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“Dive Away From Wind?”

Chris Hill
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilots are taught specific control positions to manage wind while taxiing, which is particularly vital for the stability of tailwheel aircraft.
  • A common, simplified technique for tailwheel aircraft in a quartering tailwind is to "dive away from the wind" by positioning the controls appropriately.
  • A critical error to avoid is taxiing a tailwheel aircraft at a speed *greater* than the wind speed, as this can make correctly positioned controls counterproductive and increase the risk of an aircraft upset.
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I would hope that every one of us learned early on in our training the proper control positions when taxiing whenever there was some wind present. I’m sure we all remember the diagram showing in which quadrant the wind was and how the controls should be positioned to ensure that the wind didn’t get the best of things and put our airplane up on a wing tip, or on the prop in the case of a tailwheel airplane.

I know for me, as a student pilot, it was sometimes difficult to remember. I’d go through an intellectual process of ascertaining where the wind was coming from and then visualizing how the ailerons and elevator should be positioned to counter the effect of the wind. (“Windward aileron down and elevator / stabilator trailing edge down.”) And when I started my tailwheel training, it became even more important, because I no longer had a “training wheel” out in front to help me out.

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