The Scoop

Get Learned, Boy!

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We're looking for some good CFI's.  It's hard to find flight schools and CFI's that offer tailwheel instruction, so if you know of a school or CFI who works in the dark arts of taildragger flying, send him/her our way.  We want to add them to our CFI list, and hopefully send them some business!

Go to the CFI Page

Back to the Future!

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While new stuff is always fun, don't forget about the Archives.  We've kept all our favorite features, videos, and links down there in the basement for you to dig through at your leisure.  Some of it's a little moldy, but trust us, it's still good.

Go to the Archives

Hot Links

It's Not Sausage...

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AirPigz

Antique Airfield

Barnstorming Movie

The Biplane Forum

Blue Ice Aviation

The Bosman RV-3 Blog

Campbell Field Airport

DC Aerobatics

Eric Clutton's F.R.E.D.

Flying Antique Airplanes

Ladies Love Taildraggers

LuceAir

Ohio Bush Planes

Oshkosh365

Peyton's "White Lightning"

Ranger Airfield

Skagit Aero. Ed. Museum

Skip Stewart Airshows

Sportsman Pilot Magazine

The Ultralight Experience

Van's Airforce

Vintage Flying

Williams Vintage Aircraft

Taildraggers, Inc. - Tricycles are for babies. - www.taildraggersinc.com

Welcome to Taildraggers, Inc.

Come one, come all!  Step right up and get your daily dose of Aerotainment!

Here at Taildraggers, Inc. we aim to bring you some of the best aero-content on the net.  We love taildraggers, but we don't stop there.  We want to see and share the coolest airplanes, people, places, and websites that grassroots aviation has to offer.  Taildraggers, biplanes, vintage, antique, aerobatics, bush flying, homebuilts, LSA's, bitchin' videos, amazing photos, and best of all, really great people are what we're all about.

If you have a link or photo to share, we'd love to hear about it, and hopefully add it to the site.  We are also looking for guest writers and photographers to submit content.  If you would like to write an article or a photo essay, shoot us an email.  We won't pay you (we don't even pay ourselves), but we will give you full credit for any contributions.

Drop us a line anytime: webmaster@taildraggersinc.com



Slick's Airventure 2010 Video :: "Beyond This Historic Brown Gate"


We brought you Slick's 2009 Airventure video last year, so we had to do his 2010 video.  Nobody comes close to Slick's Airventure recap music videos.  Nobody.

See all of Slick's videos HERE.
Or...  Visit his blog HERE.
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Rans S-9 Loses a Wing


During the recent Show Aéreo 2010 (airshow) in Santa Fe, Argentina, a Rans S-9 piloted by 22 year old Dino Moline, lost a wing.  The above video footage is pretty incredible.  Don't worry, little Dino got out of it all pretty unscathed.  He says he just had a little bit of a burnt foot from the fire.  What a guy.

So...  Great ad for BRS, right?

Wanna see an awesome shot of the wing and plane right after their separation?  Check out this PHOTO from airliners.net.  You can almost see Dino sweating just a little.

If, after all of this, you still want to build a Rans S-9 Chaos, visit the Rans Website.
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Toilet Paper Bombers


Yeah, I know... ANOTHER video... But these are all so good, and I don't feel like practicing my creative writing skills this week.  So enjoy another video!

This was posted on vimeo by user PaulWhitaker.  The airplane is one of them Cessna Birddog's, and looks like a lot of fun to fly.  I've watched the boys at The Flying Circus on Bealeton, VA do this same trick in a Stearman, but haven't tried it yet myself.  Maybe next time I get up I'll have to take a roll of TP with me.

When you're done with this one, go watch the rest of Paul's videos.
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Freakin' Rocket Belt!!!


As a kid, I used to climb trees for a better view of the world around me.  I had dreams about flying just feet over the rooftops in the neighborhood, the images as clear and accurate as real life because of my experience seeing it all from the trees.  In my dreams, I could launch from the sandbox and climb over the roof of our two-story house, glide my way down the street, and then return effortlessly, without wings.  I had, and still have, a very active imagination.

Watching this rocket belt video reminded me of many of the images in my dreams as a kid.  I know everybody has seen rocket belt videos before, but I couldn't help but share just one more.

Enjoy!
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Pitts Lil' Monster N97M


To my knowledge, Curtis Pitts only ever built one midget racing plane, but I'm no authority on the subject.  This is another real gem of a YouTube video.  I don't believe that we would ever see videos like this if it wasn't for YouTube.

From foamyflyer, the person who uploaded the video:

"Built in 1949. One of two formula one's designed and built by Curtis Pitts. Bought and rebuilt by James Dulin in the mid 1960's. James' racing number was 8. The registration number was changed to N8JD. He raced at Cape May, New Jersey and Cleveland, Ohio in 1971. He flew the plane until his untimely death in 1982. After his death it was bought by Jim Clevenger and repainted it to its original colors. It was in the Air Museum at Oshkosh for several years. James loved to fly this little airplane"

According to Carl Pascarell's article "Flying the Pitts Lil' Monster" published in Air Progress, January, 1991, the airplane in this video flew over 400 hours of mostly cross country flights between Florida and California in the 20 years it was owned by Jim Dulin.  Jim rebuilt the airplane twice during the time he was custodian for this amazing little bird.

