Aviation
Ask the pilot: How do pilots follow the lines on the ground?
Hi. I’ve always wondered how pilots can follow the lines on the ground at the airport. Is there a camera in the nose of the plane?
– On taxiways, there are yellow lines marking the center of the taxiway. It’s important to keep the nose wheel on this line at all times so that the main wheels stay on the taxiway.
When we taxi, we know where the taxiway markings should be relative to cues we have in the cockpit. On the Airbus A330, for example, we align the border between two instruments with the yellow taxi line in front of the aircraft to keep the nose wheel centered on the line. Turns on a taxiway are a bit more challenging because the nose wheel is located behind the cockpit. If you want to make a 90° turn onto another taxiway, the cockpit has to go a few meters past the exit before the turn is initiated.
Steering on the ground is achieved by turning the nose wheel, either by a tiller wheel in the cockpit or by using the rudder pedals. When taxiing, aircraft move slowly to reduce the risk of nose wheel damage. A slow speed also ensures a quick stop if necessary. Taxi speed is usually 10 to 20 knots (18–37km/h).
When the aircraft approaches the parking position, external guidance is usually provided by a visual docking system.
Some newer aircraft, like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777, have cameras mounted on or near the nose gear that can provide video to the cockpit. This makes it possible to see what’s going on underneath the cockpit, for example, if the pushback truck is connected, but it also helps us taxi more precisely.
Marie Stridh,
Flight Captain
Published: August 23, 2019
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Marie Stridh
Age: 51
Career: Marie took her private pilot’s license in the US at age 17 and continued her flight training at Bromma Flygskola, Stockholm. She started at Linjeflyg in 1989 as first officer on F28s and then on Boeing 767s and 737s at SAS. She’s been captain on Boeing 737s since 2012.
Home base: ARN
Flies: Boeing 737s
Flight hours: 14,000
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