![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/P1000810-1024x768.jpg\")
But the question was, \u201cWhat do you do?\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s a pretty good question.\u00a0 I guess I could break it down to two things.\u00a0 One is to simply practice the same maneuvers I teach in order to display some sort of proficiency in them so that my students won\u2019t shake their heads and mutter to themselves, \u201cWhat could I possibly learn from THIS clown?\u201d<\/h3>\nThe other thing I do is to practice something in which I rarely give any dual.\u00a0 Aerobatics.\u00a0 Almost any aircraft is capable of aerobatics.\u00a0 It\u2019s primarily[1]<\/a> its ability to withstand G force that determine what an airplane is capable of.\u00a0 That\u2019s why the limiting factor is really the pilot more than anything else.\u00a0 Some airplanes are certified for aerobatics\u2026 some are not.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stand by my previous statement about which are capable of it\u2026 but if a student can get into trouble and attempt to \u201cSplit S\u201d out of a botched maneuver, it helps if the aircraft is capable of withstanding the resultant loading.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I don\u2019t teach aerobatics in aircraft which are not certified for it.\u00a0 Besides, I\u2019m a horrible aerobatic teacher!<\/h3>\nIf there is one maneuver which tests one\u2019s ability to perform fundamental aerobatics, it\u2019s the slow roll.\u00a0 All my flying career, mostly in the airshow business, I performed in airplanes which were not equipped with inverted fuel or oil systems.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I\u2019ve always referred to those maneuvers as \u201cballistic aerobatics\u201d.\u00a0 For the same reason, I\u2019ve always referred to a slow roll in such an airplane as a \u201cslot roll\u201d.\u00a0 I call it that because, while in a slow roll, the nose of the airplane is going up and down in an imaginary \u201cslot\u201d while the pilot simply flies the G\u2019s.\u00a0 A barrel roll will feature a heading change, a slow roll will not.<\/h3>\nInterestingly enough, I find that the maneuver I practice the least is the landing in a turn followed by slaloms.\u00a0 As difficult and complicated as it is, I don\u2019t seem to have a lot of trouble with it and it is often left behind in a personal practice session.\u00a0 I should probably practice it more, since it\u2019s important that I do it well and with precision.<\/h3>\nSince I feel that you should always practice that in which you are weak, I usually finish off my practice session with some power-off accuracy practice.\u00a0 I combine that practice with the attempt to do smooth landings and adhere to the centerline.<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Landing-1024x666.jpg\")
The centerline may not always be the target, but it was here. Ol’ Cap’n Poophead looks like he needs a little work!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSo I guess you could have figured this out all by yourself.\u00a0 Since I teach certain things, it stands to reason that I should be fairly competent at performing those things.\u00a0 And if you know anything about my philosophy of learning, you also know that I feel that nothing beats plain old practice.<\/h3>\nOh, and there are a couple of maneuvers that I\u2019ve left out:\u00a0 One is the \u201cDutch Touch\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s in \u201cBrian\u2019s Flying Book\u201d, but I don\u2019t normally teach it.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking about including it in the new syllabus for the Stick and Rudder Master Class.\u00a0 The other is a maneuver which is yet un-named.\u00a0 It is a pass down the runway with the tailwheel in contact with the ground.\u00a0 The mains are off the ground and their altitude is controlled with power\u2026 in fact, power is the main control used in this maneuver because the stick is simply held back.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bit complicated because the airplane is flown at an angle of attack which is higher than its three-point attitude and it must remain in ground effect in order to do it at all.\u00a0 .\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you know if I ever perfect this maneuver and what I\u2019ve decided to call it!<\/h3>\n
If there is one maneuver which tests one\u2019s ability to perform fundamental aerobatics, it\u2019s the slow roll.\u00a0 All my flying career, mostly in the airshow business, I performed in airplanes which were not equipped with inverted fuel or oil systems.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I\u2019ve always referred to those maneuvers as \u201cballistic aerobatics\u201d.\u00a0 For the same reason, I\u2019ve always referred to a slow roll in such an airplane as a \u201cslot roll\u201d.\u00a0 I call it that because, while in a slow roll, the nose of the airplane is going up and down in an imaginary \u201cslot\u201d while the pilot simply flies the G\u2019s.\u00a0 A barrel roll will feature a heading change, a slow roll will not.<\/h3>\nInterestingly enough, I find that the maneuver I practice the least is the landing in a turn followed by slaloms.\u00a0 As difficult and complicated as it is, I don\u2019t seem to have a lot of trouble with it and it is often left behind in a personal practice session.\u00a0 I should probably practice it more, since it\u2019s important that I do it well and with precision.<\/h3>\nSince I feel that you should always practice that in which you are weak, I usually finish off my practice session with some power-off accuracy practice.\u00a0 I combine that practice with the attempt to do smooth landings and adhere to the centerline.<\/h3>\nThe centerline may not always be the target, but it was here. Ol’ Cap’n Poophead looks like he needs a little work!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSo I guess you could have figured this out all by yourself.\u00a0 Since I teach certain things, it stands to reason that I should be fairly competent at performing those things.\u00a0 And if you know anything about my philosophy of learning, you also know that I feel that nothing beats plain old practice.<\/h3>\nOh, and there are a couple of maneuvers that I\u2019ve left out:\u00a0 One is the \u201cDutch Touch\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s in \u201cBrian\u2019s Flying Book\u201d, but I don\u2019t normally teach it.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking about including it in the new syllabus for the Stick and Rudder Master Class.\u00a0 The other is a maneuver which is yet un-named.\u00a0 It is a pass down the runway with the tailwheel in contact with the ground.\u00a0 The mains are off the ground and their altitude is controlled with power\u2026 in fact, power is the main control used in this maneuver because the stick is simply held back.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bit complicated because the airplane is flown at an angle of attack which is higher than its three-point attitude and it must remain in ground effect in order to do it at all.\u00a0 .\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you know if I ever perfect this maneuver and what I\u2019ve decided to call it!<\/h3>\n
Since I feel that you should always practice that in which you are weak, I usually finish off my practice session with some power-off accuracy practice.\u00a0 I combine that practice with the attempt to do smooth landings and adhere to the centerline.<\/h3>\nThe centerline may not always be the target, but it was here. Ol’ Cap’n Poophead looks like he needs a little work!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSo I guess you could have figured this out all by yourself.\u00a0 Since I teach certain things, it stands to reason that I should be fairly competent at performing those things.\u00a0 And if you know anything about my philosophy of learning, you also know that I feel that nothing beats plain old practice.<\/h3>\nOh, and there are a couple of maneuvers that I\u2019ve left out:\u00a0 One is the \u201cDutch Touch\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s in \u201cBrian\u2019s Flying Book\u201d, but I don\u2019t normally teach it.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking about including it in the new syllabus for the Stick and Rudder Master Class.\u00a0 The other is a maneuver which is yet un-named.\u00a0 It is a pass down the runway with the tailwheel in contact with the ground.\u00a0 The mains are off the ground and their altitude is controlled with power\u2026 in fact, power is the main control used in this maneuver because the stick is simply held back.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bit complicated because the airplane is flown at an angle of attack which is higher than its three-point attitude and it must remain in ground effect in order to do it at all.\u00a0 .\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you know if I ever perfect this maneuver and what I\u2019ve decided to call it!<\/h3>\n