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GA-7 COUGAR
← Runway Safety & Taxi Briefings

Pilot Foundations · Source-checked

Planning the taxi before you move

Learning goals

  • Prepare an airport diagram and hot-spot review
  • Brief passengers for a quiet cockpit

The FAA notes that most pilot-caused runway incursions happen during taxi to the runway. Planning starts at the table: review the airport diagram and its hot spots, check NOTAMs and ATIS for closures or construction, and keep the diagram where you can see it.

Copy the taxi clearance, trace the route on the diagram before releasing the brakes, and brief passengers to save conversation until after takeoff. Eyes outside, appropriate speed, and attention to similar call signs keep the picture clear.

Assigned reading

Runway Safety — Pilots; Pilot Best Practices for Airfield Safety (Web resource)

Pilot Best Practices for Airfield Safety — Pre-Flight Planning; Taxi · Federal Aviation Administration · reviewed 2026-10-21

Open source

Self-check

Original practice questions for self-assessment only — not FAA test questions and not a certification.

  1. 1. When should you trace the taxi route on the diagram?
  2. 2. If you are unsure of your position or clearance during taxi, you should…

Study preparation only. Not FAA-approved ground training, no endorsement, logbook or flight-time credit, and no guaranteed test result. Always follow your instructor and the approved AFM/POH for your aircraft.