Always Remember to Taxi with Care

There’s no shortcut that is worth risking a dinged propeller or any other airplane damage.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, March 05, 2024 at 06:55 PM ET

Verified

Seat placement can make or break a flight as sight picture can be everything for a pilot trainee. [Credit: Pixabay]

Key Takeaways:

Prioritize situational awareness by checking for foreign object debris (FOD) and maintaining wingtip clearance, especially in confined areas.
Taxi slowly, no faster than a brisk walk, utilizing energy management to control speed and performing thorough brake checks before heading to the runway.
Adhere strictly to designated taxiway lines and paths, respecting aircraft wingspan limits, and properly manage ground equipment like tie-downs to prevent accidents and damage.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Lesson two was about to begin for the private pilot candidate. Before I climbed into the airplane I spied something on the taxiway that shouldn’t be there. It was a bolt about half as big as a smartphone. I picked it up and the learner remarked it was a good thing we didn’t taxi over it. I agreed and noted foreign object debris (FOD) isn’t the only thing to worry about when you are taxiing from parking.

Watch Those Wings

“Move like a minesweeper in troubled waters,” my instructor said as we pulled out of the aircraft parking area. Protocol at the school meant pulling the aircraft out of its parking stall with the towbar and positioning it perpendicular to the stall and making sure the tail wasn’t pointed at another aircraft before engine start.