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Principles of flight

Maneuvering a tailwheel aircraft in crosswinds requires a lot of practice.

Corrections must be correct and made in a timely manner, otherwise it is

suddenly impossible to control them. You can end up making a ground loop.

5.11.2.1 Ground loop

Landing a tailwheel aircraft can end up in a so-called ground loop.

A turn in the run-up results in a centrifugal force that causes skidding on a

smooth runway, but an increasingly tight turn on a dry runway.

This is how a ground loop develops:

1) Turning impulse, which is not balanced

2) The radius becomes smaller and smaller. If the runway is smooth, the
aircraft skids

3) The rotational energy causes the aircraft to possibly end up on its nose

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Flight Theory PPL(A)(UL)/LAPL Henning Andersen, Midtjysk Flyveskole© 2025 528