Which term describes helicopter movement on the surface at speeds generally above 20 knots and below 100 feet AGL?

• A. Air Taxi
• B. Hover Taxi
• C. Ground Taxi
• D. Air Taxiing

Answer: (A)

The situation describes moving a helicopter along the surface while staying very low and moving forward at a modest speed. This kind of surface movement is called air taxiing, and in many training sources it’s referred to as an air taxi operation. It sits between a near-hover (hover taxi, which stays almost in one place and moves only slowly) and fully on-the-ground taxiing (ground taxi, which is essentially on the surface with rotor in a fixed, low-flight state). The term air taxi best captures moving along the surface at speeds around 20 knots or more while remaining below 100 feet AGL, since the aircraft is transitioning through the air near the ground rather than fully hovering or sitting on the ground.