I'm really bad at taxiing......

[UnAnswerd]

I have a massive 2.2 hours of total time thus far. I feel like I am starting to get the hang of basic flight maneuvers, but see no improvement in my ability to taxi the little Cherokee. I hate the fact that the left and right brakes are separately controlled. Everytime I try to bring the plane to a stop, the nose goes one way or the other, but never stays straight. I feel like I need constant input on both pedals when trying to keep the nose on the centerline. By far the worst thing for me is turning. I feel a major tendency to want to slow the plane before turning. The problem is that I don't know if I should be using the throttle to slow, using the brakes, or a combination of these. Trying to slow is the worst. Like I said, I just can't keep the nose pointed where it should be. My instructor further boosted my confidence by saying that in the winter, there will be ice and snowbanks near the taxiways, and I wont be able to use so much space while turning. Luckily, he said that next time we will spend additional time taxiing. Heaven knows I need it. Just wondering if anyone else ever had a more difficult time taxing than actually flying the plane???

 

[VNugget]

This is probably the 1000th time you have heard this, but don't worry it'll come with time. I bet it took you more than 5 minutes to learn how to walk or ride a bike, or drive a car.

Basically, don't worry.

 

[Joe Jet Pilot]

First Of All

Trust me you are not the first to experience this problem. Think about it, you are used to using your feet to control the throttle, and hands to control the steering. This is how we drive a car right. Trust me it will come to you. On day you will be out there and all of a sudden it will come to you and you will never look back. In the mean time, might I suggest that you take your left hand and put it under the left rear end cheek, so you won't be tempted to use it. Most people that I have instructed what to drive the airplane like a car, which is what you are trying to do, it is the natural reaction. Something you might try, have your instructor work the throttle for you while you take care of the steering for a couple of lessons. This way, all you have to worry about is steering.

Trust me in short order you will get the hang of it, all of us have been there and done that. Hang in there and don't give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[UnAnswerd]

Hey, thanks for the encouragement. Hopefully you guys will be right and I will eventually be able to taxi....without my instructors hand fixated on the parking brake!!!

 

[User546]

I do this with my students when they have difficulty taxiing and learning differential braking/turning, etc.

Find a large ramp area, or unused portion of your airfield that you can taxi to, and just practice making left turns, right turns, pick a line and go straight down it, etc. Its normally a lot less stressful place to learn (instead of leaning on taxiways and runways) and you got lots of room to mess up until you get the hang of it. After just a few minutes of that, my students usually have the hang of it.

And don't sweat it like the rest of them say, it'll all just click and "happen" one day. We all started that way!

 

[pilotyip]

Tc-690

Wait until you try to park a TC-690. At 10,000 hours I was not sure I could learn to taxi that airplane. I was guilty of the TC parking dance. Great airplane to fly, but a bear to taxi.

 

[be76pilot]

Don't worry about it. With enough practice taxiing, you will eventually find yourself driving down the yellow line in the middle of the road. Ooops!

 

[bobbysamd]

Taxiing

Be sure that you are not riding the brakes with your toes. Steer using the balls of your feet against the bottoms of the rudder pedals. You are overcontrolling, which is a very common error while learning to taxi. Just as with other parts of flying, where overcontrolling gets you in trouble, using small amounts of control input is key to taxiing. When coming to stop, be sure that power is at idle and just slide your feet up to the tips of the rudder pedals and apply equal pressure on the brakes.

You mentioned that you found you must keep inputting rudder pedal to keep the airplane on straight path. That's part of taxiiing, but, again, just be sure you are not riding the brakes, which, again, might be making you overcontrol.

Don't taxi too fast. Your instructor should be getting on you for that if you are. Airplanes are not ground vehicles. You should taxi no faster than a fast walk.

Hope these tips help. Good luck with your training. With a grand total of 2.2 hours, which is really the total of two flights, you are likely doing just fine.

 

[Jester119]

Taxi

If your flying a cherokee well the thing I teach my students is too keep ur right leg on the yellow , also can use the flap handle bar aswell for ref.

 

[flyer172r]

If you need to slow down bring the throttle to idle first, then use the brakes if you need to. This saves unnecessary wear and tear on the brakes. You may want to try what was once described to me as the "happy feet" method. Basically you keep constant pressure on both rudder pedals (but not on the brakes) and when you need to turn apply more pressure to that side. It should feel like your feet are constantly pushing against each other.