Subscriber question:
"New pilot here and I’m getting contradictory and confusing advice on how fast to taxi. What do you recommend?" — Nancy M.
David:
“Don’t feel bad. You’re most definitely not alone. My airplane is an Ex-Chinese Air Force trainer, and the translated version of the Chinese Air Force Flight Manual specifies that the taxi speed should be the same as the double-quick marching pace for a Chinese Liberation Army cadet. That’s not very helpful. I have no idea how fast the Chinese army marches, and it’s also unhelpful because it specifies only one taxi speed.
The ‘right’ taxi speed is the one appropriate to the conditions taking into account the wind, the taxiway surface and width, and the presence of other aircraft. Slow down on those windy days especially when turning. The rougher or more uneven the taxiway surface, the slower you should go. Slow down if you have to pass close to another airplane. However, when conditions are ideal, speed up.
The taxi speed on my last few flights varied from less than 5 knots to over 25. The low end was used when making a turn out of the wind on a seriously windy day. The fast speed was to help a ground controller avoid congestion around a runway intersection, on a perfectly straight, smooth, wide taxiway, on a calm wind day. And was only used briefly.
Some folks say to monitor your groundspeed on GPS, but I don’t agree with this advice. You should be heads-up with your eyes focused outside the airplane while taxiing. If you must check the GPS, ask yourself what speed you expect to see before you look and see how close you were. This will train your speed sense and soon you won’t need to check the GPS. Your eyes will have already told you how fast you’re going.”
Ever feel intimidated by taxi communications a towered airport? Here’s a simple guide from VFR Communications: A Pilot-Friendly Manual.
How appropriate do you find the taxi speeds of other pilots?