Hi Mike
I was only referring to the Pitts as an aircraft that required just a
little more training for anyone new to the type as does the Europa. I am
personally not familiar with the Citabria although from what I have read
that experience will be more than adequate. In the UK the PFA instituted
a coaching scheme where experienced pilots are cleared to give
conversion training on specific aircraft. This has worked well over here
and I believe is very popular with the insurance companies. In fact I
think they make such training a condition of cover. I am still building
but also have a share in a monowheel and had conversion training as
mentioned above. The airplane is a delight to fly but a bit more
demanding on landing. I found the most difficult thing to get used to
was the power and sensitivity of the elevator after other taildragers
that I have flown. Having said that it is not difficult to get used to
and of course it is vital to use the rudder to keep straight until the
aircraft stops as is the case with all taildraggers. Hard runways are a
little more testing than grass in terms of keeping straight but again
this is not too demanding. I agree with the people who wisely advise to
limit the cross winds building up your personal limits gradually,
particularly on hard runways. Take offs are easy, holding the tail on
the ground until aerodynamic aileron control is established. It is
IMNSHO the best handling kit aircraft and a delight to fly and tour in.
Like all aircraft types one needs to fully understand them, and as the
late Tommy Sopwith so aptly put it "make friends with them". Best advice
I would give is find a good coach or instructor but one experienced on
the Europa and spend a few hours, four or five is not too many, until
you feel comfortable with the aircraft and then very slowly expand your
own envelope. The level of coach over here is very high, in fact the
person that converted me was a Royal Air Force test pilot and is now a
test pilot with Airbus, although they come from all backgrounds and I am
sure there are many such people in California. I would think Kim Prout
would be an excellent source of knowledge although California is very
big and he may not live close to you. I should add that I am not a
professional pilot, I am a professional engineer, now retired but I have
been flying taildraggers mainly since 1959 with a beak of about 20 years
when I couldn't afford to rent airplanes. So if I can fly the Europa I
am sure anyone can.
Regards
Tony
----- Original Message -----
From: DuaneFamly@aol.com
To: europa-list@matronics.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 4:59 PM
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Tailplane Balance
In a message dated 6/26/2007 5:37:08 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
tonywickens@btconnect.com writes:
It is different to other taildraggers and requires slight
modifications to standard taildragger technique as does the Pitts
Special and some other more demanding aircraft.
Good Day Tony,
If you have specific knowledge with regard to the Europa I would
appreciate it if you could elaborate on this sentence. I have flown only
Citabrias for my tailwheel transition and am building my Europa with a
conventional setup. I was just wondering what adjustments I might have
to make.
Thanks in advance.
Mike Duane A207A
Redding, California
XS Conventional Gear
Jabiru 3300
Sensenich R64Z N
Ground Adjustable Prop
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