I'm embarrassed to be asking this - I'm no expert level simmer by any means, but I'm a LONG ways from a newbie & I should be able to figure this out.

I can't keep control of the kite on landing! I can grease 'er in on landing with reasonable deftness, but always end up cartwheeling after rolling a little ways!

This is specifically in the SPAD XIII, but I wouldn't be surprised if I had the same problem in other crates, too.

Anyone care to venture a guess at what I'm doing wrong? My semi-educated guess is that I need to make more of an effort at keeping the tail dragger off the ground until I've bled off some more steam, but I'm basing this off of my experience flying WWII birds (like the P-40 for instance - where you're smart to keep it up on 2 wheels as long as you can to prevent "waddling"), so it's possible I'm applying faulty logic here.

Are you doing ground loops or loosing it just after touchdown?

Groundlooping is easiest avoided by giving some throttle before the speed is too low to give the rudder some wind to
work with. The increased engine/prop enertia will also help balance it straight.

As you say, keeping the back off the ground instead of doing a 3point landing will make it easier to get a good run in for the taxing.

I find the tendency for ground looping is best kept in check by keeping a small amount of throttle applied after touch down. This will keep a bit more airflow over the rudder making the plane far more responsive to rudder inputs.

This is far easier in aircraft with variable throttles as opposed to the ones with blip switches.

Once your tailskid has settled on the ground, pull your stick straight back, as this will cause the tailskid to act like a brake. Keep your hand on the throttle, and don't be afraid to open it a bit (in conjunction with some rudder input) if you notice the plane starting to veer left or right. This is especially critical with planes like the Nieuport 17, but of course it applies to just about every plane in the game, including the Spads.

Oh, and spend some time watching this guy's tutorial videos. They are second-to-none: http://www.youtube.com/user/Requiem10NS

Beautiful guys, thanks! I'll give this a try. My semi-educated guess was just that - semi-educated (and off the mark)!

To have been more clear, I should have used the more accepted "ground loop" instead of "cartwheeling".