College

You see this sign when holding short of the runway. You receive clearance to back taxi on the runway for a full-length Runway 26 departure. Which way should you turn when first taxiing onto the runway for takeoff?

Answer :

Final answer:

To back taxi on runway 26 for a full-length departure, you should turn onto the runway and taxi in the direction of heading 260 degrees, essentially going west towards the end of the runway before taking off.

Explanation:

If you're holding short of the runway and instructed to back taxi on the runway for a full-length departure on runway 26, you should taxi in the direction that corresponds to the runway heading of 260 degrees. Since runway numbers correlate to their magnetic heading rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, runway 26 is roughly aligned with 260 degrees on a magnetic compass.

Therefore, when entering the runway for back taxi, you should turn to a heading of 260 degrees, which is essentially west. You'll be moving in the opposite direction of a normal takeoff from runway 26, heading towards the end of the runway to then turn around for a full-length takeoff.