Why are they calling it "back taxiing"?

fast89pony

fast89pony

Well-Known Member
Im a private pilot and work at a FBO at a class E airport down in south Florida and we always are monitoring the unicom. You should hear some of the things I hear...well, you do... But what I dont get is the proper use of the term "back taxiing". Not that this is a big deal but its worth a conversation. The way are runways are laid out you have to taxi down runway 33/15 to get to runway 21 if your coming from the runup area. Now if your taxiing down runway 33/15 in the direction of 15 that would be taxiing down runway 15 not back taxiing runway 15. Right? I constantly hear "back taxiing 15" when they are taxiing down runway 15. Wouldnt that be "back taxiing 33"?? How can you be "back" taxiing if you are heading in that direction?
My job is boring! Lol...
 
Back taxiing generally implies taxiing against the normal flow of the taxiway or runway in use. I hear it misused often.
 
Gee, that sounds like Lantana. I hear the same thing all the time. Some people say "back taxiing on 33" instead of just "taxiing 15 for 21." Oh well, you'll be lucky if those are the worst radio calls you here out of LNA.


fast89pony said:
Im a private pilot and work at a FBO at a class E airport down in south Florida and we always are monitoring the unicom. You should hear some of the things I hear...well, you do... But what I dont get is the proper use of the term "back taxiing". Not that this is a big deal but its worth a conversation. The way are runways are laid out you have to taxi down runway 33/15 to get to runway 21 if your coming from the runup area. Now if your taxiing down runway 33/15 in the direction of 15 that would be taxiing down runway 15 not back taxiing runway 15. Right? I constantly hear "back taxiing 15" when they are taxiing down runway 15. Wouldnt that be "back taxiing 33"?? How can you be "back" taxiing if you are heading in that direction?
My job is boring! Lol...
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Yeah. I always enjoy listening to radio calls.
One of the head guys at the flight school I went to used to have a ball when people referred to the advised runway as the active.
 
That same piece of concrete has two runway names. Lets break it down to a one runway scenario. If you have runway 33/15 and the wind is favoring 15, then all radio calls use the name of the active runway. If you are taxiing up or down the runway, if you keep 15 in the radio call, there is no mistake which runway you are using or is in use.
Think if somebody was going to join the pattern and the first radio call he heard was "taxiing 33", that would be confusing if that person was going to turn around and take off 15.

In the case you gave, if 33 is not in use, they can say "taxiing 15". It is just normal for us to need the term "back taxiing" when we are taxiing a runway, so that gets used when not needed.

I hope that makes sense.
 
Scandinavian13 said:
Yeah. I always enjoy listening to radio calls.
One of the head guys at the flight school I went to used to have a ball when people referred to the advised runway as the active.
Click to expand...

I can't stand when people say that.

Another one is left downwind....that gets me
 
vabantha said:
Well, when helicopters use right downwind and fixed-wing use left downwind it becomes important to know which side they are on.
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I believe he means just using those terms stand-alone. As opposed to using them associated with a runway....as in "left downwind 33", or "right downwind 15," which tells you much more useful info.
 
I kind of get annoyed with people always saying every intention at an uncontrolled airport.

"Cessna 12345 is at the T-hangers taxiing to runway25 via kilo and papa. and would like an airport advisory"

Really? Just ask for the advisory and go to the runway. Also there are about 100 uh's mixed into the transmission. Ends up being 30 seconds of that transmit button being pressed down and blocking any other calls that might be a little more important.
 
Maurus said:
I kind of get annoyed with people always saying every intention at an uncontrolled airport.

"Cessna 12345 is at the T-hangers taxiing to runway25 via kilo and papa. and would like an airport advisory"

Really? Just ask for the advisory and go to the runway. Also there are about 100 uh's mixed into the transmission. Ends up being 30 seconds of that transmit button being pressed down and blocking any other calls that might be a little more important.
Click to expand...

Comm brevity is one of the bigger things I see lacking in civil aviation. Clear/Concise/Correct....aka the 3C's....is the name of the game.
 
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