Starting up on a crowded ramp...

cowman

cowman

Final Approach
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Cowman
So suppose you're at a small airport on a busy weekend... say labor day weekend at a popular vacation spot. Upon arrival you were parked by the line guy at the far end of the ramp from the taxiway, there are two rows of aircraft and just enough room to taxi/tow an airplane between the rows. There really isn't any space on the ramp where there aren't parked aircraft until you pull off onto the taxiway.

You've seen bad weather coming in the next morning and want to get out before it hits. The FBO is currently closed and nobody is available to get your airplane out. You're perfectly capable of getting your towbar out and hauling it over to the taxiway past about a dozen parked aircraft

Is it generally considered a jerk move in such circumstance to start up and taxi past... knowing you're close enough to be sandblasting everyone on the way by? Would you generally just use muscle power and pull your airplane out to the taxiway and clear of other aircraft to be nice? Or do you figure nobody cares and just save yourself the effort?

Full disclosure yeah this happened to me. I happened to have a friend with and for two of us to pull my lightly loaded Archer across the ramp wasn't very hard so we just did it. I was wondering if I was really saving anyone wear and tear on their airplane or not. Always heard it was bad to start up in or right in front of a hangar for this reason... so I had to assume right next to other aircraft had to be similar.
 
Go for it. Lots of planes taxi by parked planes at Oshkosh every year. I just wouldn't start up directly in front of another plane, though. That's sort of a d-ck move.
 
It really depends on if you start an airplane normally, or if you start it like a Cirrus pilot.
 
Taxiing between rows isn't really blasting anyone. Goes on all the time.

Like you said, starting or taxing around with the blast aimed at an open hangar is bad form but happens all the time as well.
 
Pull it out if there is something behind you (including wingtips or pedestrians), or if there is any doubt about clearance to other aircraft while taxiing.

Perhaps if there is a lot of gravel or FOD around.

Definitely if there is a tiedown rope or chain in front of you.

Keep the RPM down into the "sane" range.

Otherwise, no one cares.
 
Can't you use the tow bar to make that 1st 90 degree turn out of the parking spot so that you're in the aisle? That is what I would do. It seems to me that this + keeping your power at minimum till you're away from others is all that should be expected.
 
Yeah normally I wouldn't worry but this was pretty tight- tiny airport on a busy day. Maybe 5-6' clearance on either side for me to roll through. I think they were packing people in as tight as possible so they wouldn't run out of space.

I've been to this airport a few times before and they never had parked me... and there were maybe 2-3 other aircraft on the ramp. I bet there were 20 or more... including a TBM 900 of all things.
 
wilkersk said:
Can't you use the tow bar to make that 1st 90 degree turn out of the parking spot so that you're in the aisle? That is what I would do. It seems to me that this + keeping your power at minimum till you're away from others is all that should be expected.
Click to expand...

This :yes:
 
I think there are too many variables to make a message board judgement. You were there and saw all the particulars and opted to manually pull it out. I'm guessing you used your judgement and made a good decision.
 
Pulling it out is always smart however if your going to push it back in be sure not to broadcast your intent by yelling oops before the ricochet rim shot.
 
A gentleman never pulls out....fire it up and blow some skirts up!
 
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