The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I have been watching the forums for a while now and have really liked what I have been reading. I am a new privot pilot and am really ready to get a tail wheel aircraft because of benifits in training in a tail wheel. I am training to eventualy do some bush flying for mission work. Sounds like the 170 is for me but they are so rare and I have trouble finding anyone who think it would be a sane idea to joing a group ownership tailwheel group. Any suggestions?

members of the
CLUB CLUB
receive a news letter
every 2 months
and in it
are a list of all tailwheel instructors.
this might be a starting point.
dave

Missionbound

Forget about the people who think it not sane to learn to fly a tail dragger or join a group. It is what you want to do so go for it.

What you must realize is it will cost more for insurance and it might be difficult to find and instructor with an airplane or just an instructor for that matter.

Don't limit yourself to just a 170. It might be the best overall choice for a lot of us and maybe your eventual work but nearly any tail wheel time will be beneficial towards your goal. There may be more Cubs and Champs around to receive instruction for example.

Good luck.

I just passed my check-ride earlier this month in a 170A. Almost every pilot I talk to says they wish they had learned in a tailwheel aircraft. I had just over 90 hours when I took my check-ride but that was due to work and family not the aircraft. I would guess learning on the 170 added no more than ten hours to my instruction which is less time than most people take to get their tailwheel endorsement.

I didn’t have any trouble finding an instructor but I think that was dumb luck. The first instructor I contacted had 700 hours of time in a 170B flying skydivers back in the 1970s. My insurance company requires my instructor to have at least 25 hours in a 170 and 100 of tailwheel. The insurance also cost less than I had expected.

I have an online journal that I kept while getting my ticket. It is boring and a bit long but since you are thinking about learning in a 170 you might find it interesting.

http://www.mgcpa.com/mark/flying/journal/index.shtml

Mark

I concur that flying any taildragger is good experience. Actuelly, IMHO, the 170 is one of the easier taildraggers as it has very good rudder authority.
As for planes, I see quite a few 170's, although not like Skyhawks and Cherokees. Just ask around at local airports.
If you're going to be doing mission work, you might end up with a 180, but the taildragger time will apply.

i have the only taildragger at our airport
1 of 12 planes
everyone to the last pilot have told me
that they wished they could fly one!!
i have flown nothing else for the last 30 years
dave

Which mission organization are you thinking of joining? MAF is by far the largest mission aviation organization. While taildragger time is great to have for mission flying, it is no longer a prerequiste for MAF. Their workhorse "entry level" aircraft is the C-206. Here are their technical requirements: http://www.mafrecruiting.org/page_aviation.html#Scene_2

Back in 1983 I learned how to fly taildraggers at MAF in a C-170 with the Lycoming conversion. To build tailwheel time in order to become a missionary pilot I got into one of those "good deals" -- I rebuilt a 1941 Taylorcraft in exchange for being half-owner. After years of work rebuilding it, the T-craft was a great way to build time cheaply. I flew it everywhere--Mexico, from the west coast to the east coast, over Mt. Whitney, ... .

The days of Nate Saint flying a little taildragger over the jungle are about over. (You can get a free copy of Jungle Pilot which tells his story at http://www.maf.org/ ). Because of the scarcity of avgas overseas mission organizations are turning to turbine equipment like the the Kodiak http://questaircraft.com/index.php?filename=specs.php , the Pilatus PC-12 or PC-6. http://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/ or the Cessna Caravan. Of these only the PC-6 has the beloved tailwheel.

Having an A&P mechanics license is almost a necessity for being a missionary pilot. I earned mine at a local community college. Most of the guys I knew overseas got their flight, maintenance and Bible training at Moody or LeTourneau. Here is MAF's recommendations for places to get training: http://www.mafrecruiting.org/page_aviation.html#Scene_2 I see that Missionary Maintenance Service is about 150 miles away from you. They would be a great source of advice for career guidance.

I flew Helio Couriers in Papua (then called Irian Jaya) Indonesia for JAARS. JAARS is the technical branch of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Next to MAF they are the second largest mission aviation organization. There are countless other smaller organizations. Here's a list from the International Association of Missionary Aviation: http://www.proclaimaviation.com/visionair/wws.asp . If I was you I would get in contact with someone at the organization you hope to join and get advice from them on how best to prepare for service.

markeg1964 wrote:I have an online journal that I kept while getting my ticket. ...
Mark

Mark,

Congratulations on your ticket! I didn't have access to a taildragger at the time, but reading your journal brought back some old memories of the excitement of learning to fly. September 29 will be the 30th anniversary of my first lesson, and November 19 the 30th anniversary of my first solo. Just as you did, I remember looking at that empty right seat while on downwind and realizing right then that I was actually soloing an airplane!

It rare these days to be able to learn to fly in a taildragger. Consider yourself fortunate that you didn't have to unlearn all those bad nosedragger habits. A now deceased member, Doggie Kline from Arizona was fond of bragging that he had never been pilot in command of a nose wheel airplane. Maybe you'll be the next.

Keep up the good work!

Miles