I was wondering if someone might be able to help me with a quick question. Is there anyway to make prop aircraft go backwards on the ground or on water? I am asking because in the 13th or 14th mission you have to use a de Havilland Beaver and pick someone up from a dock. The problem is that when I pull up along side the dock to get him, I don't have enough space in front of me to turn around. Is there away to make this or any of the other small prop aircraft backup? Also, one more related question. When selecting a pushback at an airport I am unable to turn the aircraft. I have tried pushing 1 or 2 as I am being pushed back but it doesn't seem to work. I have made sure not to switch views in the process and I have waited for one aircraft length to go by before giving up. Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug?Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Pushback works fine for me, including turning the aircraft. Works for GA aircraft as well. As for float planes, you can always use slew mode to push back and turn around.

As far as I'm aware, most floatplane positioning involves someone standing on the float and using a bit of elbow grease to punt the thing backwards :-). I'd recommend using slew to simulate this.Technically, turboprop aircraft can reverse using the prop(s) in negative pitch; I think I'm right in saying that this is referred to as 'beta mode', but I've only ever seen a C-130 do it, reversing back up a runway in order to get up in the air again quickly to avoid being shelled whilst on the ground!In my experience, pushback has always seemed a bit shaky in FS, most of the time it works for me, but I generally push straight back quite a way and then taxi the aircraft on a turn, which doesn't happen all the time, but it's not that unusual to see that happen at an airport providing there is room to do it.There are several pushback utilities you can download (from AVSIM's file library probably). Generally speaking, these give you a little pop up control panel in the cockpit that allows you to control pushing back. Many payware aircraft include utilities such as these as a matter of course (the one that comes with the 727 Professional add on, for example, also adds audio simulation of the groundcrew asking for you to knock the brakes off etc, although as far as I'm aware, the 727 professional add-on doesn't work in FSX and I've not tried to install it). Whilst not totally realistic, they do at least allow you to do a pushback in much the same way as it is done in real life, i.e. with some say in the matter via the groundcrew talking to you.Alternatively, you could use 'slew mode' to swing yourself around.Incidentally, on occasion aircraft have used reverse thrust while pushing back (having been allowed to start up at the gate), but this is extremely rare and generally frowned upon, particularly in view of the fact that doing this is believed to have contributed to the crash of an airliner some years ago which hit a Bridge going across the Potomac river shortly after take off. Apparently the aircraft's wheels were jammed in ice and slush at the gate, so the crew gave it some help pushing back with the engines, which unfortunately threw slush onto the wings, which then froze up and seriously impaired the aerofoil, with disastrous consequences.

I've seen ERJ and CRJ aircraft use reverse to push back several times in the past couple years. Seems to be one at almost every airport I visit.DC-9's and some B727's use to do it all the time back when they were the major civilian airliners.I do remember military prop planes - piston and turboprop - using it often. We did more in the Navy than the Air Force. When the HU-16 out of Guam got near a dock - it was push off with a long pole from the bird, and maybe someone with a boat helping get it turned around.

Thanks everyone for the help! I will try downloading one of the pushback panels when I get home tonight. And as for the de Havilland, well, I guess I will just have to get out and push (via slew mode). :)

Reverse the prop pitch so it sucks rather than blows, which is how it works in reality.Ian

Just to clarify. Almost everything can be "pushed back". The rule is if it has wheels it will pushback, that inludes the Grumann Goose on water!Andrew Brown

Shift+P worked in FS9, on water as well, haven't yet tried it in FSX.