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Run-up check on the ramp?

Asked by: 1816 views
General Aviation, Private Pilot

My home airport has run-up blocks adjacent to each taxiway, but not all airports do. AOPA suggests that the next best place for run-ups is on the ramp (https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/april/18/training-tip). While on the ramp in a single-engine piston (e.g., C172, PA28), how much clearance behind the airplane provides a safe distance to do the run-up?  

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2 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Jul 28, 2020

    Move to somewhere on the ramp where there are no airplanes behind you. I’ve been to many airports where that is done.

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  2. KDS on Jul 31, 2020

    It never hurts to ask the locals when you are in a strange airport. That doesn’t just include what the common runup location is but anything else you are unsure of. I heard one once where the local said that the best way to get an IFR clearance was to taxi to some slightly higher ground near the end of the runway and make a call to a remote communication outlet. It would take a lot of trial and error to learn that without asking.

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