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:

New pilots often struggle with taxiing tricycle-gear aircraft, incorrectly using the yoke for steering and mismanaging throttle, instead of using rudder pedals and precise power inputs.
Achieving the correct "sight picture" for centerline alignment is crucial, requiring proper seat adjustment, using reference points on the cowling, and adapting to different aircraft or pilot positions.
Different aircraft types (e.g., tailwheel) and pilot perspectives (e.g., right-seat parallax for CFIs) present unique taxiing challenges that necessitate specific techniques like serpentine taxiing.
Safe taxiing practices emphasize slow speeds ("no faster than a brisk walk"), minimal brake use to prevent accidents like prop strikes, and constant awareness of potential brake failure scenarios.

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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.