When taxiing downwind and the wind is strong, hold the wheel forward so that the wind strikes the down elevator and keeps the tail from rising.
When taxiing upwind (into the wind), hold the wheel back so that the wind force and propwash hold the tail down. At any rate, tailwheel or tricycle gear, always hold the wheel so that forces acting on the ele- vator will hold the tail down (Figure 6-4).
As noted earlier, the tricycle-gear airplane gener- ally has more positive reactions in taxiing and doesn’t tend to weathercock (turn into the wind) as easily as the tailwheel type. One problem with the latter is that a too-fast taxi, moving downwind, can be a hazard if sud- den braking is required. The airplane may tend to nose over and, if the wheel or stick is pulled back (which is a usual reaction to “keep the tail down”), the tailwind gets under the elevators and magnifies the problem, sometimes at the price of a propeller or worse.
Under certain wind conditions the ailerons are use- ful in taxiing.
In Figure 6-5 the wind, coming from the side and behind, wants to make the plane weathercock or turn into the wind and is also trying to push the plane over.
The elevators are down, and opposite rudder is needed to keep the plane from weathercocking. By turning the wheel to the right, the right aileron is up and the left is down as shown. The impact of the wind on the down left aileron helps fight the overturning tendency, and the added area of the down aileron works against the weathercocking force. The aileron control (wheel or stick) is held away from the wind in a quartering tailwind.
When the plane is taxiing into a quartering head- wind, the aileron is held into the wind, the wheel is back to keep the tail down, and opposite rudder is used as needed to stop any weathercocking tendency. Hold the wheel as if to climb into the wind (Figure 6-6).
If the wind is directly from the side, the ailerons are of no assistance unless your taxi speed is high enough
Figure 6-4. Elevator handling — upwind and downwind taxiing (tailwheel type).
Figure 6-5. This applies to tricycle-gear airplanes also.
6-4 Part One / Before the Flight
to get a good relative wind against the ailerons; if you are taxiing that fast, slow down.
“In days of old, when men were bold” and planes were light and ailerons large, ailerons were used oppo- site to the turn. The drag of the down aileron helped the plane to turn. The planes are now heavier and the
ailerons smaller, so ailerons have a negligible effect unless you happen to be doing at least 25 K or so and, again, this is taxiing too fast.
If there is a strong, quartering tailwind, it is possible to nose over a tricycle-gear airplane, especially if brakes are abruptly applied. What happens is that the plane
“bows.” The wind is able to get under the upwind wing and the stabilizer, and the plane may rotate around an imaginary line drawn between the nosewheel and the downwind main wheel. This reaction is aggravated if the elevators are in the up position. The same tendency is present, particularly in high-wing airplanes (where the center of gravity is farther above the wheels), when an abrupt turn is made while taxiing downwind in a strong wind. One memory aid is that when the wind is strong and behind the airplane (straight or quartering), hold the wheel as if diving away from the wind.
Figure 6-6. Control positions for a crosswind (tailwheel airplane).
Figure 6-7. Taxiing diagram, from a POH.
Chapter 6 / Taxiing 6-5 Although the tricycle landing gear has made taxiing
much safer and easier, you will still need to exercise caution at all times. Figures 6-5 and 6-6 show con- trol deflections as they would apply to either landing gear type.
This matter of using controls in taxiing may be quite confusing at first, but just visualize what you want the wind to do when it strikes a particular control surface and go on from there. After a while it’ll become second nature.
Figure 6-7 gives the control deflections as shown in a Pilot’s Operating Handbook.
Taxi Signals
Figure 6-8 shows the signals you might get when being directed by a line attendant. The main thing is to keep the speed down very low when taxiing close to aircraft or other objects so that you can respond quickly to the signals (or stop on your own).
Another helpful hint, when taxiing a high-wing air- plane among other high-wing airplanes while the sun is out and high, is to look down at the shadows of the two airplanes’ wing tips to get a better picture of how far apart they are. It’s pretty hard to look out directly at your and the other airplane’s wing tips to judge the dis- tance between them. If in doubt anytime before taxiing in tight quarters, shut the engine down and get a taxi director and/or people to “walk your wing” (walk with
Figure 6-8. Taxi signals.You should be well familiar with these signals, both as a director or directee. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)
6-6 Part One / Before the Flight each wing tip as you start back up and taxi slowly, to
watch for possible collision hazards). Sometimes, after a lot of car driving experience, people who are just starting to fly forget that there are 18- or 20-foot “pro- jections” on each side of the cabin. You may decide to shut down and manually pull or push the airplane past the danger spot.