Like many of you, I subscribe to a service which sends me tips from experienced flight instructors.\u00a0 I receive one or two of them every week.\u00a0 Most of the time I delete them because they are too simplistic and the comments just crack me up as other pilots clamber to put in their two cents worth and show that they, too, are on top of things.<\/h3>\n(My friend, Bert, once exclaimed, \u201cYou read the comments?\u00a0 Oh, gee, don\u2019t read the COMMENTS!\u201d)\u00a0 Bert was right, but sometimes I can\u2019t help myself!<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nI recently saw a sentence in one of these tips which reinforced this attitude I\u2019ve had for some time.\u00a0 The writer said,<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\n\u201cIf you watch the corporate pilots and the airline pilots as they land and taxi, you’re going to find those nose wheels[1]<\/a> are right on the centerline. And it seems to me if it’s good enough for them, that’s where we want to be also.\u201d<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Darrel2.jpg\")
My pal, Darrel Aschbacher, shown in the cockpit of his airliner before retiring from a major airline. He is now a respected member of the Geezer Patrol. This photo was stolen from it’s place of honor at the FBO in Prineville, Oregon. It was brought to my attention by Phil Comingore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIs it?\u00a0 Do we really want to do the things that airline pilots do in order to be \u201cprofessional\u201d?\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure we do.\u00a0 In \u201cBrian\u2019s Flying Book\u201d, I describe a takeoff technique which allows us to drift downwind on takeoff.\u00a0 The reason for that is that if we have an engine failure on that takeoff and have sufficient altitude to turn back to the runway from which we just departed, we\u2019ll only have to turn 180 degrees because we haven\u2019t slavishly stayed on the extended centerline.\u00a0 I firmly believe in this technique.\u00a0 I also realize that every airport and every day is different.\u00a0 We can\u2019t always use an otherwise appropriate technique and every pilot should be able to pull the proper technique out of his bag o\u2019 tricks in order to select the best one for the circumstances.\u00a0 Oh, and I remember my mom calling our cat\u2019s scrotum, his \u201cbag o\u2019 tricks\u201d.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean that one.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSome of the best pilots I know fly for an airline.\u00a0 As airline pilots, they must perform many operations the same as others who fly for that airline.\u00a0 Many of these operations have been standardized for very good reasons.\u00a0 But those of us who don\u2019t fly with hundreds of people in back of us and who don\u2019t fly for an airline with its standardized procedures can and must fly a bit differently.\u00a0 We have a lot more leeway and with that leeway comes the opportunity to either screw up or perform with creativity and intelligence.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nI will never forget one airline captain who came to me for a Tailwheel Endorsement.\u00a0 We were in a pattern and a guy was in front of us and flying a huge pattern, which always louses me up and robs me of time. \u00a0I will admit to getting a bit angry.<\/h3>\n\u00a0\u201cGet on his ass\u201d, I coached the pilot with me.\u00a0 \u201cThat way you can turn inside him when we are on the go because he will be climbing straight out.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be number one to land and maybe he\u2019ll learn a bit\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\n\u00a0As we turned final and the captain climbed on the butt of the guy in front of us, he commented, \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to do this, but never could!\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nI understood perfectly.\u00a0 To do so in a large jetliner would be frowned upon and perhaps even a bit hazardous.\u00a0 But in our little 140 it was easy and safe, with always a place to go.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSo, you see, although there is a good reason for airline pilots to do what they do and to standardize the way they do things, it\u2019s not always best to \u201cfly like an airline pilot\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSometimes it\u2019s best to \u201cfly like a Stick and Rudder Master Class student at Tailwheel Town\u201d.<\/h3>\n[1]<\/a> Nose wheels?<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“\u201cGet on his ass\u201d, I coached the pilot with me.\u00a0 \u201cThat way you can turn inside him when we are on the go because he will be climbing straight out.\u00a0“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[35,165,173,178],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/h3>\nI recently saw a sentence in one of these tips which reinforced this attitude I\u2019ve had for some time.\u00a0 The writer said,<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\n\u201cIf you watch the corporate pilots and the airline pilots as they land and taxi, you’re going to find those nose wheels[1]<\/a> are right on the centerline. And it seems to me if it’s good enough for them, that’s where we want to be also.\u201d<\/h3>\nMy pal, Darrel Aschbacher, shown in the cockpit of his airliner before retiring from a major airline. He is now a respected member of the Geezer Patrol. This photo was stolen from it’s place of honor at the FBO in Prineville, Oregon. It was brought to my attention by Phil Comingore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIs it?\u00a0 Do we really want to do the things that airline pilots do in order to be \u201cprofessional\u201d?\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure we do.\u00a0 In \u201cBrian\u2019s Flying Book\u201d, I describe a takeoff technique which allows us to drift downwind on takeoff.\u00a0 The reason for that is that if we have an engine failure on that takeoff and have sufficient altitude to turn back to the runway from which we just departed, we\u2019ll only have to turn 180 degrees because we haven\u2019t slavishly stayed on the extended centerline.\u00a0 I firmly believe in this technique.\u00a0 I also realize that every airport and every day is different.\u00a0 We can\u2019t always use an otherwise appropriate technique and every pilot should be able to pull the proper technique out of his bag o\u2019 tricks in order to select the best one for the circumstances.\u00a0 Oh, and I remember my mom calling our cat\u2019s scrotum, his \u201cbag o\u2019 tricks\u201d.