Training and Safety Tip: Easy on the brakes
Heels down for the win
When you’re taxiing, there’s a lot to look out for: birds, other aircraft, service vehicles, foreign objects, signage, the windsock, the direction you’re traveling.
You’re thinking about the flight ahead or the one you just completed. Your attention is mostly outside, because awareness of your surroundings is key. The last thing you want is to bend metal on the ground, right?
The most logical thing, you tell yourself, is to do both at the same time.
I’ll admit, I used to be the queen of brake-riding. Instead of keeping my heels on the cockpit floor and steering on the ground by tapping the lower part of the rudder pedals, my feet somehow automatically slid up to put pressure on the brakes, despite the fact that my hand was nudging the throttle.
Today, a quarter-century later, I can still hear my flight instructor’s desperate pleas: “Heels on the floor!” It took a long time for me to become comfortable with my taxi speed without riding the brakes the whole way.
So how do you find that sweet-spot taxi speed that’s not too fast and not too slow?
It depends, because it’s not a set number—it’s a feeling.
The most important thing to remember is that you are pilot in command, and only you can determine the speed at which you are relaxed and confident you can maintain full control of the aircraft. A rough guide for a single-engine piston could be: On a dry taxiway, traveling in a straight line, with no wind, target somewhere around jogging speed, up to about 10 knots. Before turning a corner, reduce that to walking speed or even slower if the turn is sharp. It’s also a good idea to slow down before crossing an intersection, traveling past construction, or taxiing through areas with personnel and equipment.
Clearly, if the surface is wet and/or icy, you’ll have to reduce that speed further because braking is less effective in those conditions.
When in doubt, err on the side of a leisurely stroll—defensive taxiing is always the safer bet. If you have to, pull the throttle to idle, come to a complete stop, put your heels on the floor consciously, deliberately and firmly, and try again.
Remember, power and braking is an either-or proposition, never both. Ease off the throttle before you get on the brakes; heels on the floor and release the brakes before you throttle up.
Your airplane’s brake pads and your flight instructor will be eternally grateful.
