Taxied my first Airliner

[Polarbear]

Last night when I got into work I was assigned to work on a Q400 with another mechanic who has been assisting me in obtaining my Run/Taxi Authorization. We went over to the gate to pick it up then take it to the GRE (Ground Run Enclosure) for a power assurance run. I did not think I was going to get to left seat for the taxi since maneuvering the aircraft in the GRE is pretty tight and you need a good grasp of how the aircraft handles before attempting it.

Well about 1 min before the pushback ground crew arrived I got the radios set for our taxi when I heard our "A" Check plane call Ground to go to the GRE for a series of runs that takes a while. The other mechanic decided we would taxi to the hangar and wait there, so I quickly asked him if we could switch seats. He agreed and we took the extra time to switch since I hadn't called ground for push back clearance.

I have to say it was pretty cool, although I can see it getting boring after a while. For the most part I kept the plane on or slightly to the left of the centerline and never came close to losing control(which relieved a little bit of the stress that comes with controlling a multi-million dollar turboprop that has 5,000 horsepower per engine and feels like it wants to fly just sitting at idle). The tiller is pretty touchy, but for an aircraft of it's size it can nearly turn on a dime.

On that note I rode right seat for the power assurance run later and that marked the first time I felt truly comfortable on the radios.

[Toria]

Originally Posted by Polarbear

and that marked the first time I felt truly comfortable on the radios.

Good for you. Ease on the radios is an acquired skill. So is precise, proper language usage on them. Again, good for you. The skill will serve you well.