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Steering an aircraft with a castering nose wheel

Aviation Mechanic Airframe (AMA) practice question 16 of 17 on Landing Gear Systems. ACS element AM.II.E.K4 · difficulty: standard. Want to answer it in a timed quiz? Use the Aviation Mechanic Airframe (AMA) practice mode.

Question bank updated 2026-09-22

QUESTIONAn aircraft has a nose wheel assembly that is free to caster. How is this aircraft directed during taxi?

  1. ABy a hydraulic tiller on the left side wall
  2. BBy differential braking of the main wheels
  3. CBy push-pull rods from the rudder pedals
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. By differential braking of the main wheels

  • A — incorrect A tiller belongs to a powered steering system on large aircraft, which have a driven nose wheel rather than a free castering one.
  • B — correct The handbook states that aircraft with castering nose wheel assemblies are steered during taxi by differential braking.
  • C — incorrect Push-pull rods from the rudder pedals steer small aircraft that have a steerable nose wheel, which is not the case with a castering wheel.

BACKGROUND

Most aircraft have a nose wheel that is steerable from the flight deck. Small aircraft usually use mechanical linkages: push-pull tubes run from the rudder pedals to pedal horns on the lower strut cylinder, so pedal movement rotates the strut piston, axle, and wheel. Large aircraft use hydraulic power, commanded by a small wheel, tiller, or joystick, with a metering valve directing fluid to actuators that rotate the lower strut. A few simple aircraft instead use a nose wheel that simply casters, and those aircraft are turned on the ground by braking one main wheel more than the other.

STUDY TIP

Match the steering method to the aircraft size: castering plus differential braking on simple aircraft, rods on small aircraft, hydraulic tiller systems on large ones.

KEY POINTS

  • A castering nose wheel is not steered by the pedals or a tiller.
  • Such aircraft are turned by differential braking of the main wheels.
  • Small aircraft steering uses push-pull rods; large aircraft use hydraulic power.

SOURCES

  • FAA-H-8083-31B ch13 "Nose Wheel Steering Systems"
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MORE ON LANDING GEAR SYSTEMS

SkyDrill is not affiliated with the FAA. This is an original practice item based on FAA-H-8083-31B Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook – Airframe, and 14 CFR part 43. Regulations and handbooks are revised; confirm details against the current edition.