Departing from taxiway

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San_Diego_Pilot
Had a couple drinks with a few pilots last night and this question came up..

Let's say you arrive at your plane at an airport and to your dismay you have found, a NOTAM, that the single runway, say 17/35, has been NOTAM'd closed! You find however, that at this little sleepy uncontrolled airfield the airport ITSELF has not been NOTAM'd closed... and you see a helicopter take off a few rows down

You think to yourself, "gee, I'll just depart from the taxiway"
^would doing that be illegal? I know while AVX was getting repaved they were allowing taxiway operations.. and on occasion an airliner will elect to do same :rolleyes:
 
Other than 91.13, there is no FAR prohibiting it. Some airports may have local codes or airport rules though.
 
midwestpa24 said:
Other than 91.13, there is no FAR prohibiting it. Some airports may have local codes or airport rules though.
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That's what I was thinking, I'd still feel kind of wrong trying it
 
When TKI was closed for a gear collapse they (the tower) allowed taxiway landings upon request with a caution. Can't remember the wording they used, but something to the effect of Pilot Discretion.

The good news was that their taxiway is the old shorter, narrower runway so it was no big deal for anybody to land on.

Taxiway Bravo used to be 36/18
 

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Ravioli said:
When TKI was closed for a gear collapse they (the tower) allowed taxiway landings upon request with a caution. Can't remember the wording they used, but something to the effect of Pilot Discretion.

The good news was that their taxiway is the old shorter, narrower runway so it was no big deal for anybody to land on.
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my follow-up question to that isif

A) any kind of taxiway construction standard? Or do these landings put a real load and strain?

B) and in your example, would you be allowed to do a circling approach to a taxiway?
 
FAA does not care where you land...local municipalities or airport owner may.

...so there is no one universal answer as to it being "illegal" or not.
 
It was a CAVU day. Not sure they'd be taking instrument approaches to the closed runway. Not sure I'd want one if they did.

5 other airports with procedures within 25NM.
 
depends. are you Mr. Ford?

or is that only for landing?
 
IK04 said:
With the wind at 090/30, I had no choice but to land on the ramp at Hooper Bay:
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I've seen it done before. Even saw a Cub take off across the runway due to the crosswinds, only needed half the width.
 
When Mayor Daley assassinated the runways at Meigs Field, IIRC the aircraft trapped on the field used the taxiways to take off...

-Skip
 
Zeldman said:
Is the giant dip still in the runway at Hooper.??
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You can see in the image where the sand has filled in the low area after the sea water has subsided.

Funny thing is, I have never actually used more than the first 200-300 feet of the runway, so I never got to the low, washed out area!
 
We must have been having way too much fun at T74. We've got a lot of funny airport rules. We're not allowed to take off over those metal things you hang shirts on. Pretty sure we rarely have groups of spectators!

TAKE-OFFS, LANDINGS OVER CERTAIN OBJECTS PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED. No aircraft shall land or take off in such manner as to clear any public street or highway at an altitude of less than one hundred (100) feet nor land or take off on the taxiway or any turf area or over hangers or other structures, automobile parking areas or groups of spectators.
 
KDTO does not allow taxi landings or takeoffs when the runway is closed.

That is only one item on a long list of the ways the airport management is off kilter.
 
Lowflynjack said:
TAKE-OFFS, LANDINGS OVER CERTAIN OBJECTS PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED. No aircraft shall land or take off in such manner as to clear any public street or highway at an altitude of less than one hundred (100) feet nor land or take off on the taxiway or any turf area or over hangers or other structures, automobile parking areas or groups of spectators.
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This is an utterly ridiculous rule.
I bet everyone on this forum knows at least one airport with a road or roads right up against at least one end of the runway. At GBR, the cars pull off onto the end of the runway to watch the planes as they land and take off.
 
At an airport with a single runway the NOTAM may close the airport and not just the runway.
 
I never thought to ask . . .on a strip with weekend glider and ultralight ops on the grass between the runway and sometimes on the parallel taxi way, I just assumed I could use the grass or taxi way whenever.
 
Ravioli said:
When TKI was closed for a gear collapse they (the tower) allowed taxiway landings upon request with a caution. Can't remember the wording they used, but something to the effect of Pilot Discretion.
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“Landing on the ramp is at your own risk. Cleared to land.”

Helicopters get it all the time.
 
Shepherd said:
This is an utterly ridiculous rule.
I bet everyone on this forum knows at least one airport with a road or roads right up against at least one end of the runway. At GBR, the cars pull off onto the end of the runway to watch the planes as they land and take off.
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Would you believe this is one of the less ridiculous rules we have? I tried to tell the airport manager once and he got angry, so I told him we'll just continue to ignore the rules that aren't enforced by the FAA. He leaves us alone, we leave him alone.

You have to wonder what prompted some of these rules! I picture an airport out of control with rebel pilots terrorizing the town.

Persons under the influence of intoxicants or narcotics prohibited from flying. Not fair. It takes some liquid courage to launch an antique airplane into the air....

