A plea for sensible taxiing speed at Essendon
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A plea for sensible taxiing speed at Essendon
OK, this is trivial - but not when it costs money from other people's pocket.
Thus:
Memo to Head Honcho, instructors and students of Oxford Air Training at Moorabbin. Cc Essendon ATC.
Scene: Wed 3 March, a Warrior of above flying training organisation lands Essendon 26 and is cleared to taxi via parallel taxiway all the way to holding bay for departure Runway 17. No doubt humming a little tune like Winnie The Pooh, the pilot(s) dawdle all the way at barely walking speed quite oblivious to others forced to crawl him behind at four bucks a miniute not including GST. ATC would have been blind to not have seen this and I would have thought could have asked the Oxford Air Training pilot to move it along a bit. But ATC said nothing probably thinking it wasn't their problem. If it was a Global Express up the chuff of the Warrior, I am sure ATC would have told the Warrior to move aside or go faster.
Essendon is a favourite visiting place for Moorabbin based flying schools and it behoves the management and pilots of that august establishment to ensure their instructors and solo students taxi sensibly at Essendon, not crawl along like a one wing fly with half it's legs missing. No wonder these aircraft are banned from Tullamarine.
By the time the students of that flying school have reached the stage of navigation training, they should know the etiquette of taxiing at a sensible speed. Too fast is potentially dangerous, and taxiing too slow is just plain bad manners and expensive to those forced to be behind them on a taxiway. In other words by the time these chappies get to do navs into Essendon they should know how to taxi a Warrior I hope.
Your future cooperation in this regard at Essendon would be greatly appreciated.
Thus:
Memo to Head Honcho, instructors and students of Oxford Air Training at Moorabbin. Cc Essendon ATC.
Scene: Wed 3 March, a Warrior of above flying training organisation lands Essendon 26 and is cleared to taxi via parallel taxiway all the way to holding bay for departure Runway 17. No doubt humming a little tune like Winnie The Pooh, the pilot(s) dawdle all the way at barely walking speed quite oblivious to others forced to crawl him behind at four bucks a miniute not including GST. ATC would have been blind to not have seen this and I would have thought could have asked the Oxford Air Training pilot to move it along a bit. But ATC said nothing probably thinking it wasn't their problem. If it was a Global Express up the chuff of the Warrior, I am sure ATC would have told the Warrior to move aside or go faster.
Essendon is a favourite visiting place for Moorabbin based flying schools and it behoves the management and pilots of that august establishment to ensure their instructors and solo students taxi sensibly at Essendon, not crawl along like a one wing fly with half it's legs missing. No wonder these aircraft are banned from Tullamarine.
By the time the students of that flying school have reached the stage of navigation training, they should know the etiquette of taxiing at a sensible speed. Too fast is potentially dangerous, and taxiing too slow is just plain bad manners and expensive to those forced to be behind them on a taxiway. In other words by the time these chappies get to do navs into Essendon they should know how to taxi a Warrior I hope.
Your future cooperation in this regard at Essendon would be greatly appreciated.
Taxi speed should be at walking pace
When was the last time you had someone actually walking beside your aircraft as you taxied?
Quite amusing that you've named Oxford Air Training as the culprit, when said flying organisation doesn't (and I don't think ever has) operated Warriors...
Perhaps MFS is the one you meant...
Perhaps MFS is the one you meant...
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Don't work for Oxford, but before you post, get your facts right first buddy!
Oxford haven't had Warriors for a long time - prob since mid 90's.
Please don't have a go at other people's taxi speed. Walking pace or fast walking pace is fine.
I fly with the RFDS and, even if we are Med 1, I have absolutely no issue following a slower than normal taxiing aircraft... especially if it's a training.
I remember coming to Essendon, many moons ago, on one of my PPL 2nd solo flights into Essendon - I was nervous as hell and was slow taxiing.
Oxford haven't had Warriors for a long time - prob since mid 90's.
Please don't have a go at other people's taxi speed. Walking pace or fast walking pace is fine.
I fly with the RFDS and, even if we are Med 1, I have absolutely no issue following a slower than normal taxiing aircraft... especially if it's a training.
I remember coming to Essendon, many moons ago, on one of my PPL 2nd solo flights into Essendon - I was nervous as hell and was slow taxiing.
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Taxi speed should be at walking pace 
Horse**** - unless you're flying an SE5A or a Sopwith Camel we don't require ground crew to hold our wings any more
(said while still recognising the commitment made to Australia during war time and the skill and experiance brought in into the Australian civil aviation industry post war)
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Give the poor guy or girl ago. Remember we were all learning once. They are more than likely taxiing slow as they are trying to get their sh!t togther. Better to be organised on the ground then get airborne in controlled airspace and being behind the eight ball. Not everyone starts out as a pro!
During my commercial flight test the very senior ATO asked me why I was taxing so slow? I told him I was taught to taxi at a fast walking pace. He proceeded to explain to me that this was so my wing tip attendants could keep up, however as we didn't have any on this aircraft type there was no need to be taxing so slow. I felt a bit silly after that as it was a good point.
ATC won't normally get involved in Taxi speed issues with the exception of Medical or other priority flights. We don't tell you how to fly (or in this case taxi) your aircraft. 
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Isn't a safe taxi speed one where if the brakes fail you have sufficient 'space' to come to a stop? We've all had the 'fast walking pace' talk - during my CIR test the ATO said he couldn't stand people that taxi slow and to hurry up. Fair enough I thought!
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Don't work for Oxford, but before you post, get your facts right first buddy!
Oxford haven't had Warriors for a long time - prob since mid 90's.
Oxford haven't had Warriors for a long time - prob since mid 90's.
A "safe" taxiing speed at YMEN is one where the nose gear isn't ripped out when you hit a centreline marker.
I sympathise with all concerned because the distances involved seem a lot longer than YMMB and YPCK.
I sympathise with all concerned because the distances involved seem a lot longer than YMMB and YPCK.
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Seriously, at 4 bucks a minute you must be driving a 172 from Moorabbin or something small. Take a thought for those behind you that are driving twin PT 6's behind you!
Get over it, it's all hours in your log book!
Get over it, it's all hours in your log book!
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I know this doesn't always apply but at EN when its 26 for arr 17 for deps just request a runway 17 backtrack. EN tower/ground are always happy to oblige for the bigger stuff.
10 knots down the straight and 5 around corners is reasonable these days. The gear won't collapse. For those who can't judge 10 knots, buy a GPS. Walking pace went out when tail skids got replaced with brakes. When brakes fail (about once in your entire lifetime if you are unlucky) the grass is a great stopper.
Few if any would actually taxi at walking pace. That would make this particular taxi venture take several minutes to complete. So even though it probably felt slow it would have been more like a fast walk/jog. EN Twr are a great bunch of blokes/gals they always get the slow coaches to move along or move aside for us bigger thirstier beasts:-) A normally slowish taxi speed for me is around 10+kts (18+k's) (as per the little God send contraption GPS) & I often find it feels like I'm crawling! So walking speed is borderline stopped!
Taxi to suit the conditions but like the road bear in mind that even though planes don't have rear view mirrors there could be someone else behind getting frustrated if yr crawling.
Wmk2
Taxi to suit the conditions but like the road bear in mind that even though planes don't have rear view mirrors there could be someone else behind getting frustrated if yr crawling.
Wmk2