True Altitude Stick and Rudder School

True Altitude Stick and Rudder School Tailwheel training in the Mississippi Delta at 38MS, and Coastal Texas at 43XA.

Some feedback from one of my recent students who came down to Texas from Wisconsin for some advanced tailwheel training!...
04/24/2025

Some feedback from one of my recent students who came down to Texas from Wisconsin for some advanced tailwheel training! Thanks, Gus!

“Before my time with Rob & his Super Cub across South Texas I was lacking both the skills and confidence to even attempt wheel landings or any tailwheel landings with more than 3-5 knots of crosswind. After my time with Rob it’s a very different story. I feel equally at ease with wheel landings as three pointers and I push myself to fly in stiffer crosswinds because I have newfound confidence in my technique and judgment. How is this after just eleven hours?

Rob’s a fantastic teacher and has a very congenial personality, it was a joy spending time with him. And in terms of the training what he gives you are the tools to improve. Drills you can do on your own to hone and improve your skills. So put these two traits together: not only are you having fun flying low & slow in a (Super) Cub around swampy South Texas but you’re quietly, perhaps subconsciously, demystifying tailwheel flying.

And therein lies the value and why I am so thrilled that I made the considerable trip all the way to Bay City, TX, to do this training. I have the tools to keep getting better. And while every lap in the pattern I do in the Citabria back home might not feature a linear improvement from the one prior, I know that I am operating within the bounds of what is safe while still pushing my limits. Before my time with Rob I was just noodling around, afraid of what I couldn’t do and unsure how to take the leap into the uncomfortable. While I have a lot of work to do to reach the proficiency I want to be at, I know now that I have the tools and confidence to continuously improve.

If that sounds like what you are after this is the training for you.” -August Ganchiff

August, from Wisconsin, came down to Texas to do some advanced tailwheel training with us this week. The first day in an...
04/11/2025

August, from Wisconsin, came down to Texas to do some advanced tailwheel training with us this week. The first day in and we flew 5+ hours! August already has a tailwheel endorsement and a few tailwheel hours, but wanted some more training. Today we covered three-point landings in grass and on pavement, wheel landings in grass and on pavement, soft-field landings and takeoffs, wheel landings on pavement followed by tail-up high speed taxi on one or both mains, crosswind landings and takeoffs, downwind takeoffs, and landing on real ag strips in Texas farm country!

August is an aspiring ag pilot and has been working as an ag helicopter ground crew, so tomorrow he Is going to tag along as we fertilize and spray rice with the Air Tractor! Then it’ll be back to the Super Cub on Saturday for more tailwheel training.

Do you have a tailwheel endorsement but wish you had more in-depth training? Come see us this summer at 43XA in Bay City, Texas, or this winter at 38MS in Isola, Mississippi!

Will Dunlap just completed his tailwheel training and got a tailwheel endorsement and flight review in one! Good job, W...
12/23/2024

Will Dunlap just completed his tailwheel training and got a tailwheel endorsement and flight review in one! Good job, Will!

I’ll be doing tailwheel training out of Belzoni, MS (1M2) this winter. Whether you need a tailwheel endorsement, a tailw...
11/21/2024

I’ll be doing tailwheel training out of Belzoni, MS (1M2) this winter. Whether you need a tailwheel endorsement, a tailwheel flight review, or just a tailwheel skills refresher, call 662-962-forty-eight forty for more information!

What is it about a conventional-gear airplane, otherwise known as a taildragger, that makes it more desirable as an off-...
09/13/2024

What is it about a conventional-gear airplane, otherwise known as a taildragger, that makes it more desirable as an off-airport and back country plane than a tricycle gear airplane?

Well, to put it simply, it’s the position of the “third wheel”. A tricycle gear airplane is certainly capable of off-airport operations, and you see Cessna 206’s and 207’s in use all over the country in off-airport charter operations. The Cessna Caravan and Quest Kodiak are also excellent off-airport aircraft, with the Kodiak having been specifically designed for missionary pilot work in remote locations! However, the nose gear in a tricycle airplane is attached to the firewall and is a weaker point in the airframe. Any big rocks or holes can put a lot of stress on that attach point. Also, a tricycle gear plane doesn’t have as much ground clearance at the propellor as a taildragger does when the tail is down. So it’s a little more difficult to taxi and not have a prop strike with a tricycle. And then you have that nosewheel tire that creates a lot of drag in soft ground or in tall grass.

These are just a few reasons why taildraggers are preferred as back country airplanes over tricycle planes.

Where can you go in a tailwheel equipped airplane? Almost anywhere you want to! But it’s not as simple as having a taildragger and you’re ready to hit the back country. Proper training is essential. There is a lot of judgement involved in landing off-airport where there are no windsocks, no 75’ wide by 5000’ long paved landing surfaces, and no weather info. Stabilized approaches and spot landings, reading the terrain, estimating landing area length, and knowing your airplane are all key factors needed in back country operations!

Contact us today for advanced tailwheel training and open up a whole new world of aviation!

Congratulations to Blake Golden on earning his tailwheel endorsement today! We’ve had lots of weather delays lately but...
03/07/2024

Congratulations to Blake Golden on earning his tailwheel endorsement today! We’ve had lots of weather delays lately but got a little mud on the tires today and finished it up.

Good job, Blake!

Garber Designs turned out another cool t-shirt design for us!
01/05/2024

Garber Designs turned out another cool t-shirt design for us!

01/04/2024

Learning to wheel land on pavement will make you quickly realize why most taildragger pilots prefer to land on grass! Add a quartering tailwind and things get even more challenging!

01/02/2024

We have 2000’ of well maintained turf at our home strip, but the Super Cub only needs a quarter of it most of the time.

It’s crosswind day! Landing on pavement in a crosswind is a lot different than landing on grass. The pavement doesn’t f...
12/22/2023

It’s crosswind day! Landing on pavement in a crosswind is a lot different than landing on grass. The pavement doesn’t forgive many mistakes in directional control.

You can also get away with a lot of sloppy footwork in a tricycle gear plane when landing in crosswinds, but a taildragger will humble you very quickly!

It’s all about using the rudder and ailerons to stay aligned with the runway centerline.

Stay straight, my friends!

Blake Golden working on his tailwheel endorsement in the Super Cub!
12/21/2023

Blake Golden working on his tailwheel endorsement in the Super Cub!

Mississippi River gravel bar hopping in the Super Cub with the 35” bush wheels!
12/21/2023

Mississippi River gravel bar hopping in the Super Cub with the 35” bush wheels!

Address

1170 Bellewood Road
Isola, MS
38754

Telephone

+16629624840

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