How to Control Your Aircraft on the Ground

Here are some taxiing tips on mastering the centerline and finding the all-important sight picture.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

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

Key Takeaways:

Taxiing an aircraft is a fundamental yet challenging skill for new pilots, requiring precise control with rudder pedals and throttle rather than the yoke, along with careful speed management.
Achieving the correct "sight picture" by properly positioning the seat and using specific visual cues (e.g., spinner, cowling rivets) is crucial for maintaining the centerline.
Pilots must adapt their sight picture and taxiing techniques when flying different aircraft, encountering varied seat configurations, or operating from the right-hand seat due to parallax.
Tailwheel aircraft present unique taxiing challenges, demanding serpentine movements due to limited forward visibility and extra caution with brakes to prevent prop strikes or nose-overs.

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One of the first lessons a fledgling pilot training in a tricycle-gear aircraft learns is how to stay on the centerline during taxi. For the unfamiliar, it’s more challenging than you’d think it would be.

For starters, there’s the tendency for the learner to “drive” the airplane with the yoke or stick. On the ground the aircraft is controlled by a combination of rudder inputs and throttle. Trying to steer on the ground with the yoke or stick is like trying to flush a toilet by flipping a light switch.