How aircraft is steered on the ground?can aircraft be steered in reverse?

Answer 1

From the cockpit, an aircraft is steered by the rudder pedals inducing an input to the nose gear. Larger aircraft have hydraulic steering cylinders on the nose gear. In the cockpit of the larger aircraft is a small steering wheel or a crank arm (Boeing calls it a tiller). Aircraft with hydraulic steering can only get 5 to10 degrees of steering from the rudder pedals, 80 degrees with the tiller. I have "steered" an aircraft using reverse thrust (DC9), but it is a practice to be avoided. Unless you have a marshaller, visibility behind you is almost nil. The reverse thrust will kick up FOD and the engines could be damaged...Oh yes, if you jam on the brakes while backing up, the aircraft nose may leave the ground. The best reverse steering on the ground is done from a tug.

Answer 2

Aircraft steer on the ground by:
1) direct steering through nose gear controled by rudder pedals or steering yoke.
2) Rudder
3) left and right toe brakes
4) if multi engine- use of engine thrust by alternating throttles on opposite side of desired turning direction.

The above mentioned answers are also dependent on the landing gear configuration and engine configuration of the aircraft.
*Items 2 and 3 are usually used in conjunction with one another
**Item 2, 3, and 4 are used in conjunction with one another.

In so far as reverse steering: Yes and No is a common answer. Some a/c can be steered in reverse under their own power and some cannot. Most typically aircraft are turned in reverse using a seperate means.

Answer 3

Aircraft are steered by two ways. On a tricycle gear the nose wheel is turned using the rudder pedals.
You can also use the brakes for tighter turns, lightly,
as the brakes are independent on an aircraft.
Taildraggers turn using a combination of the rudder and brakes.
Reverse. Not with thrust. Kind of crazy.
A tug or push bar should be used. Safety.
I do not think an experienced pilot would ever try throwing a reverse prop and going backwards. You have no visual.
That being said the big C130 transports do use reverse on certain occasions but are watched by spotters as they manoeuvre.

Answer 4

Given plenty of room, the aircraft propels itself under it's own engine power, steered by the landing gear, either a nose or tail wheel controled by the rudder pedals. In close quarters or when the aircraft needs to be pulled in reverse, they have ground equipment which attaches to the landing struts and the aircraft is towed.

Answer 5

Not all airplanes steer the same. Small planes like a Cessna with a nose gear you steer by using the rudder pedals you can increase the steering by stepping on the top portion of the pedal of the side you want to turn to therefore creating "differential breaking", in others w/o nose gear steering you just step on the break on the side you want to turn to, these planes usually don't reverse on their own, larger commercial airplanes actually have a small steering wheel on the left side of the captain's seat and use hydraulics just like in your car, to help the turn they may use differential breaking and/or differential thrust. Turboprops (propeller driven by a small jet engine) and almost all jet airplanes are capable of using reverse thrust, but this is mostly use to slow the airplane on landing, to reverse on the ground they rather use a ground vehicle.

Answer 6

Most aircraft that are not towed have movable nose gear. The gear is connected to the linkage that goes to the rudder so the front wheel turns along with the rudder. Such it is completely possible to steer on the ground when moving forwards or backwards. It works just like a car.

Answer 7

Nose wheel, and differential thrust (if more than one engines) will steer the aircraft.

As for reverse... Yes, if the prop pitch can be reversed, or thrust reversers engaged on a jet. However, it's usually much easier to have a small truck or those airport "pushers" push the aircraft back to the proper location instead.

Answer 8

Many airplanes with rear-mounted engines, such as the DC-9, are certified for "power-backs" as they are called. This is when the thrust reversers are engaged while at the gate and that serves as their pushback. It is not used very often anymore because it uses fuel unncessarily. Most, if not all airlines now use the standard method of towing which is hooking a tug up to the nose gear and pushing the airplane away from the gate.

Answer 9

The nose wheel is the steering mechanism. Reversing is done by the aid of a truck so that the terminal isn't blown to bits with reverse thrust jets.