The Three-Point Landing

A three-point landing is defined by the main gear and tailwheel touching down at the same time — the airplane is held off the runway until its attitude matches the geometry of the landing gear, at which point all three wheels meet the surface together (AFH ch 14).

It's one of two touchdown techniques for tailwheel airplanes; the other is the wheel landing, where the mains touch earlier in a lower attitude with the tail still up (AFH ch 14).

Round out (level-off) with the main wheels about one foot off the surface. From there the technique is essentially the same as in a nose-wheel airplane — a gentle increase in AOA to maintain flight while slowing (AFH ch 14).

The difference is the target: the goal is a much steeper fuselage angle than you'd use in a nose-wheel airplane — one that touches the tailwheel at the same time as the main wheels (AFH ch 14).

Success begins with an orderly arrival: airspeed, alignment, and configuration well in hand crossing the threshold (AFH ch 14).

That's not filler. Everything downstream — the hold-off, the three-point attitude, the rollout — assumes a stable approach. There is no tailwheel technique that rescues a bad one.

Because with the tailwheel on the surface, a further increase in pitch attitude is impossible — so the airplane remains on the runway, albeit tenuously (AFH ch 14).

As you decelerate, weight shifts increasingly from the wings to the wheels, with the final result that the airplane once again becomes a ground vehicle after shedding most of its speed (AFH ch 14).

Once the tailwheel makes contact, ease the elevator control fully back to press the tailwheel onto the runway (AFH ch 14).

Why it matters: without that input, the AOA of the horizontal stabilizer develops enough lift to lighten the pressure on the tailwheel and render it useless as a directional control — with possibly unwelcome consequences. The AFH specifically notes this after-landing elevator input is quite foreign to nose-wheel pilots and needs to be stressed during transition training (AFH ch 14).

It flies you. Before the tailwheel is on the ground, application of full back elevator during the flare lowers the tail, increases AOA, and quite naturally puts the airplane in climbing flight (AFH ch 14).

So the same control input means opposite things on either side of touchdown: full aft before contact is a climb; full aft after contact is what pins the tailwheel and gives you steering. Timing is everything.

With the CG aft of the main wheels, the tail naturally drops when the mains touch, AOA increases, and the airplane may become airborne again — this is a skip (AFH ch 14).

Recovery: easily managed by re-flaring and again trying to hold the airplane off until reaching the three-point attitude.

But: a large skip or bounce may leave you high above the runway with insufficient energy — in those circumstances, execute a go-around (AFH ch 14).

The in-flight pitch attitude ends up steeper than the three-point attitude, so the tail makes contact first.

Provided this happens from no more than a foot off the surface, the result is undramatic: the tail touches, the airplane pitches forward slightly onto the main wheels, and rollout proceeds normally (AFH ch 14).

Of the two errors, this is the benign one — which is a useful bias to carry into the flare.

The landing process should never be considered complete until the airplane decelerates to normal taxi speed during the landing roll, or has been brought to a complete stop when clear of the landing area (AFH ch 14).

Be alert for directional control difficulties immediately upon and after touchdown, and hold the elevator back as far as possible and as firmly as possible until the airplane stops (AFH ch 14).

• More positive control with tailwheel steering
• Tends to shorten the after-landing roll
• Prevents bouncing and skipping (AFH ch 14)

Only after the airplane has been slowed sufficiently and has been turned onto a taxiway or is clear of the landing area, and brought to a complete stop (AFH ch 14).

If available runway permits, let the speed dissipate normally by the friction and drag of the wheels; brakes may be used if needed to help slow the airplane (AFH ch 14). Heads-down flap-fumbling during a tailwheel rollout is how swerves get missed.

Upon touchdown, hold the airplane firmly in a three-point attitude — this provides aerodynamic braking by the wings.

Immediately upon touchdown and closing the throttle, apply the brakes evenly and firmly to minimize the after-landing roll. Stop the airplane in the shortest possible distance consistent with safety (AFH ch 14).

The tailwheel should touch down simultaneously with or just before the main wheels, and then be held down with firm back-elevator pressure throughout the landing roll. This minimizes any tendency to nose over and provides aerodynamic braking.

Brakes are not needed on a soft field — the soft or rough surface itself provides sufficient speed reduction. On a very soft field you often need to increase power to keep the airplane moving and avoid getting stuck (AFH ch 14).

Nose-wheel: touchdown is naturally followed by a reduction in pitch attitude to bring the nose-wheel tire down. That pitch change reduces AOA, removes almost all wing lift, and rapidly transfers aircraft weight to the tires (AFH ch 14).

Tailwheel: that reduction of AOA and weight transfer are not practical, and it is rare to encounter tailwheel airplanes designed so the wings are beyond critical AOA in the three-point attitude. In consequence the airplane continues to "fly" in the three-point attitude after touchdown, requiring careful attention to heading, roll, and pitch for an extended period (AFH ch 14).

That extended period is where ground loops live.

Because the practical effect is the same even though the aerodynamics aren't. The AFH is explicit that the AOA with all three wheels on the ground does not exceed the critical AOA, and the wings will not be stalled (AFH ch 14).

What actually ends the flight is geometry, not stall: with the tailwheel on the surface, a further increase in pitch attitude is impossible (AFH ch 14). You run out of the ability to trade speed for AOA, and deceleration does the rest as weight shifts from wings to wheels.

The AFH describes the skip as the specific product of touching the mains early with the tail up — the tail drops, AOA increases, and the airplane becomes airborne again. It's easily managed by re-flaring and again holding off until reaching the three-point attitude (AFH ch 14).

The escalation is what matters: a large skip or bounce may result in being high above the runway with insufficient energy — and in those circumstances the AFH's instruction is not to salvage it, but to execute a go-around (AFH ch 14). Bounce recovery is covered in more depth under the crosswind and go-around section.

Touchdown must occur with the airplane's longitudinal axis parallel to the direction the airplane is moving along the runway. Failure to accomplish this imposes side loads on the landing gear, which leads to directional instability (AFH ch 14).

So: do not allow the airplane to touch down while in a crab or while drifting (AFH ch 14). Tailwheel airplanes are explicitly less forgiving of crosswind landing errors than nose-wheel models, and a side-load on landing is one of the named ways a swerve gets started.