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My First Real Solo in the Cub!

Nice Hairdo!
The Official Piper Cub Hairdo!

Today I finally got another chance to get back up in the Cub.  The really nice part is that I was all by myself for the first time, from start to finish.  When I got out to the field I immediately walked over and preflighted the plane.  I still love the simplicity of the Cub, and the pre-flight is as much about safety as it is about the true romance of flight boiled down to its most basic form.  The Cub, to me, really is a thing of beauty.

When I finished the pre-flight, I took a look around and there was absolutely nobody on the filed to help me hand-prop the engine.  In fact, the only other people there were a flight instructor and student doing touch-and-go's in the Cessna 172.  Apparently, the instructor saw my predicament, took pitty on me, and had his student taxi over to where I was, so he could start the engine for me.  I found out later that the instructor was Charlie's father.  The airport is owned and operated by a great family of pilots and A&P's who live on or very close to the field.

At any rate, once the engine was started, I was on my way. I'd never really completed a successful wheel landing (in my humble opinion) so I spent the previous week scouring the internet looking for tips and tricks to make smooth wheel landings.  On this flight I decided I wasn't going to do anything but wheel landings and/or touch and go's.

The first order of business for me was to try and keep myself from pulling back into the flare at touchdown.  On my first attempt, I decided to keep my speed up and attempt to put the mains down on the runway without letting the tail drop, and then go around without completing the landing.  I was more concerned about getting "the feel" of the approach, and wasn't as concerned about where I touched down.  On my first attempt, I was a little unstable, and ended up doing a low-pass over the runway without the wheel ever making contact with the pavement.  I was satisfied with the result as I was able to keep the nose level and maintain control of the plane straight down the runway.  I thought this would be a good teaspoon full approach to learning about the plane's performance and it seemed to be working well.

On my second approach, I bled off a bit more speed and I was able to touch the mains on the pavement about halfway down the runway.  I continued rolling on the mains for a good length of runway, holding straight down the centerline before pulling up and going around the pattern again. However, "there is nothing more useless than the runway behind you, or the sky above you" so I realized that in order to actually perform a successful wheel landing, I would need to touch down much closer to the other end.  The idea is to have as much pavement in front of you as possible.

My third approach, was similar to the second but I was able to put the gear down in the landing zone of the runway.  I touched down, and kept my speed up so the tail wouldn't drop, and really got a feel for what it was like to control the plane, on the runway, with rudder only.  (Since the tailwheel never made contact.)  I was amazed at how smoothly the Cub cruised along the runway on the main gear, it was like gliding across an icy pond!

My fourth approach was a full stop and it felt great.  I touched down in the first third of the runway, on the mains, maintained control of the airplane for a little while down the runway letting the speed come back, until the tail slowly dropped and I was fully on the ground again.  However, as I was nearing a complete stop on the pavement my feet got a little ahead of me (in all the excitement of my first solo wheel landing) and I ended up running off the runway at a moderate clip.  Not a big deal, I still had control, and I didn't hit anything, but I need to remember that the FAA considers a taildragger to be flying whenever it's in motion.  (I should too!) Embarassed

After that, I completed 9 more full stop landings without much incedent, and I was ready to head home. 

Did I mention that I love the Piper Cub? It's a real blast to fly.  I need to keep flying and building more proficiency, but I can't think of a better plane to learn in.  The Cub is very forgiving, and makes me look like a good pilot.  We both know who should get the credit though!