Train With Some Of The Best Pilots In The Business!

You don’t need a tailwheel endorsement if you’ve already logged pilot-in-command (PIC) time in a tailwheel airplane prior to April 15, 1991. Otherwise, you must now receive a one-time logbook endorsement to act as PIC in a tailwheel airplane. Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) section 61.31(i) elaborates:

The flight training must include at least the following maneuvers and procedures:

(i) Normal and crosswind takeoffs and landings;

(ii) Wheel landings (unless the manufacturer has recommended against such landings); and

(iii) Go-around procedures.”

The courses we offer are designed to take someone who has no experience with a taildragger aircraft and train them to a level of proficiency that will allow them to handle a conventional aircraft in a variety of wind conditions.

Pilots want their flight training boiled down to number of hours. After all, hours translate into dollars. But when transitioning to tailwheel flying, the number of landings is actually a better yardstick for measuring one’s “tailwheel readiness.” Most pilots are competent to solo somewhere between 30 and 40 landings on paved runways. This usually translates into around 5 hours of dual, most of which is spent in the traffic pattern.  If you need additional training beyond the 5 hours that are included, you will be billed at an hourly rate of $399 per hobbs hour, which includes aircraft rental, fuel and instructor.

Our course is much more than just a tailwheel checkout. As part of our training package, you will receive 5 hours of dual instruction with a certified flight instructor, plus 1 hour of advanced ground instruction from one of our highly experienced tailwheel instructors. 

Loss of control in-flight is one of the leading causes of hull damage and fatalities in commercial aviation. Sky Combat Ace’s Upset Recovery Training (URT) course is specifically designed to give you the “all attitude awareness” you need in order to correctly apply the appropriate recovery techniques.  To do this, we introduce you to accelerated stalls, spins, and other maneuvers that deliberately put the aircraft in an unusual attitude. From there, we practice recovering the aircraft into level, unaccelerated flight. By the end of our 2 day course, you will have the skills to instinctively and safely deal with the most severe unusual attitudes you could encounter in your flying career.