About our 1999 American Champion Citabria Explorer
Learning to fly a tailwheel aircraft will make you a better pilot and help you realize that you have a rudder for a reason. Your feet will get a workout and you will not be disappointed in the “fun factor” of learning to fly a tail dragger.
Aspiring instructor? Aspiring air show pilot? Fly our 7GCBC and learn to recover from unusual attitudes and unintentional spins as you work towards proficiency. If you are destined to be a Certified Flight Instructor, then come do your spin endorsement with us. We will help you become proficient in ACTUAL spin recovery! Our Citabria is $160 per hour wet, and our instructors are $55 per hour.
Tailwheel Endorsement
On the ground, tailwheel aircraft are naturally unstable because the center of gravity is located aft of the main landing gear. The important thing with the tailwheel is that you have to keep the nose straight, so the airplane has to be pointed in the same direction that it’s going. Anytime a divergence starts to develop between those two things, you’re going to see that ground looping tendency. The key to correct drifting off center on the runway or taxiway without ground looping is to stop the drift before bringing the aircraft back to the desired position. Holding the rudder too long or swerving could set you up for a ground loop.
We are happy to provide tailwheel training from April through December. The tailwheel endorsement is entirely proficiency based, meaning there are no minimum hour requirements. Most students will feel proficient at flying tailwheel in 5 to 10 hours. Tailwheel training will consist of 3-Point, wheel takeoffs, and landings. With and without crosswinds, go arounds, and high speed taxi.
Spin Training and Aerobatics
Looking to become a certified flight instructor? We can help you receive your spin endorsement. Our Certified Flight Instructors can help you become proficient in spin recovery. We are happy to provide spin training and aerobatics training from April through December. Our Citabria 7GCBC is certified for Slow Rolls, Immelmann, Loops, Split S, Snap Rolls, Hammerhead Turns, and Cuban Eights.
Skiplane Training
There is no endorsement needed for skiplane, only fun. Traverse City has several local lakes and airports that will offer an excellent training environment for skiplane training. We are happy to provide skiplane training January through March.