The taxi run-in between an Air France A380, the largest passenger airplane in the world, and a regional jet at JFK the other night should remind us all how easy it is to bend some metal when all you’re trying to do is get to the departure end of the runway. These taxi surprises of the worst kind seldom result in injuries, but ask any aviation insurance underwriter or A380 captain and they’ll tell you that the cost in euros and cents can be very high. With a little thought, though, you can cut your chances of being a taxi statistic to next to nothing.
● Know where you’re going. Have a taxi diagram handy at all times, and use it. Write down your taxi clearance. Ground control probably isn’t going to send you down any blind alleys. That said, they can only tell you where to taxi; getting there is your job.
