Grumman Tailwheel (conv) *Experienced pilots only pls*?

Question

What is your experience in an American General/Grumman (AA-5, AA-1 etc) with a TW conversion? Looks to me that it would create more of a "front heavy" landing. Your experiences please?

Answer 1

Those Grummans were pretty sensitive on the

elevators as I remember them.

A tailwheel conversion might be a bit tricky to land.

What do you mean by a "front heavy landing",

touching down on the mains?

It's done, but you're landing faster than you should

most times.

Answer 2

I've known some women pilots who were front heavy, but I'm not sure I know what a "front heavy" landing is.

In general, the main thing that makes landing a tail wheel airplane tricky is the fact that it is easy to nose over and whang the propeller.  But obviously the location of the Center of Gravity is crucial to landing safety and the scope of control in a tail-wheel airplane.  The longer the CG range, and the further aft the CG, the easier the airplane is to land smoothly.

And in general a low-wing taildragger is harder to handle on the ground as well as to land, because the pilot is sitting up higher with eyes further off the ground, and because the CG is higher off the ground.

I would not think of the Grumman bubble top family as lending itself to tail wheel conversion, though I know there are kits available.  Look at a P-47 or a P-51 and see how easy they are to ground loop.  Also consider the track width.  I would want the wheel track to be much wider than it is on the Grummans to be sure I am landing where I want to and will have a good chance of going in a straight line afterward.

Finally, tail wheels are a personal thing.  A form of Zen discipline.  Either you love it or you hate it.  I think the pilot's mental center of gravity is more important than the airplane's physical center of gravity.