Taxiing incident-What was done wrong here

[18-Wheeler]

Wow, thanks for that!

Yes I quit AAI in late 2007 as I was worried they were going to fold in the not too distant future so I decided to get out while I had control over it. I quite enjoyed being there but I also needed a job much closer to home so I could keep an eye on my ageing father (28 years in TAA, ex-727 Captain).
Got a job with QF as an A330 sim instructor but didn't finish the course as I as based in Sydney and decided again that I needed to be right at home to look after him. The only thing I could get in any reasonable time was a return to my old job of over a decade before which was flying rattly old Metros in night freight out of Brisbane. The GFC hit the air freight business hard and most of us in that company had to be let go.
My last flight with them was by coincidence recorded on the very last page of my last logbook and I also took my Dad down from Brisbane to Coffs Harbour so he could meet up with old friends and bring out motorhome back to the Coast.
I'm not much into signs but with that and other factors I reckoned it was time to retire from aviation and that's what I've done. I now spend all my time at home looking after Dad, which is pretty stressful but I figure it's more than fair after all the crap I put him through when I was a kid.
So there you go, the short version of the last few years.

[411A]

Unsurprising SNS3Guppy didn't have the nous to do that simple task and has indeed himself been proven beyond any doubt to be .... ah-hem .... full of it.

Yes, as Guppy aptly demonstrates on a regular basis...

[SNS3Guppy]

Unsurprising SNS3Guppy didn't have the nous to do that simple task and has indeed himself been proven beyond any doubt to be .... ah-hem .... full of it.

That's assuredly not the case, but you may have the same challenge as any other: prove it. You can't.

[18-Wheeler]

That's assuredly not the case, but you may have the same challenge as any other: prove it. You can't.

You may well be right, but you can be very sure that you've mistaken me for someone that cares.

[forget]

Enough already! 18 Wheeler's won this one - in spades.

[DBate]

As funny and entertaining as this bashing and p***ing contest might be for some, it is interesting to see how this thread has been hijacked within three post from the OP.

The mentioned incident happened a couple of months ago and has been discussed here.

Some more information and more pictures can be found at this page.

Neither of the references linked above gives any information on why this happened. I guess we have to wait for the official report.

Fact is, with the main gear located about 31 meters behind your seat on the MD11, a certain amount of oversteering is definately needed in turns.

The tires/brakes of that aircraft were replaced at LHBP and it was back on its way after a short while. Most important thing; nobody got injured! Nothing more than - how shall I say it mildly - a scratch to ones ego. So go on everybody, there is not much to see...

Now back to topic please.

DBate

[JammedStab]

I wonder if the Fedex guy moved to the left of centreline on the taxiway because he was approaching a tight turn to the right . Does anyone else do this especially in widebody jets.?

Also, it seems that there mey be differing opinions on how to properly taxi a 747 when it comes to turns especially tighter turns. I would think there would be something in the Boeing manual that could be pasted here. Is it quite different than the other widebody jet taxiing techniques?

[BOAC]

..er Post #15 do you?

[notadog]

I wonder if the Fedex guy moved to the left of centreline on the taxiway because he was approaching a tight turn to the right . Does anyone else do this especially in widebody jets.?

Also, it seems that there mey be differing opinions on how to properly taxi a 747 when it comes to turns especially tighter turns. I would think there would be something in the Boeing manual that could be pasted here. Is it quite different than the other widebody jet taxiing techniques?

Having flown the B747, and now flying the MD11, I can tell you that the 747 is far easier to taxi and maneuver on the ground. The unlocking body gear makes taxiing a 747 quite easy. I have made many tight turns that look imposible, but done with ease.

The MD11 is very different. To make a tight turn, a large amount of oversteer is necessary. In this case, I would suspect that the pilot was distracted or not attentive and permitted the aircraft to drift left of the centerline. On this taxiway, it would not have been necessary to extend the nose very far past the centerline to make the turn.

It is very important to know the geometry of the landing gear while taxiing, IOW, how do you know where the mains are when you are moving down a taxiway? On the MD11, when sitting in the left seat, the left main is about even with the lower outboard corner of the left windshield. The right main is about three inches to the right of the center post of the windshield. The nose gear is centered when the taxi line is lined up with your right knee.

The nose gear is 22' behind the Capt's seat, the mains about 125' behind.

To make a 90 deg. turn one must taxi past the centerline of the intersecting taxiway until the cockpit is just past the far edge of the taxiway that you are going to turn onto. Then, make the turn. It's a bit disconcerting at first...

Making a 180 on a runway is definitely not for the faint of heart, and there is a neat trick for doing it correctly, but it's best not to be in a situation where one has to do it.

In the picture, the a/c is still on a straight portion of the taxiway, displaced significantly from the centerline. It should be on the centerline at that point. The Capt. should have known that his left main was very close to being off the taxiway. I can only assume that he was distracted, or that he needs some remedial taxi training.

[punkalouver]

Interesting. But you are not going to leave us hanging here about the 180° turn technique are you?

[con-pilot]

Not taking sides in this fight, but.....

I have never flown a 747, however, I do have 7,000+ hours in the 727, 3,700 in the left seat. I cannot remember the number of airports/taxiways/ramps/parking areas that if I had kept the nose wheel on the center line of the previous mention places I would had to have pulled a 'Con-Air' and had the prisoners come off the aircraft and help put the aircraft out of the grass and/or mud/or whatever. And this, remember was in a 727, not a 747.

Now if I had only had to operate out of JFK and airports such as it, well I probably would have been able to keep the nose wheel on the aforementioned center lines.

[411A]

But you are not going to leave us hanging here about the 180° turn technique are you?

Suspect its about the same as with the L1011....pilots backside way out over the grass prior to coming 'round with the tiller.