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Backcountry Course
For tailwheel pilots who want to fly to the strips that aren’t on the way to anywhere.
Most of the best places to land are short, sloped, one-way or unpaved. Getting into them isn’t the hard part. Knowing whether you should, on that day and in that airplane, is.
This course teaches both: the flying, and the judgment behind it. You’ll leave able to look at a strip you’ve never seen and make a sound call about whether to land there and how.
As featured in
How it works
- Tell us about your flying. Fill out the form at the bottom of this page. An instructor will reply with dates and a price.
- Spend 2.5 days with us in Fredericksburg. You'll fly 6 flights one-on-one in a Super Cub reserved for you.
- Go fly the backcountry, on your own or with us on a TacAero Expedition.
What you'll learn
Most backcountry accidents don't come from poor stick-and-rudder skill. They come from a decision made too late. So we spend as much time on judgment as we do on technique.
- Working out your real takeoff and landing distances for the airplane, the strip and the day
- Reading the wind at a strip with no windsock
- Looking over a strip from the air before you commit to it
- Short-field takeoffs, slow approaches and spot landings
- Sloped and one-way strips
- Landing off-airport on unimproved surfaces
- Leaving a strip the way you found it, and what to carry in case a flight doesn't go to plan
How the course runs
Each flight builds on the one before. You start with airwork in the Super Cub and finish by planning and flying complete arrivals and departures at backcountry strips. Ground lessons cover risk management, performance, weather and wind, terrain, and backcountry etiquette and survival. Your instructor adjusts the plan to the day's wind and to how you're doing.
Before you sign up
You'll need:
- A pilot certificate with an airplane category rating, and a current flight review (BFR)
- A tailwheel endorsement. If you don't have one, start with our Basic Tailwheel Endorsement Course. Plenty of pilots take both on the same trip.
- An FAA medical certificate, or eligibility under BasicMed
If it's been a while since you flew a taildragger, tell us. We can add a refresher flight at the start.
Why learn this in Texas
The Hill Country has grass, dirt and private strips a short flight from Fredericksburg, and hot afternoons that show you what density altitude does to an airplane. The weather supports flying all year. It's a good place to build the fundamentals before you take them to the mountains.
TacAero Expeditions
This course is the way into TacAero Expeditions: guided, invitation-only fly-in trips to backcountry destinations in the West, each led by a TacAero instructor.
Invitations go to graduates of this course, so everyone on a trip shares the same training and flies to the same standard. Very experienced backcountry pilots can ask for a waiver, which means a checkride with us in Fredericksburg.
Why train with us
We've trained thousands of pilots to fly tailwheel airplanes, and our training has been featured in FLYING, AOPA Pilot, Plane & Pilot and KitPlanes. We're also a factory-certified CubCrafters training location, and federal agencies send their pilots to us. Every instructor teaches the same way.
Course details
| Length | 2.5 days |
| Flights | 6, one-on-one |
| Airplane | PA-18 Super Cub, reserved for you |
| Location | Gillespie County Airport (T82), Fredericksburg, TX |
| You'll need | A tailwheel endorsement |
Questions pilots ask
Do I need backcountry experience?
No. You need a tailwheel endorsement. We start with the fundamentals.
What airplane will I fly?
A PA-18 Super Cub, reserved for you for the whole course.
Will I land off-airport?
Yes, after you've learned to look a strip over properly first. You'll fly into private grass and dirt strips and ranch strips.
How is this different from the tailwheel course?
The tailwheel course teaches you to handle the airplane. This one teaches you where to put it, and when not to.
Can I take both courses on one trip?
Yes. Ask us about scheduling them back to back.
Does this course get me on an expedition?
Graduates are eligible for an invitation.
What happens if the weather is bad?
We don't cancel because of a forecast. We show up planning to fly, and we usually find good weather within your training dates. If weather keeps you from finishing, we'll work with you on the flights that are left.
Is my deposit refundable?
Your deposit holds your spot and isn't refundable, but we know plans change and we'll work with you. If you need to move your course more than 30 days before it starts, just let us know and we'll apply your deposit to a new date. If something comes up closer to your start date, call us. We'll do everything we can to find a date that works, depending on instructor and aircraft availability.
GOVERNMENT AND AGENCY PILOTS
TacAero is a trusted training provider for U.S. government agencies, with proven experience supporting operations for the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Interior (DOI), and other federal entities. Our partnerships with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and various government departments demonstrate our ability to deliver mission-focused, specialized flight training.
