Conventional Gear

A smooth, forgiving flier, the 170B might be the ideal taildragger for many pilots.

As this pilot gets ready to go in the air alone for the first time in 19 years, lots of thoughts come and go.

Richmond, who was 67, established his popular backcountry aircraft series in 1980.

Most pilots are introduced to tailwheel flying in small, two-place types such as the Piper Cub, Aeronca Champ and Cessna 140—airplanes that are perfectly suited to initial training and short pleasure flights. But as they build experience, more than a few pilots begin to recognize the limitations of these bantamweights and begin searching for an […]