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5 Answers

Transition from grass to pavement and vice versa

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5 Answers



  1. Bob Watson on May 14, 2013

    Keep the nose up in both cases.

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  2. Thomas Wester on May 14, 2013

    Thanks for your response Bob. Unfortunately my original text isn’t posted. Original questions text is as follows:

    “What advice is there for transitioning between a paved runway and grass tiedown area (and vice versa)? There is material on taxiing on soft surfaces, but I have not found anything specific to going between hard and soft surfaces.”

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  3. Chris Carlson on May 14, 2013

    Bobs answer still stands, you want to try and keep the bump during the transition as light as possible for the nose wheel. Like popping a wheels on a bike to get over a curb…the back wheel (or mains) can handle being pulled up, but the nose may buckle if it gets stuck.

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  4. Bob Watson on May 15, 2013

    Usually, the soft surface is slightly lower than the paved surface (for drainage if by design and because the soft surface will wear faster if not) so going from hard to soft means a nose dip, in which you want to have full back-elevator and take it slowly and gently to prevent dipping the prop into the dirt. Going from soft to hard, you want to keep full back-elevator and maybe even give it a little power to get the nose up onto the pavement. Holding back elevator also helps reduce some of the bouncing, but, depending on the terrain and the airplane, you might need to moderate the back pressure to keep the tail from hitting.

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  5. Brian on May 15, 2013

    Don’t take the transition perpendicular, but instead go at a 45 degree angle.

    Check the area you plan on transitioning before doing so. A slow taxi past it will suffice, but walking it before hand, when possible, is always best.

    Finally, keep the yoke in your lap.

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