Taxiing at Towered Airports

Did you feel uneasy, uncomfortable, or perhaps even lost while taxiing among the dizzying array of signs and markings that can be found at towered airports?

Even veteran pilots agree that taxiing at busy airports demands as much attention as the flight portion of a trip. "It's important to remember to keep 'flying' the airplane until you turn off the engine," notes Todd Hickin, a 12,000-hour captain with PSA Airlines. "Taxi mishaps can be avoided by being knowledgeable about the airport and taxiway layouts, including any known closures; slowing down, especially during times of reduced visibility; paying close attention to the directions that ATC provides; and seeking their assistance whenever you are confused about a clearance." Hickin also reminds us that the difference between a relatively new pilot and the veteran captain is that the professional pilot studies and reviews the airport diagram, and considers and anticipates options that be might experienced before takeoff and/or after landing. "Preparation and knowledge are key elements of success," he says.

Online taxi resources Taxi scenarios you can practice AOPA Air Safety Foundation's free Runway Safety interactive online course ASF Runway Safety flash cards ASF Operations at Towered Airports FAA runway safety resources

Taxiing will be easier if you break it down into two principal preparation areas: tasks for you to accomplish at home before your flight into Class B, C, or D airports, and tasks that you can complete at the airport in preparation for a departure from a Class B, C, or D airport.

Tasks before the flight

You can do at least three things before a flight into Class B, C, or D airspace that will assist you considerably: reviewing print and video material, accessing Internet resources, and visiting a control tower.

Reviewing print and video material. You can use these materials to expand or refresh your knowledge, and to practice real-world scenarios. Five key resources are the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), airport diagrams, the Airport/Facilities Directory (A/FD), notices to airmen (notams), and CD and DVD training aids.

Review the AIM. A current AIM is an essential resource for airport signage and procedure review. Studying the AIM will help to ensure that you understand runway, taxiway, and vehicular traffic markings. Consulting the AIM, especially sections 4-3-18 (Taxiing), 4-3-19 (Taxi During Low Visibility), and 4-3-20 (Exiting the Runway After Landing), will give you perspective on your role as pilot in command (PIC) during the taxi phase.

As a pilot, you need to know that the FAA specifies the exact sequence in which taxi clearances are issued. That is, air traffic control (ATC) will state the runway to which you'll be directed to taxi ("November Eight-One-Two-One-Kilo, taxi to Runway 9..."), issue taxi instructions ("via Kilo, Whiskey, and Sierra..."), followed by any required hold short instructions ("hold short of Runway 4L"). If you know this sequence--and more important, practice writing it--you'll be prepared to decode what could otherwise be a complicated taxi clearance.

Airport diagrams. Obtain printed taxi diagrams for every airport you plan to visit on a trip. Check your A/FD or go online; the FAA and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation offer free downloadable taxi diagrams for almost every towered airport. They're also available with instrument approach charts or from the Jeppesen charting service. Then give yourself a simulated taxi problem to solve. Visualize that you are at a specific location on the airport, and assume that you've been cleared to taxi to various runways--after all, winds can change, and you may not know which runway will be active until the last minute.

Be sure you understand airport signage and runway markings before you visit a busy airport. Don't forget to ask for progressive taxi instructions if you have any uncertainty.

Airport diagrams can be found in the A/FD (above) or online. Have one with you in the aircraft (below).

In thinking about each taxi situation, recall the specific language in the AIM on taxiing: "When ATC clears an aircraft to 'taxi to' an assigned takeoff runway, the absence of holding instructions authorizes the aircraft to 'cross' all runways which the taxi route intersects except the assigned takeoff runway. It does not include authorization to 'taxi onto' or 'cross' the assigned takeoff runway at any point" (AIM, section 4-3-18[a][5], italics added for emphasis).

To continue simulated practice you can switch to another airport. Trace possible routes with a highlighter, perhaps using different colors if there are options. Verbalize what to do if an additional "hold short" instruction was issued.

The Airport/Facility Directory and notams. Other print sources to check are the current A/FD and notam publications. They provide up-to-date information on taxiways that might be closed or partially closed, or where construction or other obstacles might affect ground movement. Notams would also state if taxiway or runway lights are inoperable--a good piece of information to know for a night or early-morning flight.

CD, DVD, and online training aids. In an era of high-tech computer applications and software, it is not surprising to find that CDs, DVDs, and online video aids provide graphic illustrations, animations, PowerPoint presentations, and even quizzes that you can access to learn how to taxi more effectively at complex airports. For instance, the FAA's Office of Runway Safety has produced a DVD titled Listen Up, Read Back, and Fly Right, which can be ordered from an FAA Web site that offers a variety of other materials and links to other resources. High-quality commercial products are available from King Schools and Sporty's Pilot Shop. And the AOPA Air Safety Foundation offers a free online course. An excellent resource for new or veteran pilots, its graphics, animations, and reviews provide functional examples of a full range of taxi procedures.

Accessing the Internet. In addition to its interactive online course, the Air Safety Foundation offers downloadable flash cards that show various taxiway markings and explain they mean. Review these cards until mastery has been achieved (100 percent correct three times in a row). Don't miss the Operations at Towered Airports Safety Advisor. Both can be found on the site's Safety Publications link.

