Tailwheel airplanes inspire passion at a level probably unmatched in any other segment of the flying community. It’s reflected in the abundance of associated cliches, including “You aren’t a real pilot unless you fly tailwheel.” The airplanes can be incredibly fun and challenging to um, well—land.
The dirty secret about tailwheel pilots is that while they may have a lock on aviation bravado, they wreck their airplanes at a breathtaking rate. When it comes to runway loss of control accidents (RLOC), tailwheel airplanes get rolled into tube-and-fabric or aluminum balls at two to three times the rate of nosewheel airplanes.