This airplane was rebuilt in the late 1980's and was the subject of the above mentioned article, which can be read in it's entirety (with more photos) on Budd Davisson's website, www.airbum.com
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Glide-O-BikeThe Glide-O-Bike

Do they still sell stuff like this?

How cool would it be if you could build your own flying bicycle?!  Hell, the Wright Brothers were bicycle mechanics, so it's a natural and logical assumption that airplanes and bikes go hand in hand, right?

This has got to be the downright coolest invention since Lucky Lindy crossed the Atlantic, inspiring boys of all ages to take to the skies in whatever creations would get them into the air.  And for only 25¢.  What a deal.

As LeVar Burton always said on Reading Rainbow, "...but don't take my word for it."

Here's what other boys are saying:

"Your Glide-O-Bike is the dandiest thing I ever owned.  It sure gives you all the thrills you want."
T. Wendell, Springfield, Mass.

"I've already begun to give other fellows rides and make money on my airport.  That's besides the fun I have myself.  I never spent a quarter better I can tell you.  The Glide-O-Bike is so good I can't tell you how much I like it."
Robert Holt, Los Angeles, Calif.


Where do I send my check?
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Charles LindberghThe Secret Lives of Charles Lindbergh

When I was in elementary school, I wrote a book report about Charles Lindbergh, the American hero pilot who flew the Atlantic solo in 1927.  I read about the planning and determination that went into his famous flight.  I read about the engineering efforts required to build the airplane that would complete the 33 1/3 hour trip unrefeuled.

What I didn't read about was his beliefs of white supremacy, or the seven children he fathered outside of his marriage.  Maybe you already know about these things, but aside from learning a little about his involvement with the Nazi party before WWII, I still held on to my childhood impressions that Charles Lindbergh was a hero, an inventor, an airline entrepenuer, and a role model.  Well, National Geographic has shown me otherwise.

In their documentary, "The Secret Lives of Charles Lindbergh", they examine some of the lesser known facts about Lindbergh.  I recommend watching the program, for if nothing else, it will remind you that all men are just men, and that heroes are fallible.

Link: The Secret Lives of Charles Lindbergh
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Taildraggers, Inc. ForumsTaildraggers, Inc. Tip of the Day:

Join the Taildraggers, Inc. Forums!

We've added a Forum to the Taildraggers, Inc. website.  It's completely free to register and use.  As a registered user, you can post new topics, reply to existing topics, and communicate with other users via email and private message. 



Taildraggers, Inc. Forums
We've got Forums for Hangar Flying, Upcoming Events, Aircraft Construction and Maintenance, Projects, and a completely free For Sale / Wanted section.

The Forums are for you to use, and they depend on you for their growth and content.  You can navigate to the Forums by clicking on the "Forum" tab at the top of this page, or by clicking on the "Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc. Forum link at the bottom of each daily update.

Take a minute to register, and become a member of the Taildraggers, Inc. community.  Once you do, post a new thread telling us a little bit about yourself on the New Members area.
We're glad to have you.
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The $1 PietenpolThe $1 Pietenpol  

This isn't a new story.  If you've been around Pietenpols, or the Brodhead Pietenpol Association for very long, you've no doubt heard of the dollar Piet.

The story goes something like this:

N13961 was built by Edgar Russert of Lewiston, MN back in 1933 using the plans from a 1932 Modern Mechanics magazine.  Some time around 1935, Russert sold the airplane to five friends, including Bernard Pietenpol, for $50 a pop.  Rumor has it that the airplane was involved in a mid-air with some power lines, and after Pietenpol finished the repairs, the airplane was sold to Allen Rudolph in 1941.

Rudolph flew the airplane to many fly-ins throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin over the years, and eventually was part of the inspiration for the forming of the Brodhead Pietenpol Association.  The airplane ended up at Brodhead for an extended stay due to a burned up piston in the old Ford Model A engine.  That was sometime in the 1980's.  In 1993, Ted Davis and Jim Hammond led a group who recovered and and repaired the now 60-year old airplane.  That year, Allen Rudolph was once again able to take to the skies in N13961.

The people involved in this airplane made a decision to "keep it in the family", and not let it be sold to someone who would take it away from Brodhead.  Jim Hammond became the first owner after Allen Rudolph, and then when he was ready to move on to something different it sold the airplane to Ted Davis.

For one dollar.

Ted later sold the airplane to Frank Pavliga, who is the current owner.  Also for one dollar.

To read the Smithsonian's article on the One Dollar Piet, click HERE
To visit the Brodhead Pietenpol Association, click HERE
To buy a set of Pietenpol Aircamper plans, click HERE
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Looking for some more Aerotainment?  Go to July 2010 :: OR :: Check out the Archives!