The long and short of it is very simple.

What: Taxi
Why: To maneuver the airplane on the ground from the parking area to the
takeoff area, maintenance area or fueling area.
How: See the PTS.

It is NOT common practice to allow a presolo student to taxi around the
airport, thereby increasing traffic, and increasing risk for all others
unnecessarily. It may be legal but it is not wise.

What happened to judgment?



"Judah" wrote in message
. ..
I'm no expert, but I believe that in a part 61 flight school no specific
structure is enforced upon instructors in their training of the Practical
Test Standards. However, the Private Pilot Practical Test Standards do
specifically require, in "Area II: Preflight Procedures, Task D: Taxiing",
that a private pilot be able to

1. Exhibit knowledge of the elements related to safe taxi procedures.
2. Perform a brake check immediately after the airplane begins
moving.
3. Position the flight controls properly for the existing wind conditions.
4. Control direction and speed without excessive use of brakes.
5. Comply with airport/taxiway markings, signals, ATC clearances,
and instructions.
6. Taxi so as to avoid other aircraft and hazards.

Personally, my instructors never had me taxi solo before flying solo - we
had 10 hours of flight time during which some percentage of that involved
taxiing and we covered taxiing enough in that process, that I was able to
eventually meet the PTS standards. And quite frankly, based on the rates
for taxiing a plane on a hobbs meter, I probably would not have been eager
to spend time taxiing separately anyway.

But all we know here is that a CFI asked a 2-hour time student to go taxi
an airplane. We don't know anything else about the circumstances around
this or the reasons that the CFI asked him to do this - or perhaps if the
student, in his eagerness to spend time learning to fly, wanted to get
some
plane time while his CFI was with another student or otherwise
unavailable...

It wasn't me, and I don't care what the FAA thinks. I'll rephrase my
question. Is it a usual and accepted practice for a CFI to let a 2
hour time, pre solo student taxi around unsupervised solo ?