The challenges and rewards of taildraggers, with Damian DelGaizo
About this episode
Damian DelGaizo discusses the challenges and rewards of flying taildraggers, emphasizing the skills required and sharing insights from his experience.
Tailwheel airplanes demand excellent situational awareness and sharp manual flying skills, two things that modern pilots often lack according to taildragger expert Damian DelGaizo. The longtime flight school owner, who learned from an aviation legend, talks about the finer points of three-point landings, wheel landings, and Piper Cubs. He also explains why a touch pass is important for evaluating grass runways and why you might have to carry a garbage bag full of rocks when flying skiplanes. In the Ready to Copy segment, Damian talks about dancing on the rudder pedals, how to fly with heel brakes, and teaching Harrison Ford to fly taildraggers. SHOW LINKS: * Tailwheel 101 videos: https://youtu.be/4mPmculCxkA * Andover Flight Academy: https://www.andoverflight.com/ * PJ2 GPS Radio: https://sportys.com/PJ2GPS
People in this episode
Host: Sporty's Pilot Shop
Guest: Damian DelGaizo
Topics covered
- tailwheel airplanes
- flying skills
- landings
- grass runways
- skiplanes
- aviation training
Keywords
- taildraggers
- three-point landings
- wheel landings
- Piper Cubs
- flying techniques
- aviation skills
- grass runways
- skiplanes
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Andover Flight Academy
Products: PJ2 GPS Radio
Books & works: Tailwheel 101 videos
More episodes of Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's
- Legal gray areas for pilots, with Mark Kolber
- What pilots should know about ATC, with Marcus Miller
- Crossing the Atlantic at age 89, with Ed Galkin
- Space Shuttle lessons for private pilots, with Charlie Precourt
- The killing zone for pilots, with Paul Craig
- Promoting conservation from a Cessna 210, with Bruce Gordon
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's podcast page.