A three-point landing is when the airplane touches down on all three wheels just as the airplane stalls. It is a tail-down, minimum-speed touchdown. A wheel landing is done on just the main gear in a nearly level attitude, the tail off the ground, at a higher speed. Essentially, the airplane is flown onto the ground. A wide variety of conditions determine whether a pilot should be doing wheel landings. Also, when it comes to being able to handle adverse conditions, not all tailwheel airplanes are created equal: The effect of a given type of wind, for instance, varies greatly depending on the type of airplane being flown.So why is a wheel landing needed in the first place? This is probably where the controversy begins and where opinions initially diverge.At the root of the need for wheel landings is the need to have total control of the airplane at the moment of touchdown. So, what is it that challenges our ability to control the touchdown? Ignoring irregular runway surfaces (uphill, downhill, rough), wind presents the biggest challenge. However, it's not so much the strength of the wind (velocity) as it is the character of the wind. Specifically, the gusts.
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