Soft-Field Landing Ground Loop Chapter Summary The tailwheel should touchdown simultaneously with or  just before the main wheels and should then be held down  by maintaining firm back-elevator pressure throughout the  landing roll. This minimizes any tendency for the airplane  to nose over and provides aerodynamic braking. The use of  brakes on a soft field is not needed because the soft or rough  surface itself provides sufficient reduction in the airplane’s  forward speed. Often, it is found that upon landing on a  very soft field, the pilot needs to increase power to keep the  airplane moving and from becoming stuck in the soft surface. A ground loop is an uncontrolled turn during ground  operations that may occur during taxi, takeoff, or during  the after-landing roll. Ground loops start with a swerve that  is allowed to continue for too long. The swerve may be  the result of side-load on landing, a taxi turn started with  too much groundspeed, overcorrection, or even an uneven  ground surface or a soft spot that retards one main wheel of  the airplane. Due to the inbuilt instability of the tailwheel design, the forces  that lead to a ground loop accumulate as the angle between  the fuselage and inertia, acting from the CG, increase. If  allowed to develop, these forces may become great enough  to tip the airplane to the outside of the turn until one wing  strikes the ground. To counteract the possibility of an uncontrolled turn, the pilot  should counter any swerve with firm rudder input. In stronger  swerves, differential braking is essential as tailwheel steering  proves inadequate. It is important to note, however, that as  corrections begin to become apparent, rudder and braking  inputs need to be removed promptly to avoid starting yet  another departure in the opposite direction. This chapter focuses on the operational differences between  tailwheel and nosewheel airplanes that occur during ground  operations, takeoffs, and landings. The chapter covers  specific topics, such as landing gear, taxiing, visibility,  liftoff, and landing. Comparisons are given as to how each  react during the takeoff and landing, as well as situations  that should be avoided. Pilots who use proper rudder control  techniques should be able to transition to tailwheel airplanes  without too much difficulty. 13-8