Definition
A landing technique used in tailwheel airplanes in which the pilot touches down on the main wheels first, with the tail still in the air, while carrying a small amount of engine power through the touchdown to soften the contact and maintain control authority.
Plain English
A landing in a tailwheel airplane where the two main wheels touch down first while the tail is still up, and the engine is kept slightly powered rather than fully closed to the idle.
Context Anchor
Seen in tailwheel training, landing technique discussions, and instructor questions about landing procedures.
Derivation
Power-on' means the engine is still producing thrust at touchdown rather than at idle. 'Wheel landing' refers to landing on the main wheels first (as opposed to a three-point landing where main wheels and tailwheel touch together). Together, the phrase describes the specific combination: mains first, tail up, with power still applied.
Why Pilots Care
Maintains rudder effectiveness and directional control in crosswinds or gusty conditions where a three-point landing would risk loss of control.
Intuition Check
Power-on does not mean the airplane’s electrical power is on. Here it means the engine is still producing some thrust during touchdown. Wheel landing does not mean any landing on wheels. In this context, it means the main wheels touch first while the tail stays up at first.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor demonstrated a power-on wheel landing in the Citabria, touching the mains down gently while keeping the tail flying.
Example Sentence 2
After touchdown the student gradually reduced power during the power-on wheel landing to lower the tail smoothly as speed decreased.