No delay

SkyhawkJ

SkyhawkJ

Pre-takeoff checklist
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SkyhawkJ
I was on the ground at KLUK awhile ago with my instructor and was directed by ground control to cross an active runway with “no delay”. So, being a pretty inexperienced student (which in many ways I still am), I hit the throttle too hard and probably made like 25 or 30 kts on the way across, with a stern “We’re not trying to take off here!” from my instructor. A little while afterwards I checked the regs and saw that you’re supposed to taxi at a speed like a “brisk walk”, and I had just done like a full-out Bolt sprint plus. So when they say “no delay”, what exactly do they want you to do? Taxi fast, just not hang around, or both?
 
SkyhawkJ said:
I was on the ground at KLUK awhile ago with my instructor and was directed by ground control to cross an active runway with “no delay”. So, being a pretty inexperienced student (which in many ways I still am), I hit the throttle too hard and probably made like 25 or 30 kts on the way across, with a stern “We’re not trying to take off here!” from my instructor. A little while afterwards I checked the regs and saw that you’re supposed to taxi at a speed like a “brisk walk”, and I had just done like a full-out Bolt sprint plus. So when they say “no delay”, what exactly do they want you to do? Taxi fast, just not hang around, or both?
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You can say "unable" if you are uncomfortable. If you decide to go, look first, both ways. You need to stay in control of the airplane.
 
No delay...don't lollygag, if you can't roll NOW then don't cross that line.

and the taxi at a brisk walk pace.... nobody really seems to know what that means....pretty much nobody. I reckon I've only seen it done by some really small stuff on very much unimproved grass strips.....oh and there was a taxiway once that was pretty much a big chain of potholes. I forget where that was.... Folks would taxi at a walking pace on that one.
 
No delay means - go now and not wait. It doesn’t necessarily mean speed up per se but I’m sure that would help. . I would still look and be on the lookout when crossing any active runways
 
Basically, don’t sit there and fumble for the mic button.

Quickly clear both ways as you bring the throttle up enough to scoot and acknowledge as you go.

It’s always been true, but the recent airliner incidents make it clear you still need to be smarter than the cab.
 
SkyhawkJ said:
A little while afterwards I checked the regs and saw that you’re supposed to taxi at a speed like a “brisk walk”
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In what regulation did you find a "brisk walk"?

A brisk walk is very slow for a vehicle. Most of the time we taxi faster than a brisk walk.

"No delay" is not mentioned, in this context, in either the P/CG or AIM. It's plain English meaning is to keep moving at, at least, the normal taxi speed of the airplane you are operating. You can go a little faster than normal, but that is not required. Just don't delay.

I heard a story with a possible explanation of where the term "no faster than a brisk walk" originated. Pre-WWI, airplanes didn't have brakes, or at least not effective brakes. They'd use wing-walkers to help the airplane taxi in congested areas. If you taxied faster than a brisk walk you'd leave your wing-walkers behind.

(Anyone else hear 'Bad Chas' tell that story back in the 1980s?)
 
Related question - when arriving at a holding line that you were told to hold short, but it's not your departure runway, do you notify ground when you're holding short? Or do you just get there and await clearance?
At my home airport we do cross a (usually) inactive runway to get to the active, but I've personally never been asked to hold short of the inactive - just to cross it. And then when at the holding line of the active runway I switch to tower and tell them that I'm there.
 
If you taxied faster than a brisk walk you'd leave your wing-walkers Steering Gear and Brakes behind. Those wing walkers were not just out for a constitutional. They had a purpose.
 
Baked Potato said:
Related question - when arriving at a holding line that you were told to hold short, but it's not your departure runway, do you notify ground when you're holding short? Or do you just get there and await clearance?
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Normally, you just wait. The controller should know what they're doing. Occasionally they can forget. If it looks like they have, give them a call.
 
Larry in TN said:
I heard a story with a possible explanation of where the term "no faster than a brisk walk" originated. Pre-WWI, airplanes didn't have brakes, or at least not effective brakes. They'd use wing-walkers to help the airplane taxi in congested areas. If you taxied faster than a brisk walk you'd leave your wing-walkers behind.
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A CFI friend of mine was asked to be expert testimony in a case over a taxiing accident. Taxi speed was the primary disagreement, so he went digging for where taxi speed is in the regs. There are references to the brisk walk in lots of non-regulatory publications but the regs don't specify a speed other than not violating 91.13.

So he dug into it and after reaching out to the National Air and Space Museum's archivist, ended up talking to Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

The 'no faster than a brisk walk' comes from the Army Signal Corps flying manual, which also includes things like not wearing spurs when flying.
 
Taxiing at a brisk walk is a decent guideline for student pilots. Otherwise, set taxi speed for the situation. It might be reasonable to taxi at a toddler’s crawling pace on rough grass or a busy ramp, but on a 200 foot wide taxiway where you’ve got a mile and a half to go, something closer to Vr-5 is pretty okay.
 
About taxi speed - yeah, the "brisk walk" was what the US Air Force taught us. But I like what my chief pilot recommends: "Pretend your significant other is running alongside, and you don't want to leave them behind."
 
jbarrass said:
He doesn’t really care if you taxi fast, but he wants you to taxi now.
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That’s the confusion with issuing phraseology that isn’t defined though. Some might look at “no delay” as meaning, don’t delay the start of that action while others might look at it as the speed of the action. Just use “expedite” and be done with it.
 
A brisk walk is between 3mph and 4.5mph. That is too slow for most taxiing. You don't even need to go that slow when making turns.
 
Larry in TN said:
(Anyone else hear 'Bad Chas' tell that story back in the 1980s?)
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I have five of his cassette tapes. I love that he would use Jeff Cooper as a reference in his speech "Effective Mental Conditioning"
Need to digitize those things. Funny and informative.
 
Lon Stratton said:
I have five of his cassette tapes. I love that he would use Jeff Cooper as a reference in his speech "Effective Mental Conditioning"
Need to digitize those things. Funny and informative.
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I have digitized his Effective Mental Conditioning tape. Saw him live in ~1987.


And remember, "Because it's good for the motor!"
 
No Delay applies to more than just taxiing. A lot of pilots were taught (or developed this bad habit on their own) to position and hold on the runway while they make final adjustments to their flight instruments. I have seen them tie up an active runway for more than a minute after positioning on the numbers even when there are other airplanes in the traffic pattern. My instructors have counseled against this in favor of making those final adjustments in the runup area. The rule is take the runway and go promptly so that others are not inconvenienced by your actions.

Once I was entering the traffic pattern and a flight of two warbirds were at the stop bar. We talked on the radio and he said he would wait for me to land. I told him to go ahead as I had just entered downwind and figured he would be clear by the time I turned final. I didn't know he would tie up the runway for over 2 minutes just sitting there. I ended up doing a go around. Did I want to complain? Yes! Did I complain? No. He asked and I said yes, so the error in judgment is now on me, not him.
 
I always took "No Delay" instruction as I best be putting that instruction into motion as I key up the acknowledgement call.

Aviate, navigate, communicate applies here as well...not communicate, check navigation, flip to a clean page on the kneeboard, get you backup pen from the flight bag, look at approach plate, set heading bug, adjust headset volume, load next frequency, put phone in airplane mode, adjust seat, make sure the bag of cookies are within reach...then start the taxi roll.

No delay is also the controller doing you a favor if you can move quick otherwise just say "unable" and be prepared to wait.
 
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