Agricultural operations. Reckless flying, careless handling of chemicals and indifference toward policing the area or intimidation of other aircraft users will not be tolerated. Oh no Daddy, it's that Ag pilot coming to intimidate us again.

No aircraft shall be repaired on any part of the landing or take-off area, and all repairs shall be made at the places designated by the Airport Manager for such purpose. I was really hoping to change my oil on the runway today.

Straight-in approaches shall not be used unless authorized by the Airport Manager or unless radio contact with the airport advisory radio has been established from at least five (5) miles out. Mr. Airport Manager, may I please do a straight-in approach from 3 miles out? My liquid courage is running low.

And one of my favorites...
Aircraft engines shall not be accelerated nor decelerated while over the Taylor area in such manner as to distract, excite or disturb persons on the ground, regardless of altitude. There goes that hot rod red and white biplane again. He really excites me.

Now, at this point, some of you guys think I'm making this up... so I'll just leave this here! Taylor Airport Rules and Regulations You'll find I've barely touched on the stupidity.
 
My point is that it is impossible to land at some airports and be 100' above people, and traffic because the road runs across the runway.
 
Lowflynjack said:
Now, at this point, some of you guys think I'm making this up... so I'll just leave this here! Taylor Airport Rules and Regulations You'll find I've barely touched on the stupidity.
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The bad part is most of those crazy rules are probably the result of someone doing something, triggering someone else to create an insane rule.

Kind of like those old city laws you hear about, like it being illegal to walk your donkey on main street on Sunday unless its wearing a hat.
 
Some of those rules at Taylor are not enforceable, basically everything that is a rule once the airplane leaves the ground.
 
My first flight into Baghdad was into the taxiway because someone had put holes in the runway.
 
I landed in a 22 knot crosswind and while taxing in I told the controllers that I would have preferred to land on the taxiway between the two runways and she said she would have let me if I had declared an emergency.
 
Thirty
One
Pages
Of
Rules

snork ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

I tried, but I couldn't read them all in one sitting.
 
denverpilot said:
“Landing on the ramp is at your own risk. Cleared to land.”

Helicopters get it all the time.
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Assuming the ramp is a non-movement area, they shouldn't be clearing them to land..

b. If landing is requested to non-movement areas, an area not authorized for helicopter use, or an area off the airport, and, in your judgment, the operation appears to be reasonable, use the following phraseology instead of the landing clearance in subpara a. PHRASEOLOGY− LANDING AT (requested location) WILL BE AT YOUR OWN RISK (additional instructions, as necessary). USE CAUTION (if applicable).
 
kkoran said:
Assuming the ramp is a non-movement area, they shouldn't be clearing them to land..

b. If landing is requested to non-movement areas, an area not authorized for helicopter use, or an area off the airport, and, in your judgment, the operation appears to be reasonable, use the following phraseology instead of the landing clearance in subpara a. PHRASEOLOGY− LANDING AT (requested location) WILL BE AT YOUR OWN RISK (additional instructions, as necessary). USE CAUTION (if applicable).
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Ahh probably true. Thanks for looking that up.

Frankly I hear it so often at my home airport for the leased multi TV station helo, and all of his Medevac friends... I misremembered it, because it’s an everyday occurrence multiple times a day.

Which is all I was really conveying. No big deal, happening pretty much constantly around here. The Medevacs land near the ambulances and such.
 
kkoran said:
Assuming the ramp is a non-movement area, they shouldn't be clearing them to land..

b. If landing is requested to non-movement areas, an area not authorized for helicopter use, or an area off the airport, and, in your judgment, the operation appears to be reasonable, use the following phraseology instead of the landing clearance in subpara a. PHRASEOLOGY− LANDING AT (requested location) WILL BE AT YOUR OWN RISK (additional instructions, as necessary). USE CAUTION (if applicable).
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^^^What he said.^^^

Departures can be the same. I have gotten thank you's from controllers for departing present position, rather than attempting to taxi or (heaven forbid) hover taxi a 40,000+ pound portable hurricane!

During a very busy morning, I once made a deal with the tower at Memphis International to depart from the ramp at the base of the tower and climb straight up to 3,000 feet. I was immediately approved for the maneuver.
 
I took off from a taxiway a few days ago, and the runway wasn't closed.... At the airport i learned soft-field operations at, everyone used the grass between runway and taxiway because the pavement was crap.... At a towered field, the controller said he'd clear me to land in the grass, "At your own risk."

None of these require exceptional skill, but exercise good judgment. If you **** up in any of those situations, you can be assured the FAA will cite 91.13.
 
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Lowflynjack said:
We must have been having way too much fun at T74. We've got a lot of funny airport rules. We're not allowed to take off over those metal things you hang shirts on. Pretty sure we rarely have groups of spectators!

TAKE-OFFS, LANDINGS OVER CERTAIN OBJECTS PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED. No aircraft shall land or take off in such manner as to clear any public street or highway at an altitude of less than one hundred (100) feet nor land or take off on the taxiway or any turf area or over hangers or other structures, automobile parking areas or groups of spectators.
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There was definitely a group of spectators at the far "hangers" the last time I took off there with winds gusting to at least 28.
 
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