![Ten hours of dual instruction in a tailwheel-equipped aircraft is usually required for proficiency. [Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AdobeStock_354747155.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Learning How to Drag Your Tail")
![The alternative to bending down as the propeller is pulled through the compression stroke is to keep the back straight and bend the knees slightly, stepping away in a crouch. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1519-scaled.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Manual Starting Methods")
![The newly-restored F-24 enjoying the morning sun. [All Images Credited to Mike Davenport]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_0001.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Golden Age Revival")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AdobeStock_176619176.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Instructional Inflexibility")
Emotions, Expectations, and Execution.
"Strange business this is; what works well for one does not work well for someone else!" I'm not sure the builder who wrote that...
Big Brother is My Copilot
Hangar chat prompts pilot to remove alternator and fly battery-only, sidestepping ADS-B tracking and compliance costs.
Narrowed Focus
A seemingly complicated part layout can be simplified by narrowing your focus from the part as a whole, to a single hole in...
More Toys
Back in July 2014, I wrote a column justifying all of the toys we pilots like to have in the cockpit. Some are pricey,...