LiveATC provides, among other transmissions, live communications between pilots and ground and tower controllers at airports around the country and the world. It also has an archive of past ATC communications. With an airport diagram in hand, listen to how the tower or ground controller directs the pilot, both after airplanes land and before they take off. If possible, listen to airports in your area or those that you might visit. Repeatedly listening to communications will provide you important information on how tower and ground controllers route surface traffic, especially given changing weather and field conditions.

Listening to any high-activity facility will help you learn the cadence and sequence with which instructions to taxi are provided. Then practice. For instance, while listening to Boston ground control, you might hear a tower controller say, "Jet Blue, taxi to Runway 9 via Kilo, Whiskey, Sierra, hold short of 4L." Pretend you are that Jet Blue pilot and execute the taxi route that you would take by highlighting it on an airport diagram.

Finally, when you travel to a Class B, C, or D airport that is serviced by LiveATC, you can later retrieve your own transmissions using the archive feature, listen to your requests and the controller's response, and evaluate your performance.

AirNav. From the airport information page, click on Terra Server or Virtual Earth for satellite photos. Zoom in to see at the taxiway level, and see more detail--actual tire marks!--than you would see with a standard black-and-white airport diagram. One caution: Some of the aerial images may be far from current.

Advisory circulars. Together with your flight instructor, review pertinent advisory circulars that address pertinent airport markings and related taxi procedures, especially those requiring single-pilot operations. For instance, AC 91-73A relates to "Single-Pilot Procedures during Taxi Operations" for Part 91 and Part 135 pilots. It can be found on the FAA Web site or AOPA Online.

Visiting a tower. Make the effort to visit a control tower. You may need to make special arrangements to do so. Still, if you are able to visit, bring a current airport diagram so that you can follow how aircraft are being routed while the ground or tower controller directs departing and arriving aircraft. Pick sample arrivals or departures, imagine that you are the pilot about to taxi or the pilot who just landed, and anticipate what the controller might say to direct the pilot to the active runway, the gate, or the a fixed-based operator. Also, as the controller's time permits, ask him or her how you might best be successful when taxiing.

Tasks before takeoff

Now you're at a towered airport and getting ready to start your own trip. While parked and preparing to taxi, answer these questions and/or complete the following tasks:

• Get the big picture. With airport diagram in hand, determine where you are on the airport. Where's the tower? Where's the current active runway? How are you oriented toward the active runway?
• Conduct a visual check. Where are other general aviation or corporate airplanes being routed? Watch them as they taxi. It is quite possible that you will be assigned the same taxi routing. Anticipate how the ground controller might handle your request to taxi to the active runway.
• Listen. Tune in ground control for a few minutes on a handheld receiver or your aircraft radio. This serves as an advanced organizer, especially if there is any construction that might alter an "obvious" route to the active runway. Listen for other aircraft, where they are on the field, and begin to form a picture of where a potential conflict might exist.
• Diagram in hand. Ensure that you have a detailed airport diagram on the kneeboard to trace your taxi routing once it is received. Having an enlarged copy might make the difference when negotiating multiple crossing taxiways and/or runways.
• Read back. Once the taxi instructions are provided, make sure that you've copied it as best you can before reading back the clearance. Also, give yourself a moment to digest the instructions before reading them back.
• Progressive taxi. Either before you begin to taxi, or at any point along the taxi route that you are unsure of the clearance, request a progressive taxi. Ground controllers will gladly lead you, step by step, to the departure runway or to the ramp after landing. When in doubt, stop.
• Expect the unexpected. You need to be ready for changes. Occasionally, a ground controller will reroute a taxiing aircraft because of an unexpected change--maybe the active runway has changed, or a departing airplane needs to return to the gate.

As with any skill, it takes practice and feedback to gain proficiency. Initial practice flights to these airports might be planned for off-peak hours or with an instructor to help you gain confidence. Once you have some experience, flights during busier times of the day (or at night) might be slated. "Start with a nearby Class D airport, preferably flying there during a slower time. Fly with an instructor. Once you are comfortable, go back to that same airport solo at least two or three more times until you feel very comfortable alone," advises Candi Roby, chief flight instructor at The Ohio State University's Flight Education Department. "Repeat the process with Class C, and then finally, Class B operations."

Procedurally, it is important to know your heading at each phase of the taxi sequence. Doing so will help you to avoid inadvertently taxiing onto the wrong taxiway--or, worse, the wrong runway. If at any point in the taxi sequence the heading does not match your expectation, verify your position and taxi route with ATC.

Taxiing at busier airports requires situational awareness, knowledge of the airport layout and your destination once you landed (there may be more than one FBO), good radio communication skills, awareness of the position of other aircraft on taxiways, cockpit discipline, and repeated practice. These guidelines, and practice, will help you to fly to towered airports with the confidence of a veteran.

Timothy E. Heron, a retired professor of special education and a pilot since 1970, is a part-time flight instructor at Ohio State University. Edward A. Hardick is director of marketing and product support for Talon Systems and a part-time instructor at Ohio State University. He has been flying since 1994.