Taxi at 7 knots ground speed? We are all going to die...!!!!!

Zeldman

Zeldman

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Billy
Ok, raise your hands. How many people still believe that you should never taxi faster than a man can walk at all times?

Ok, understandably there are times when taxiing should be slow and carefully done, such as parking in a tie down spot or taxiing between two rows of planes, or two rows of hangers where you can't see around the corner and such. But on a long taxi way to the departure point it is allowable to go faster than a man can walk.
 
You get hung up behind someone that believes that? I taxi at just above idle most times and have to tap the brakes to slow it down. I don't like to taxi in 105 degree temps, especially slow. I want to get back to the hangar so I can get out.
 
Taxi speed selected depends on the surface and surroundings...
 
Depends, taxing down a runway or super large taxiway, I've hit 20kts, all the way down to crawl with spotters on each wing.

Just a matter of where you're taxiing and conditions, snow or sand covered runway, lots of planes, deer around, might want to slow down, bunch of biz jets and a Boeing behind you at a international, through some coal on it.
 
I was on a commercial ride last week and after a left turn out on the taxiway at LAX, we taxied at what I'd estimate was 35 miles an hour. We were passing the luggage tugs!


But no, I taxi at whatever speed I want. Even at idle, I'm faster than walking speed.
 
A while back I saw a guy going so fast, that I thought he was going to take off from the taxiway. He ended up slowing down a bit at the end, but only enough to turn the corner onto the runway and then full throttle it for takeoff without stopping.
 
Challenged said:
A while back I saw a guy going so fast, that I thought he was going to take off from the taxiway. He ended up slowing down a bit at the end, but only enough to turn the corner onto the runway and then full throttle it for takeoff without stopping.
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I saw someone do that at Gastons with a hard lemonade in their hand. It was very impressive.... He didn't spill a drop!
 
I taxi with the tail up, whatever that speed is. By the way, what are knots, something you find in your shoe laces?
 
Zeldman said:
Fair enough, I should have mentioned dry pavement and towered airport.
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There's a guy at the home 'drome who taxis just a bit fast. His aircraft has a castoring nose wheel that is cantilever mounted. Unfortunately there are some large cracks in the taxiways which have been poorly repaired. The combination of all three things leads to an ugly picture when he drives by...that front wheel bounces around pretty good.
 
On Southwest Airlines -- especially at PHX -- the taxi to the gate is more thrilling than the flight. I think I've ridden through some 90-degree taxi turns at what would be flying speeds in my 172.

:eek:
 
Never taxi faster than a man can walk? What is this 1920?

Regulations-For-The-Operation-of-Aircraft.jpg
 
Unit74 said:
I saw someone do that at Gastons with a hard lemonade in their hand. It was very impressive.... He didn't spill a drop!
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And the added power slide to line up with the runway was a nice added effect.
 
I taxi pretty fast as a rule. Guess I won't admit how fast if 7 kts is fast. Pretty sure you couldn't keep up running as hard as you can though. Does depend on lots of conditions though. If the runway is 13000 ft like home airport. If it's hot I don't want to dally. If it's cold I want to give engine time to warm nicely.
 
I didn't taxi fast in my 182, but the Rotax I fly behind now isn't happy below about 1800 RPM, which equates to a faster taxi. I have to touch the brakes often, especially downhill, to keep taxi speed down. BTW, my original CFI told me more than once "don't taxi faster than you can walk." It still rings through my head when I taxi fast in my LSA, so I can't escape feeling like I'm breaking some sort of rule or code when I taxi fast.
 
I never teach students to taxi at a walking speed. Taxi at a slow enough speed so that you could stop in the remaining taxiway without brakes if you had a brake failure.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Never taxi faster than a man can walk? What is this 1920?
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I'm sure Aggiemike saw rule 21 and just sheeeet himself......he's be flying in violation all these years. I'm calling da Fizdoe on him!
 
Walking speed us more like 3 knots, so 20 minutes to taxi a long runway, I'm pretty sure you'll be called out by ground control at that speed.
 
Today I taxied in at 1000 RPM, the GPS said 14 knots. Coming up on a turn, I pulled back to 700 RPM, but it read 17 knots! Guess that's why I never bother checking speed in the ground, I just wing it and use the tach and brakes for turns. I only noticed it today because I was watching the distance readout to see where in the field the GPS measures distance to.
 
When you're getting paid for the time the engine is running, I dont mind taxiing at the slowest possible speed and never complain about being number 5 or 6 in line for T/O
 
We don't have parallel taxiways at my home field (rural), so we have to back-taxi on the runway. Therefore, I generally taxi pretty darn fast to minimize the amount of time I'm on the runway. At other fields, with taxiways the length of the runway and in good condition, I don't mind taxiing around 20 mph. No clue how that equates to those knot thingies some other pilots have been talking about. I guess they hang a knotted rope out the door to figure speed somehow? o_O
 
Is the plane a rental? Taxi at almost takeoff speed....
 
If it's tailwheel (which is a must) It depends on wind and wind direction. If I'm facing directly into the wind, or its calm, I dont mind going faster. With a tailwind I'm usually pretty slow, but if I taxi fast enough it becomes a head wind! (IDEA) ;):idea:
 
My pet peave is a fast taxi on the ramp.... And those people often are taxiing diagonal across the ramp as well. That's really asking for trouble.
On the taxiway?? Taxiing fast is no a big deal to me, but staying on the yellow line is.
 
At KVLL if you taxi past the terminal building faster than 15 kts you can expect a talking-to from the guy in the office.
 
azure said:
At KVLL if you taxi past the terminal building faster than 15 kts you can expect a talking-to from the guy in the office.
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Why should I care? He's not a CFI I'm paying, nor is he PIC. I can talk on the radio, too. This is as bad as the pattern police and the guard nazis.
 
7 knots would mean it would take an HOUR to get between the two spots at IAD I was at the other day.
 
Hank S said:
Why should I care? He's not a CFI I'm paying, nor is he PIC. I can talk on the radio, too. This is as bad as the pattern police and the guard nazis.
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Umm... well, it all depends, if you're a transient, then I don't suppose you have any reason to care. I was based there.
 
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