Weathervaning tendency is greatest when taxiing which configuration?

Weathervaning tendency is greatest when taxiing which configuration?

• A. a tailwheel type airplane in a direct crosswind
• B. both nosewheel and tailwheel type airplanes in a quartering wind
• C. a nosewheel type airplane in a direct crosswind
• D. a tailwheel type airplane in a headwind

Answer: (A)

Weathervaning on the ground is the tendency of a parked or taxiing airplane to yaw into the wind due to side forces acting on the aircraft and the pivot point provided by the landing gear. In a direct crosswind, the wind pushes on the vertical stabilizer and fuselage behind the main contact points, creating a yaw moment about the main landing gear. This effect is strongest when the airplane is a tailwheel design because the main gear serves as the pivot and the tail, which carries the vertical stabilizer, can swing more freely with less forward resistance. The nosewheel design, with a forward pivot and steering that helps resist sideways rotation, shows less weathervaning in the same crosswind. Quartering or headwinds reduce the lateral force component turning the aircraft, so the yaw tendency is not as pronounced. Therefore, the greatest weathervaning tendency occurs with a tailwheel airplane in a direct crosswind.

Weathervaning on the ground is the tendency of a parked or taxiing airplane to yaw into the wind due to side forces acting on the aircraft and the pivot point provided by the landing gear. In a direct crosswind, the wind pushes on the vertical stabilizer and fuselage behind the main contact points, creating a yaw moment about the main landing gear. This effect is strongest when the airplane is a tailwheel design because the main gear serves as the pivot and the tail, which carries the vertical stabilizer, can swing more freely with less forward resistance. The nosewheel design, with a forward pivot and steering that helps resist sideways rotation, shows less weathervaning in the same crosswind. Quartering or headwinds reduce the lateral force component turning the aircraft, so the yaw tendency is not as pronounced. Therefore, the greatest weathervaning tendency occurs with a tailwheel airplane in a direct crosswind.