Garry, I read your other message earlier and all I can say is BS.
Jaybo ground looped the plane because he got full throttle long after
he expected it. He was attempting a go around and the throttle cables
kinked in the box. Then it went wide open when he did not expect it.
Blame the wound wire throttle cables that should be solid wire. That
and the fact that he refused to accept that it was any different than
any other taildragger, and it is. A lot of pilots let the thing get
farther away than they should counting on differential braking to bail
them out. You have none in a mono. I once sweated landings in the
mono, then I threw Lee out of the right seat, slowed the airplane down
like it should and all was fine. Float will keep the pucker factor
high and the mono suffers from it. The trike on the other hand has
almost no float if your approach speed is on. Plus you can dump the
flaps in the flare and plant it solidily. Not a wise idea in a mono.
I've always said you can land a trike shorter more consistently, but a
mono wins the takeoff game hands down. I flew into Bob Knapps 700
foot grass strip in N914EA and while the landing got my attention the
takeoff was a breeze. Used half of it. I also used over 2,500 feet at
Manatee airport's grass strip in the trike two up and thought I might
have to leave Mike Gallar there! Have I got a prop in a Europa?
Yes. I tried to expedite at Vandenburg for a Lear behind me and stood
it on the nose. I learned that if I'm on the runway I'M the most
important guy at the moment. But I have never, ever gone around in
over 500 landings from zero to gusting to 45 knots winds. Am I master
of the taildragger? Hardly. I had less than 5 hours tailwheel time
when Lee checked me out in the Europa. Maybe my inexperience is what
worked for me. I didn't try to fly it like a P51. I didn't know any
better. Jaybo and I talked about that incedent quite a bit before his
death and he admitted to prior prejudice before even flying the plane.
Either way they both work and we can all use what we like without
bashing others. BTW what are you cruising at? I have Claude's up to
138MPH without fairings. Race soon? where are you hangered now?
Jim T.
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