This section outlines the standard procedures for ground taxi operations at Virtual Air Canada Airline. Taxi is a critical phase of flight: most runway-incursion events and a significant share of low-energy ground damage occur between gate departure and takeoff roll, or between landing rollout and gate arrival. The procedures below align with NAV CANADA, Transport Canada (TC AIM, CARs Subpart 602), and ICAO standards, and reflect Boeing / Airbus FCOM guidance applied across the vACA fleet.
Once engines are stabilized and the ground crew has signalled “all clear, brakes released”, complete the After Start and Before Taxi flows before requesting taxi clearance:
Flaps set to the computed take-off configuration
Pitch trim set to the computed CG take-off value
Speed brake retracted and disarmed
Engine and wing anti-ice as required by the dispatched conditions
bleed off after pack transfer; APU shut down when no longer required
Flight-control check completed during taxi on a long, obstacle-free segment (Airbus) or as part of the Before Take-off flow (Boeing). If the routing is short or congested, complete the check before requesting clearance to taxi.
Allow at least 2 minutes of engine idle stabilization after start before applying high power, to prevent thermal shock on the high-pressure turbine.
Taxi-speed exceedances are visible in data and may trigger a safety follow-up. Brakes must be tested at walking pace within the first few metres of movement; thereafter, control speed primarily with thrust and only “stab” the brakes - continuous brake application overheats and fades.
The configuration below is the vACA standard for the A320 family, B737 MAX, B777, and B787. Single-aisle/twin-aisle differences are covered in the type-specific checklist pages.
Phase
Beacon
Nav
Logo (night)
Strobes
Wing
Taxi
RWY Turnoff
Landing
Parked, powered
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
Engines running, pushback
ON
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
Taxi on a taxiway
ON
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
ON in turns
OFF
Crossing a runway
ON
ON
ON
ON
OFF
ON
ON
ON
Lined up, awaiting take-off clearance
ON
ON
OFF
ON
ON
ON
ON
OFF
Take-off roll cleared
ON
ON
OFF
ON
ON
ON
ON
ON
After landing, runway vacated
ON
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
ON in turns
OFF
Strobes are the visible signal to other traffic and to tower that the aircraft is entering or crossing a protected surface. Landing lights remain off when only lining up so that controllers and other crews can distinguish “holding on the runway” from “rolling for departure”.
Single-Engine Taxi (SET) reduces fuel burn, brake wear, and emissions. It is standard practice on both narrow-body and wide-body operations where conditions permit.
Start the second engine no later than 3 minutes before reaching the departure runway hold-short to allow CFM-recommended warm-up and to purge water from the fuel galleries.
Airbus: keep Engine 1 running, start Engine 2 during taxi. Boeing: typically keep Engine 1 running, start Engine 2 last (operator-specific - confirm in the type checklist).
Brief the cabin and ground for the delayed second-engine start (audible difference) before pushback.
After landing, vacate the runway, complete the After-Landing flow, then operate the live engine(s) at idle for a minimum of 3 minutes before shutting one down. This cool-down dissipates turbine heat and prevents bowed-rotor damage on the next start.
must be started and stabilized before engine shutdown to maintain electrical and pneumatic supply.
NAV CANADA aligned with ICAO phraseology in April 2008. Current standard:
To enter and wait on a runway: “Line up Runway 24L” or “Line up and wait Runway 24L”. The legacy term “position and hold” is no longer used.
To cross a runway: “Cross Runway 33”, with a specific clearance required for every crossing. Blanket clearances (“cross all runways”) are not permitted.
A specific ATC clearance is required for every runway crossing and every runway entry. The vACA “Stop and Verify” rule applies: if either pilot is uncertain about position, clearance, or the meaning of an instruction, stop the aircraft and query before proceeding.
Taxi is a critical phase of flight under CARs and equivalent international regulations (14 CFR 121.542). Non-essential conversation, non-essential cabin or PA communications, eating, and non-operational reading are not permitted. Only items required for safe operation of the aircraft - checklists, ATC, threat-and-error briefings, position cross-checks, and Hot Spot call-outs - are exchanged. See also the cabin-side rule under Cabin Operations - Sterile Cockpit Periods.
The PF briefs the cleared taxi route aloud, naming every taxiway segment, every hold-short, and every Hot Spot. The PM cross-checks against the chart and confirms or corrects.
During taxi, both pilots continuously cross-check the aircraft position against signage, surface paint, and the airport diagram. Any disagreement, ambiguous instruction, or unexpected hold-short instruction is resolved by stopping and querying ATC.
Hot Spots are charted locations with a history of incursions or geometric complexity. They must be briefed and called out during taxi.
Illuminated stop bars at runway hold positions are absolute. They must never be crossed, even with a verbal ATC clearance, until extinguished by the controller.
Industry experience with runway and taxiway misidentification on visual approaches, including events at major North American hubs, reinforces the discipline of reading the NOTAM package thoroughly, confirming the landing runway visually with PAPI and runway identification cues, and cross-checking the FMS against the approach chart. The taxi brief is the operational complement to this discipline on the ground.
After vacating the runway at low speed and clear of the active surface:
Flaps up, speed brake disarmed and stowed, autobrake off.
Transponder to STBY (or as directed); landing and strobe lights off; taxi and turn-off lights on.
Weather radar to STBY.
APU start initiated within 2 minutes of arrival at the gate, or earlier if SETI is planned so that APU can supply bleed and electrical power before engine shutdown.
