spanish taxiing-bad or good?

[lambo_guy08]

If I am flying to Spain I will often use either BA or easyJet, but once I had to get a connecting flight from Barajas to Granada with Iberia (spains national airline). After we had landed I noticed that we taxied really fast along the grey tarmac and at one point the A320 had to use reverse thrust and speed brakes to stop in time not to hit an easyJet also going to a gate. It is not the first time i have been on iberia and i have noticed that on take off, the aircraft was halfway into turning onto the runway when they applied full throttle and and by the time the aircraft (MD-87) had straightened out with the runway must have been doing at least 35-45 knots-can anyone tell me why spanish pilots do this?:confused:

[MrSoft]

Hi Lambo, ahem, you may want to don el Tin Hat with a post like this...

Seen similar at Paris CDG where taxiways onto the rwy are designed for fast access. Nothing necessarily odd about it. They may have expedited takeoff because ATC asked them to.

Ditto the fast taxi to gate, although I never saw reversers deployed for that. Are you sure sure?

Anyway I'm not able to provide the expert comment you seek, but wish you well :uhoh:

[malagajohn]

A mate tells me is that the old brigade are all x Air Force , so they taxi in the same way the taxied military equipment

Not sure if its true but sounds good .......

[Contacttower]

Ditto the fast taxi to gate, although I never saw reversers deployed for that. Are you sure sure?



I can't comment on Spanish airliners specifically but I have seen aircraft use reverse thrust when taxiing and yes it is a little naughty. :=

[Bealzebub]

The speed at which an aircraft ( whatever the nationality of the pilots ) moves on the ground is dependant on a number of factors. For example an aircraft that is backtracking on a runway, or taxiing on a runway may well do so at a higher speed than if it were doing so on a taxiway. It may be required by ATC to expedite for any number of reasons. However just like driving a car, the operation should be done at a speed that is sensible in the circumstances and commensurate with the safety and operational standards that are laid down by the manufacturer, the regulators and the airline. The Captain is tasked with ensuring that these requirements are complied with.

Broadly speaking, where other traffic is not a restricting consideration then 20kts on a standard taxiway, up to 30 kts on a runway, up to 10kts when cornering on a dry taxiway, might be considered sensible upper end taxiing speeds. However circumstances may well lead a Captain to conclude that more restrictive speeds and occaisionally less restrictive speeds are appropriate for a particular airport on a given day ?

Lambo, I appreciate this is your first posting and clearly you have little relevant experience, but "taxiing along the grey tarmac" is not very meaningful, other than to imply that you clearly were not taxiing on the grass ! The runway, the taxiway or the apron may all be "grey tarmac" ? An A320 ( or any other jetliner) would not realistically use "reverse thrust and speed brakes" to "stop in time and avoid hitting an easyjet going to the gate".

Reverse thrust is an effective (although not essential) retarding aid at high speeds (those encountered just after touchdown), but much less so at normal or even higher than normal taxi speeds. The wheel brakes are the most effective retarding devices and unlike the thrust reversers (which have an operating time delay) are instantly effective.

Likewise the case with the "speedbrakes" which although confusing to the uninformed, are actually spoilers or lift dumping devices. In the air the effect can indeed be to reduce the speed of the aircraft, however on the ground they are used (again after landing) to dump the lift created by the wing on to the main wheels and thereby make the wheel braking more effective. At slow speeds or while taxiing the operation would be negligable and effectively pointless.

Sometimes reversers may be deployed while taxiing, in order to cycle a reverser that has not stowed properly or operated as it should have done, and that might be one reason why you have seen one operated on the ground. The same is true of the speedbrakes (or spoilers), they may be cycled or operated whilst taxiing in order to stow them or check an abnormal operation ? If a reverser is cycled it would in some cases cause the spoilers to automatically deploy.

Although a lot of your assumptions are patently wrong , it is certainly the case that a few examples of the speed aircraft taxy at, are cause for comment. Fast taxiing is like fast driving, in that it is not always wise. I suspect that the unrealistic time pressures that some operators apply to their crews in order to derive a commercial advantage, do increase the temptation to narrow some of the safety margins, and whilst I do not in any way condone that, it could be argued that if you want to pay "two shillings and sixpence" for your flight, you have accepted that marginally increased risk ?

At the end of the day everything is recorded and if you have a complaint then make it to the relevant party. However to make an assumption of "Spanish pilots" on the basis of your observations from one flight is ill informed and wrong.

Postscript
Lambo, my apologies as I have just noticed your age is 13, and if I had noticed that at the start of this reply some of my comments would have been less barbed. If it is any consolation your style of writing led me to believe you were much older. Rather than edit out the bulk of the reply which I stand by, just ignore the rest. :O

[TightSlot]

Not "barbed" - all good stuff.

PPRuNe at its' best, doing what it should do - Thanks!!!

:D

[MrSoft]

Shucks Lamboguy I missed your age too. Nice post, keep on asking.

Apparently the Iberia drivers are hurrying to avoid the de-icing equipment :E.