Landing A Citabria 7ECA

VaporGlobalAviation

VaporGlobalAviation

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About to become a Citabria owner! I have 100hrs of dual given in a Great Lakes and probably 200 landings. Are there any idiosyncrasies to landing a Citabria compared to any other tailwheel? There is a CFI onsite, so I'll grab them for a couple full stops prior to flying away with it.
 
Not really. It's an honest airplane, but like all taildraggers is capable of biting back if you get sloppy on rollout. Visibility is good over the nose, so S turns are usually not necessary. Equally adept at 3 point and wheel landings. Happy on grass.

Decathlons are prone to nose overs, but they have more weight up front. Just to be safe, keep the tail firmly pinned down when taxiing at slow speed and don't start rolling and then poke the brakes.
 
If you can fly a Great Lakes, you can fly a Champ. If you can fly the four aileron 180 hp variety you will be way ahead of your Citabria instructor.
 
My 7ECA glides best at 65-70 mph. Power off, glide down to ~15', start bleeding the speed off and keep the nose coming up until you achieve a 3 point attitude as the wheels touch. Stick all the way back. Pay attention until it is tied down. Really only 2 rules, keep it straight and keep the stick back.
I have either ridden through with a student or flown ~ 12,000 landings in my ECA. Did 22 today. www.advancedtailwheeltraining.com
 
Well, he said he has given dual in a Great Lakes. While caution is best, and his insurer might have some restrictions, I am going to go out on a limb and say he is already a better Citabria driver than most.

My transition into the 150 2-aileron Great Lakes was "This thing lands just like a Champ!" My transition to the 180 4- aileron version came well after my 6,000th tailwheel hour, but I can tell you the average Champ pilot will need some dual to master that nose-heavy bird.
 
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