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East Hill Flying Club started out more than 50 years ago with a Piper PA-11. We have recaptured this proud legacy with the purchase of a Citabria 7ECA for training and local pleasure flying. For those that are not familiar with "conventional gear" aircraft in the tandem setting, flown with a stick (not a yoke!) this machine requires training and an endorsement per 61.31(I) to fly solo. Mike Thomas and David, our chief instructor (who owns a Champion model aircraft) will happily will teach you to control the "taildragon." The benefits and pleasures of flying a tail wheel are the subject of many articles (and lots of exaggeration). If you fly a Cessna or Piper aircraft precisely, flying a Citabria or similar tail wheel is a simple "differences training." Bud Davisson has the most sane approach to this debate; see this article. If your original training lacked in precision or your skills have slipped a bit, tail wheel training is an excellent tool to discover precision flying and the excitement of a truly maneuverable aircraft. Download a pdf checklist here.
Training in the Citabria is available as an "hour-at-a-time experience" for fun or the more serious pursuit of a tail wheel endorsement with the full transition syllabus we have developed. The tail wheel endorsement will expose the pilot training to both wheel and full stall landings, crosswinds and all the unique features of flying and taxiing a tail wheel safely and precisely. Stop by the club for a Citabria Manual and the tail wheel kit (which includes the syllabus and checklists) and you are on your way into the discovery of a new and exciting form of flight. When conditions allow we can also explore a whole variety of local grass fields during the training. Watch a video of our Citabria landing at Ithaca here.
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Ten hours minimum and an endorsement are required for initial solo in this aircraft. To pursue serious training, first please buy our "tail wheel kit" with aircraft manual, syllabus and related materials. Then, with training, pilots progressively acquire flight privileges as their experience and skills increase. Initially, with a level one check-out, all solo in this plane is limited to flight at Ithaca and the club practice areas with weather conditions equal to the student training minimums. At the level two phase, privileges increase to include flight to local paved fields and weather is equal to the "new pilot minimums" in the Rules of Operation. Finally, a fully checked-out, level three, pilot has unrestricted privileges at local grass fields as well as the paved runways. This policy is driven by our desire to provide full insurance and flying at a reasonable cost to all our members. Safety is paramount and accidents would ruin the fun! All Citabria pilots require annual approval and 3 take-offs and landings every 45 days to maintain their currency in the Citabria.
Here are some informative articles on tailwheel shimmy: Maule Tailwheel Inspection, Maule Shimmy Problems, Tail Wheel ShimmyWe had quite an extensive education in shimmy the fall of 2009 but have this plane tuned up and flying perfectly now. Come join the fiun world of tail wheel flying!