Taxiing an Airplane and Airport Markings

The following basic taxi information is applicable to

both nosewheel and tailwheel airplanes.

Taxiing is the controlled movement of the airplane

under its own power while on the ground. Since an

airplane is moved under its own power between the

parking area and the runway, the pilot must thoroughly

understand and be proficient in taxi procedures.

An awareness of other aircraft that are taking off,

landing, or taxiing, and consideration for the right-ofway

of others is essential to safety. When taxiing, the

pilot's eyes should be looking outside the airplane, to

the sides, as well as the front. The pilot must be aware

of the entire area around the airplane to ensure that the

airplane will clear all obstructions and other aircraft. If

at any time there is doubt about the clearance from an

object, the pilot should stop the airplane and have

someone check the clearance. It may be necessary to

have the airplane towed or physically moved by a

ground crew.

It is difficult to set any rule for a single, safe taxiing

speed. What is reasonable and prudent under some

conditions may be imprudent or hazardous under others.

The primary requirements for safe taxiing are positive

control, the ability to recognize potential hazards

in time to avoid them, and the ability to stop or turn

where and when desired, without undue reliance on the

brakes. Pilots should proceed at a cautious speed on

congested or busy ramps. Normally, the speed should

be at the rate where movement of the airplane is

dependent on the throttle. That is, slow enough so

when the throttle is closed, the airplane can be stopped

promptly. When yellow taxiway centerline stripes are

provided, they should be observed unless necessary to

clear airplanes or obstructions.

When taxiing, it is best to slow down before

attempting a turn. Sharp, high-speed turns place

undesirable side loads on the landing gear and may

result in an uncontrollable swerve or a ground loop.

This swerve is most likely to occur when turning from

a downwind heading toward an upwind heading. In

moderate to high-wind conditions, pilots will note the

airplane's tendency to weathervane, or turn into the

wind when the airplane is proceeding crosswind.

When taxiing at appropriate speeds in no-wind

conditions, the aileron and elevator control surfaces

have little or no effect on directional control of the

airplane. The controls should not be considered

steering devices and should be held in a neutral

position. Their proper use while taxiing in windy

conditions will be discussed later.

Steering is accomplished with rudder pedals and

brakes. To turn the airplane on the ground, the pilot

should apply rudder in the desired direction of turn and

use whatever power or brake that is necessary to

control the taxi speed. The rudder pedal should be held

in the direction of the turn until just short of the point

where the turn is to be stopped. Rudder pressure is then

released or opposite pressure is applied as needed.

More engine power may be required to start the

airplane moving forward, or to start a turn, than is

required to keep it moving in any given direction.

When using additional power, the throttle should

immediately be retarded once the airplane begins

moving, to prevent excessive acceleration.

When first beginning to taxi, the brakes should be

tested for proper operation as soon as the airplane is

put in motion. Applying power to start the airplane moving forward slowly,

then retarding the throttle and

simultaneously applying pressure smoothly to both

brakes does this. If braking action is unsatisfactory, the

engine should be shut down immediately.

The presence of moderate to strong headwinds and/or

a strong propeller slipstream makes the use of the

elevator necessary to maintain control of the pitch

attitude while taxiing. This becomes apparent when

considering the lifting action that may be created on

the horizontal tail surfaces by either of those two

factors. The elevator control in nosewheel-type

airplanes should be held in the neutral position, while

in tailwheel-type airplanes it should be held in the aft

position to hold the tail down.

Downwind taxiing will usually require less engine

power after the initial ground roll is begun, since the

wind will be pushing the airplane forward.

To avoid overheating the brakes when taxiing

downwind, keep engine power to a minimum. Rather

than continuously riding the brakes to control speed, it

is better to apply brakes only occasionally. Other than

sharp turns at low speed, the throttle should always be

at idle before the brakes are applied. It is a common

student error to taxi with a power setting that requires

controlling taxi speed with the brakes. This is the

aeronautical equivalent of driving an automobile with

both the accelerator and brake pedals depressed.

When taxiing with a quartering headwind, the wing on

the upwind side will tend to be lifted by the wind

unless the aileron control is held in that direction

(upwind aileron UP).

Moving the aileron into the UP position reduces the effect of the wind

striking that wing, thus reducing the lifting action.

This control movement will also cause the downwind

aileron to be placed in the DOWN position, thus a

small amount of lift and drag on the downwind wing,

further reducing the tendency of the upwind wing

to rise.

When taxiing with a quartering tailwind, the elevator

should be held in the DOWN position, and the upwind

aileron, DOWN. Since the wind is

striking the airplane from behind, these control

positions reduce the tendency of the wind to get under

the tail and the wing and to nose the airplane over

The application of these crosswind taxi corrections

helps to minimize the weathervaning tendency and

ultimately results in making the airplane easier to

steer.

Normally, all turns should be started using the rudder

pedal to steer the nosewheel. To tighten the turn after

full pedal deflection is reached, the brake may be

applied as needed. When stopping the airplane, it is

advisable to always stop with the nosewheel straight

ahead to relieve any side load on the nosewheel and to

make it easier to start moving ahead.

During crosswind taxiing, even the nosewheel-type

airplane has some tendency to weathervane.

However, the weathervaning tendency is less than in

tailwheel-type airplanes because the main wheels are

located farther aft, and the nosewheel's ground friction

helps to resist the tendency. The

nosewheel linkage from the rudder pedals provides

adequate steering control for safe and efficient ground

handling, and normally, only rudder pressure is

necessary to correct for a crosswind.