Learn how to land a tailwheel airplane, choose three-point or wheel landings, control crosswinds, prevent bounces and avoid ground loops.
In real-world aviation, land a tailwheel aeroplane by flying a stabilised approach at the handbook speed, removing drift, aligning the fuselage with rudder, and touching down either three-point or on the main wheels. Keep using rudder and aileron throughout the rollout; the landing is not finished until the aeroplane is stopped.
A tailwheel aeroplane, often called a taildragger, has its centre of gravity behind the main landing gear. A developing yaw therefore tends to worsen unless the pilot corrects it promptly. Use the aircraft’s approved operating data and learn the technique with a qualified tailwheel instructor; control pressures, visibility and braking behaviour vary markedly between types.
Should you use a three-point or wheel landing?
Choose the landing method specified for the aircraft and conditions rather than treating one technique as universally better.
| Method | How it works | When it is commonly chosen | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-point landing | The aeroplane reaches its three-point attitude and the main wheels and tailwheel touch almost together. | Normal, short-field or lower-speed arrivals when approved for the type. | Touchdown speed is lower, but rudder authority is also reducing rapidly. |
| Wheel landing | The main wheels touch first while the tail remains raised; gentle forward pressure keeps the mains on the runway. | Gusty or crosswind conditions where extra airflow over the controls is useful, if the pilot and aircraft are suited to it. | Touchdown is faster and the rollout is usually longer. Poor forward-stick control can produce a bounce. |
Some aeroplanes strongly favour one method, and a crosswind three-point arrival may actually touch the upwind main wheel first. The flight manual, operating notes and instructor’s technique take precedence over general advice.
Tailwheel landing procedure
- Assess the wind and runway. Prefer a headwind component and a runway comfortably within the aircraft’s requirements. Do not accept a crosswind, tailwind or narrow runway beyond your demonstrated ability merely because it falls inside a published figure.
- Stabilise the final approach. Use the type-specific approach speed, trim the aeroplane and hold a consistent aiming point. Excess speed causes floating and leaves more energy for a bounce or swerve.
- Remove drift and align the fuselage. Use aileron to stop sideways movement and rudder to point the longitudinal axis down the runway. Our centreline alignment and drift-removal techniques explain how to separate those two control tasks.
- Flare into the chosen attitude. For a three-point landing, raise the nose to the normal ground attitude and hold it off until the aeroplane settles. For a wheel landing, place the main wheels on in a flatter attitude and apply only enough forward pressure to prevent them rebounding.
- Keep the aeroplane straight. Look well along the runway and make prompt, small rudder corrections. Hold aileron into the wind, increasing it as speed falls. As the tail settles after a wheel landing, expect the steering response and sight picture to change.
- Brake progressively. Use braking only when required and while tracking straight. Heavy braking with the tail light can pitch the aeroplane onto its nose. Once the tail is down, aft stick normally helps load the tailwheel, subject to the aircraft’s approved technique and wind direction.
Directional control deserves as much attention as the flare. Our detailed explanation of rudder, aileron, tailwheel and brake inputs during rollout covers what happens as aerodynamic control gives way to wheel steering.
How do you land a tailwheel aeroplane in a crosswind?
Use aileron to cancel drift and opposite rudder to keep the nose aligned with the runway, then maintain those inputs after touchdown.
The upwind wing should be slightly low as the aeroplane arrives, so the upwind main wheel may touch first. Continue adding aileron into the wind as the controls lose effectiveness. Touching down while still crabbed places a sideways load on the undercarriage and can start a rapid swerve, unless the aircraft has a specifically approved technique allowing it.
Go around if full or nearly full control input cannot maintain the centreline and alignment with a safe margin. A published crosswind figure does not guarantee that a particular pilot, runway surface or gust pattern is manageable.
What causes bounces and ground loops?
Bounces usually come from excess speed, an incorrect touchdown attitude or forcing the wheels onto the runway; ground loops begin when yaw is allowed to build behind the main wheels.
- Floating: the approach was probably too fast. Maintain attitude and reassess the runway remaining rather than forcing the aeroplane down.
- Ballooning: an abrupt flare or gust has raised the aeroplane. Correct a very small balloon smoothly; go around if height, airspeed or attitude becomes uncertain.
- Wheel-landing bounce: the mains were not held on correctly or touched while descending too firmly. Do not shove the nose down or chase repeated bounces.
- Developing swerve: look farther down the runway and correct immediately with rudder. Use differential braking only as trained and permitted for the type.
- Ground-loop tendency: delayed correction, overcorrection, a locked brake or touchdown with sideways drift can start it. Once the yaw becomes large, full controls may not recover the aeroplane.
The same unstable geometry is present during ground movement. Understanding tailwheel steering, differential braking and ground-loop prevention makes the landing rollout much easier to manage.
When should you go around?
Go around whenever the approach is not stabilised, alignment cannot be held, the bounce is more than minor, or the runway remaining is doubtful.
A go-around may still be possible after a brief touchdown or bounce if sufficient runway and control remain. Apply power smoothly, counter the resulting yaw and follow the aircraft-specific flap procedure. Do not use power as an improvised cure for a low-speed swerve after committing to the rollout; it can accelerate an already unstable situation.
Can a flight simulator teach tailwheel landings?
A simulator can teach the sight picture, control sequence, crosswind correction and decision to go around, but it cannot replace instruction in a real aeroplane.
Flight models differ in their treatment of tyre friction, weathervaning, tailwheel locking and differential braking. Rudder pedals with separate toe-brake axes expose poor directional control more clearly than a twist-grip or linked brake command. Our broader taildragger handling guide covers take-off, flight, landing and the transition between aerodynamic and ground controls.