Q-talk 98 - Landing a Quickie
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- Category: Q-Talk Articles
- Published: Wednesday, 23 December 2009 16:24
- Written by Keith Welsh
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While examining landing and handling techniques used on my single-place Quickie. I have found it never leaves the ground tail wheel first and never lands exactly the same. I do, however, only land 3 point and have even had the tail touch first. In time you will get to know your plane and its habits. Personally. I try to be consistent with my control input. This adds to the predictability, making the plane manageable in most flying conditions.
The Quickie is a very capable bird and it doesn't take a lot of time to acquire the necessary skills to master its flight. I have had the chance to experience a variety of flying conditions during the years I've flown it. such as rain before the VG's and after, landing in light rain, brisk x-winds. (see Terry Crouch for high and gusty x-winds). etc. I've stuck with the design all these years because it is simply that good.
Here is an observation or two if I don't get myself into too much trouble here. There are major differences between the Quickie and Dragonfly. Most notably, for this purpose, is the attitude of the fuselages.
The D-fly has a straight fuselage and at rest, it is nose high like conventional tail-draggers. They tend to be two-wheel off and on.
The Quickie fuselage, with its noticeably drooped aft section, tends to be more three- wheel off and on, and that I believe, was the original intent. Both airplanes, however, experience a noticeable attitude change in level flight. The D-fly levels out wliile the Quickie is nose down. The initial change of attack really makes a difference in how each will land and takeoff rendering comparison obsolete.
Quoting from the original booklet put out by QAC in 1980. "Since the tail wheel is not forced off the ground during the takeoff roll like a conventional tail dragger. positive tail wheel steering is available all the way to lift off speed. Because of the location of the elevator, the pilot has the impression that the airplane "levitates", or raises level, rather than "rotating"". Just don't forget to lower the nose some after liftoff and keep the speed up or she'll stall. Also, not getting the tail down first is not necessarily a bad thing. Just be sure of the W&B.
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