Do they drive like this?

Head bobbing all the way to the runway and gate

Professional piloting does not stop when the wheels touch down. Often you can tell a lot about a pilot by the way he or she taxies the airplane. On a flight to commute home one day, I had the displeasure of experiencing a long taxi to the runway with a brake-dancing captain. I had just finished a 14-hour duty day and was hoping to catch a nap on the flight home. After the flight attendants had finished all of their preflight announcements, I popped in the earplugs and closed my eyes.

Unfortunately, every time the airplane stopped, my head bobbed forward and then snapped back against the headrest. My head and the 35 others on board that night bobbed back and forth probably dozens of times as we inched our way to the runway in a line of more than 20 airplanes. I knew exactly what was going on. As the airplane slowed to a stop, the captain failed to ease off the brakes, causing the airplane to stop abruptly and then recoil backwards.

Besides the head bobbing to keep me awake, I thought, Does this pilot drive this way? To add to the experience, following each stop was an overpowered whoosh as this captain added more power than necessary to get the airplane rolling again. Not only is this motion is unpleasant, it also burns more fuel and blasts the airplane behind. The amount of thrust this pilot was using would likely toss a Cessna over if it were following close.

In flight, everything was great from what I could tell in the back. I even managed a bit of sleep, but after landing, the lurching began again—with the added chatter of hot brakes to add to the fun. No doubt this pilot was talented enough to make it to the rank of captain, but I had to wonder if his taxiing technique was of any issue during training or the multiple checkrides required to reach that level of his career. Or, perhaps, he just didn’t care about smooth taxiing. Since I was bumming a ride home, I politely thanked the pilot for getting me there in one piece and went on my way.

Professional piloting, even in the beginning of flight training, involves smooth yet commanding control of the airplane from preflight to postflight. During the walkaround, does the pilot hurry through the process, slamming the flight controls hard against the stops? During engine start, does the pilot use too much throttle, causing the engine to roar to life and fight against the brakes, while blowing a gale on everything behind it? Nearly every stage of a flight can be performed either ham-handedly or smoothly with finesse. Do you think the examiner will gloss over that botched holding- pattern entry if you manhandle the airplane on the ground?

Use minimum power to get the airplane rolling. Often, a smooth application of a hundred rpm or so will get the beast rolling. Sometimes it takes a few seconds, but when the airplane starts rolling, you and your passengers likely won’t even feel it.

Years ago as a charter pilot, I was waiting for my passengers at the FBO at a busy airport. On the ramp was my Beechcraft Baron 58, parked tail to tail with a Cessna Citation. The Citation crew got its litter of passengers before me and started up. Apparently clueless of what was behind them, the pilot decided to taxi out on one engine, which requires a tremendous amount of thrust. I stood at the door of the FBO watching as the Baron was literally hopping in its parking space. The airplane was bouncing so violently that the main cabin door flung open and embedded itself into the right nacelle. Were it not for the nacelle, the door would have ended up in the next county. Luckily, I had installed the flight-control gust locks, saving further damage to wthe airplane.

While taxiing, use minimum power to save fuel and wear on brakes. Some years ago, Cirrus airplanes were having trouble with brake fires, partly because pilots were constantly dragging the brakes while taxiing with too much power. Do you drive with your foot depressing the brake and gas pedal at the same time? Granted, Cirrus airplanes use differential braking to steer, so brake life in those airplanes will be less than in those with steering linkages. But asking the brakes to bring the airplane to a halt after landing and then dragging them all the way back to the hangar while carrying too much power is asking a lot from those little pucks.

Keep that centerline under the nose, using smooth movements to get back to it if you drift off. One of my instructors was a designated pilot examiner as well, and one of his peeves was pilots who ignored the runway and taxiway centerlines. Sure, we fly small airplanes whose wingspans don’t even get near the edge of a 100-foot-wide runway, but someday you might fly something much larger. So if you’re prone to seeing the centerline out your side window, it’s time to break the habit.

Another move I try to avoid is stopping close behind another airplane, especially if it’s a bigger airplane. This will minimize the blast from a throttle jockey ahead of you—and you and your passengers don’t have to smell their exhaust.