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:

Learning to taxi effectively is a fundamental pilot skill that requires precise rudder and throttle control, not the yoke, and maintaining a slow, manageable speed.
Establishing the correct "sight picture" for centerline alignment is crucial, often requiring seat adjustments, booster cushions, and specific visual cues like spinner or cowling rivets.
Different aircraft types (e.g., tailwheel requiring serpentine taxiing) and cockpit positions (e.g., right seat parallax) present unique taxiing challenges, all emphasizing cautious speed and brake management to ensure safety.

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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.