ask who are you flying for?

There is only one company operating the 757 767 with a crew base in Denver.

PM sent

When I lived in Alaska, I was a private pilot. Had my own Cessna 170 and Super Cub. Days long gone by. Have not flown in quite a while. I only fly now when I ride along with my son-in-law.
There are 'old' pilots.....and there are 'bold' pilots....but there are not many 'old...bold pilots'.

I have my private and own a 1966 Piper Cherokee 180C. I have it for sale if anyone has an interest PM me.

I have a private, SEL VFR. Never did get the instrument as all I wanted to do was fly to see the countryside and really didn't do much cross country. I'm rated for complex and taildragger and once owned part of a Cessna Cardinal RG. A fine airplane but too expensive so I built an Avid Flyer MK IV taildragger just to go commit aviation.

The Avid was a fun airplane - cheap to fly, STOL, and great visibility outside the cockpit. Excellent on grass or rough fields - a real pasture airplane - sort of a mini-Maule.

Jerry Liles