Taxi Practice

Steering With Your Feet

On the ground the yoke barely matters — your feet do the steering. Let's meet the parts you'll use.

Rudder Pedals

On the ground these turn the nosewheel. Press the left pedal to go left, the right pedal to go right. Hands stay light on the yoke.

Toe Brakes

The brakes are at the top of the rudder pedals. Press with your toes to slow down or stop. Press both evenly for a smooth stop.

Hold Short Line

A pair of solid and dashed yellow lines before a runway. You must stop here and never cross onto a runway without permission.

The yellow line down the middle of the taxiway is called the centerline — pilots try to keep the nosewheel right on it. Feet steer on the ground; hands steer in the air.

Instructor Setup

Start the Cessna 172 G1000 running on the ramp with the avionics on and the parking brake set, a clear taxi route to the runway loaded. Plan about 20 minutes. Brief the student that steering is done with the feet today.

Session Flow

1. Feet on the pedals (3 min). Show how the pedals steer the nosewheel and where the brakes are.
2. Moving off and brake check (4 min). Release the brake, add a small amount of throttle to roll, and check the brakes within the first few feet.
3. Steering practice (6 min). Have the student make gentle left and right turns and hold the centerline.
4. Taxi to the runway (5 min). Follow the yellow line to the hold short line.
5. Stop and wrap (2 min). Stop at the hold short line; recap and preview "Wind on the Ground."

Keep taxi speed low — a slow walking pace. The goal is smooth steering and a clean stop at the hold short line.

Debrief

Confirm the student steers with the pedals and stops correctly before moving on.

• Used a small amount of power to start and keep rolling
• Steered with the rudder pedals, keeping near the centerline
• Stopped smoothly using the toe brakes and did a brake check
• Stopped at the hold short line without crossing it

Next Lesson

Next up is "Wind on the Ground" (K06): positioning the yoke into the wind while taxiing so the wind can't lift a wing. If holding the centerline was tricky today, spend the first two minutes of K06 taxiing a straight line before adding wind.

Skills You'll Work On

These are the maneuvers and procedures covered in this lesson. Your instructor tracks each one as you progress.

• Taxiing Crosswind & Taxi Checks
• Before Takeoff Check
• Radio Communications

Grades reflect what was covered in this lesson, not a certification of pilot competency.

Lesson Plan

Where this fits: Second of three sessions drawn from PPL Lesson 2, "Taxiing." This session covers nosewheel steering and braking on the ground; K04 was the engine start and K06 adds wind correction.

Prerequisite

K04 — Start the Engine (engine running with avionics on).

Materials

C172 G1000 simulator running on the ramp, airport taxi diagram, headset.

Goal for this session

Student can taxi along the centerline using the rudder pedals, brake smoothly, and stop at the hold short line.

Looking Ahead

• K06 — Wind on the Ground: positioning the controls for the wind while taxiing.
• K07 — Going Up!: the first takeoff and climb.