Tail strike Questions

[Javier]

In X plane,when I take off  I always have the feeling that I´m gonna do a tail strike. Is there any sound or something that indicates a tail strike?

[LPNils]

In X plane,when I take off  I always have the feeling that I´m gonna do a tail strike. Is there any sound or something that indicates a tail strike?

 

The sound of a bang and/or scraping.

Just make sure you have enough speed and pull the stick gently. As long as you have enough speed you will lift-off before the tail strikes the runway.

Depending on the aircraft you can also keep an eye on your pitch using the artificial horizon. But speed is key.

Edited January 10, 2016 by LPNils

[Iridium]

In X plane,when I take off  I always have the feeling that I´m gonna do a tail strike. Is there any sound or something that indicates a tail strike?

Just as when flying an aircraft in real life, takeoff is not something you make the airplane do by pulling back on the stick/yoke, but rather what the airplane wants to do on its own when it achieves enough lift. When we "rotate" upon reaching Vr (rotate speed), we are simply assisting the takeoff process by slightly increasing AoA, which in turn spikes the lift, lifting the plane into the air (but still in ground effect) and reducing drag/friction caused by ground contact. This all happens very quickly, making it seem like a pilot just yanks the stick/yoke at a certain airspeed and tries to pull the plane into the air. Regardless of your indicated airspeed, if the aircraft isn't lifting itself off the ground with a slight increase in AoA (or with no increase in AoA), then you will not fly. A tail strike should never occur so long as you don't force the aircraft into the air before it is ready.

Hope this helped a bit.

[yawdamper]

Yes - speed matters. But also pitch rate.

Speaking of the 737:

An over-zealous rotation at the correct speed can also cause a tail strike. Not so much of a risk on the classic (although it has happened!) but more so on the longer -800s and -900s (never flew them, but it's longer than the -800). With flaps 1 there is not a lot of room for error (some carriers make it their SOP to always use F5 for T/O to reduce risk of tail strike).

And let's not forget the landing - that's where the majority of tail strikes actually happen. Again, over-zealous pitch-up to arrest a high ROD or letting speed decay below Vref is setting yourself up for trouble.

 

Having said that, you shouldn't really have trouble with the -300 as long as you don't yank back at Vr or don't stall in the flare.

Edited January 11, 2016 by yawdamper

[LPNils]

Yes - speed matters. But also pitch rate.

Speaking of the 737:

An over-zealous rotation at the correct speed can also cause a tail strike. Not so much of a risk on the classic (although it has happened!) but more so on the longer -800s and -900s (never flew them, but it's longer than the -800). With flaps 1 there is not a lot of room for error (some carriers make it their SOP to always use F5 for T/O to reduce risk of tail strike).

And let's not forget the landing - that's where the majority of tail strikes actually happen. Again, over-zealous pitch-up to arrest a high ROD or letting speed decay below Vref is setting yourself up for trouble.

 

Having said that, you shouldn't really have trouble with the -300 as long as you don't yank back at Vr or don't stall in the flare.

 

That's why I mentioned pulling the stick slowly.

The tailstrike happened to me in the full motion 738 sim doing a rotation during touch and go on a relatively short runway. It's so long and so easy to tip over. Rookie mistake.

733 was indeed much easier. Lot of fun flying by hand. 738 felt just too heavy & long.

Edited January 12, 2016 by LPNils