Basics of Taxiing:
Planning your Taxiing:
1. Pre-taxi planning
--Planning and briefing of route
--Familiarity with airport
--Ask about recent changes
--Review NOTAMS
--Airport diagram
--Read back and check clearance

Operating Practice:
1. Monitor ATC for instruction or clearances to other aircraft.
2. Scan full length and approach corridors of runways you are about the cross.
3. Be even more cautious at night.
4. When using a runway as a taxiway, stay to one side and go a bit faster than normal.
5. Be aware if your landing turn-off intersects with another runway.
6. Maintain a sterile cockpit while taxiing.
7. Hearing what you expect to hear is a major problem.
8. Readback clearances
9. Use heading indicator to confirm taxi directions.
10. Do not exit on another runway unless cleared to do so.

Low visibility:
1. Use all lights
2. Check with ATC if in doubt.
3. Expedite all runway crossing
4. Request progressive taxi instructions

Prevention of taxiing problems:
--Communicate
--Use airport diagram
--Get ATC help early
--When in doubt, verify

Staying Lined Up
Professionals stay on the line. Students have trouble getting on the line and following the line. Students tend to taxi with too much power and use braking instead of pedal pressure to guide the plane. There is a parallax problem related to the nose wheel position offset from the seat. The aircraft that is on the line is somewhat assured obstacle clearance. No guarantee...just assurance. The pilot on final approach has a third dimension to deal with in attaining centerline alignment. A useful practice exercise to improve your skills in this matter is to set up a long final of several miles. Then get to approach speed and hands-off the yoke. With a very light yoke touch, while holding the nose aligned parallel to the runway with the rudder, slide the aircraft slowly left and right to each side of the runway. Do this side to side until you feel satisfied that you can slide and stop to either side at will.

Surface Movement on Non-Towered Airports
Night Operation
---Beacon, navigation, no strobes
---All exterior lights crossing runways
---Entering departure runway all lights including strobes.

Before Taxi
---Confirm frequency, monitor
---Check full length of runway
---Review airport diagram

Taxi for Departure
---Monitor and advise as to location and intentions
---Heads up, plan taxi route based on active
---Use heading indicator to confirm taxiway
---If you become uncertain as to where you are STOP but not on a runway.
---Give full attention when crossing a runway
---Make full 360 after runup
---Announce departure/takeoff intentions
---Clear final and runway and expedite departure

Uncontrolled Airport
--Listen before transmitting.
--Not all aircraft have radios
--Announce taxi intentions on CTAF
--Higher level of watchfulness required.
--Stop and clear before crossing runways
--Do 360 scan turn prior to taking runway.
--Be extra cautious in calm wind conditions
--Know or learn local unpublished procedures
--Consider using lighting to warn others of your operation
--Give name of airport at beginning and end of every message.
--Use brief but clear statements of your situation and intentions.
--Check with any approach facility regarding inbound IFR traffic.
--Know IFR procedures and frequencies uses prior to CTAF. (Monitor)
--More frequent communication and enhanced situational awareness required.

Taxiing
Because of side by side seating the student pilot must be helped to find where to look for putting the nose wheel on the taxiway center line. Move the plane so as to be centered on a line. Have the student seated as usual and from a distance of thirty feet, slowly move in stages toward the aircraft nose. To the student you will be aligned with the center of students yoke. The center line due to parallax goes between the student's legs though some use the inside leg for aiming.. A post solo student might be helped by an instructor some distance ahead and facing the taxiing aircraft giving arm signals. See the AIM for taxiing signals.

The most likely aircraft accident occurs while taxiing. Casual taxiing and parking attitudes are preludes to accidents. Taxi scared. It is not possible to taxi too slowly but some compromise with the practical requires a speed equivalent fast walk. Always taxi as though the wind were at thirty knots to acquire expertise in the correct yoke movement. In real windy conditions you will have less than ten seconds to correctly position the controls.

Arrive at the run up area so as to allow the engine to face the wind for additional cooling and to allow maximum room for other aircraft. Circumstances such as blowing dust or noise may require that aircraft be facing a specific direction while in the runup area. Remain as far back from the taxiway as possible to allow safe passage of long winged aircraft.

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