Mike Stirewalt wrote: > I don't have enough words to describe just how stupid it is to > run an aircraft, especially a taildragger, down a runway a high speed > unless one is landing or taking off.
I think the stupid part was the full-aft stick and the gusty crosswinds during a high speed taxi in a plane known to be very sensitive to control inputs. I did about 75 high speed tail-up and -down taxi tests before my first flight, and credit it with giving me the confidence to successfully land it on my first flight. Your mileage must have varied. FYI, for those who have yet to fly a taildragger, one should not pull the stick BACK at full throttle unless the intention is to fly! Taxi tests should only involve FORWARD stick to get the tail up. Once there, it is hoped that it would give the pilot an indication of where the "neutral stick" location is. Any further aft should be reserved for flying, unless you are doing runups or slow-speed taxiing in high winds and want to keep the tail down... Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com http://www.n56ml.com