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean that one.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSome of the best pilots I know fly for an airline.\u00a0 As airline pilots, they must perform many operations the same as others who fly for that airline.\u00a0 Many of these operations have been standardized for very good reasons.\u00a0 But those of us who don\u2019t fly with hundreds of people in back of us and who don\u2019t fly for an airline with its standardized procedures can and must fly a bit differently.\u00a0 We have a lot more leeway and with that leeway comes the opportunity to either screw up or perform with creativity and intelligence.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nI will never forget one airline captain who came to me for a Tailwheel Endorsement.\u00a0 We were in a pattern and a guy was in front of us and flying a huge pattern, which always louses me up and robs me of time. \u00a0I will admit to getting a bit angry.<\/h3>\n\u00a0\u201cGet on his ass\u201d, I coached the pilot with me.\u00a0 \u201cThat way you can turn inside him when we are on the go because he will be climbing straight out.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be number one to land and maybe he\u2019ll learn a bit\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\n\u00a0As we turned final and the captain climbed on the butt of the guy in front of us, he commented, \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to do this, but never could!\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nI understood perfectly.\u00a0 To do so in a large jetliner would be frowned upon and perhaps even a bit hazardous.\u00a0 But in our little 140 it was easy and safe, with always a place to go.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSo, you see, although there is a good reason for airline pilots to do what they do and to standardize the way they do things, it\u2019s not always best to \u201cfly like an airline pilot\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSometimes it\u2019s best to \u201cfly like a Stick and Rudder Master Class student at Tailwheel Town\u201d.<\/h3>\n[1]<\/a> Nose wheels?<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“\u201cGet on his ass\u201d, I coached the pilot with me.\u00a0 \u201cThat way you can turn inside him when we are on the go because he will be climbing straight out.\u00a0“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[35,165,173,178],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/h3>\n\u201cIf you watch the corporate pilots and the airline pilots as they land and taxi, you’re going to find those nose wheels[1]<\/a> are right on the centerline. And it seems to me if it’s good enough for them, that’s where we want to be also.\u201d<\/h3>\nMy pal, Darrel Aschbacher, shown in the cockpit of his airliner before retiring from a major airline. He is now a respected member of the Geezer Patrol. This photo was stolen from it’s place of honor at the FBO in Prineville, Oregon. It was brought to my attention by Phil Comingore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIs it?\u00a0 Do we really want to do the things that airline pilots do in order to be \u201cprofessional\u201d?\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure we do.\u00a0 In \u201cBrian\u2019s Flying Book\u201d, I describe a takeoff technique which allows us to drift downwind on takeoff.\u00a0 The reason for that is that if we have an engine failure on that takeoff and have sufficient altitude to turn back to the runway from which we just departed, we\u2019ll only have to turn 180 degrees because we haven\u2019t slavishly stayed on the extended centerline.\u00a0 I firmly believe in this technique.\u00a0 I also realize that every airport and every day is different.\u00a0 We can\u2019t always use an otherwise appropriate technique and every pilot should be able to pull the proper technique out of his bag o\u2019 tricks in order to select the best one for the circumstances.\u00a0 Oh, and I remember my mom calling our cat\u2019s scrotum, his \u201cbag o\u2019 tricks\u201d.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean that one.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSome of the best pilots I know fly for an airline.\u00a0 As airline pilots, they must perform many operations the same as others who fly for that airline.\u00a0 Many of these operations have been standardized for very good reasons.\u00a0 But those of us who don\u2019t fly with hundreds of people in back of us and who don\u2019t fly for an airline with its standardized procedures can and must fly a bit differently.\u00a0 We have a lot more leeway and with that leeway comes the opportunity to either screw up or perform with creativity and intelligence.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nI will never forget one airline captain who came to me for a Tailwheel Endorsement.\u00a0 We were in a pattern and a guy was in front of us and flying a huge pattern, which always louses me up and robs me of time. \u00a0I will admit to getting a bit angry.<\/h3>\n\u00a0\u201cGet on his ass\u201d, I coached the pilot with me.\u00a0 \u201cThat way you can turn inside him when we are on the go because he will be climbing straight out.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be number one to land and maybe he\u2019ll learn a bit\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\n\u00a0As we turned final and the captain climbed on the butt of the guy in front of us, he commented, \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to do this, but never could!\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nI understood perfectly.\u00a0 To do so in a large jetliner would be frowned upon and perhaps even a bit hazardous.\u00a0 But in our little 140 it was easy and safe, with always a place to go.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSo, you see, although there is a good reason for airline pilots to do what they do and to standardize the way they do things, it\u2019s not always best to \u201cfly like an airline pilot\u201d.<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSometimes it\u2019s best to \u201cfly like a Stick and Rudder Master Class student at Tailwheel Town\u201d.<\/h3>\n[1]<\/a> Nose wheels?<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“\u201cGet on his ass\u201d, I coached the pilot with me.\u00a0 \u201cThat way you can turn inside him when we are on the go because he will be climbing straight out.\u00a0“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[35,165,173,178],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}