Taxi lights and ATC communication matter when taxiing in low visibility on the SkyWest ERJ

Low-Visibility Taxi on the ERJ: The Essentials You Need to Know

Imagine a foggy morning at a busy airport. Ground vehicles glide by in a ghostly hush, the runway lights blur into a single line, and your ERJ sits with its nose pointed toward the taxiway. In moments like these, what you do on the ground matters as much as your flap settings before takeoff. The SkyWest ERJ cockpit training highlights one big reality: when visibility is low, the simplest steps can make the difference between a smooth roll and a near-miss. Let me explain how the right precautions work together to keep you safe on the taxiway.

The heart of the matter: taxi lights and clear ATC communication

Here’s the thing about low-visibility taxiing. You want to be unmistakable to everyone who might be looking your way—pilots in nearby aircraft, ground crew guiding you, and the folks controlling the taxi routes. Two actions do the heavy lifting:

• Use taxi lights boldly. Taxi lights illuminate the pavement, reveal the path you’ll follow, and play a crucial role in making the airplane visible to people and other aircraft on the ground. In fog or rain, those lights are a beaming breadcrumb trail you can’t afford to miss. They help you trace your route with confidence, even when the world outside your windshield looks grey and indistinct.

• Communicate clearly with air traffic control (ATC). Ground movement in reduced visibility hinges on precise instructions. ATC provides your taxi route, hold-short positions, and any conflicts to avoid. Read back the taxi instructions, confirm your position, and acknowledge changes as they come. That dialogue is your safety net—every clearance, every speed adjustment, every pause is another layer of situational awareness added to the cockpit.

Why these two steps, together, are non-negotiable

Airports are busy ecosystems. In good weather you can rely on visual cues and crew chatter, but in low vis, the cockpit’s internal map is your best friend—yet it needs bright signals from the outside world to stay accurate. Taxi lights serve as the visual cue that bridges the gap between your cockpit assumptions and ground reality. ATC, meanwhile, acts as the conductor of a complex orchestra, guiding you along safe routes, preventing backtracking into active taxiways, and preventing runway incursions. Together they turn uncertainty into a sequence you can trust.

A quick mental model you can carry into the cockpit

Think of low-visibility taxiing as a two-part checklist that never ends until you’re safely cleared onto the runway or parked at the gate.

• Part 1: Make yourself seen. Turn on and use the taxi lights to illuminate the path, especially at intersections, turns, and when approaching runway entrances. You want ground personnel and other aircraft to “see” your ERJ early, not at the last moment.

• Part 2: Stay in constant contact. Click the mic, switch to the ground frequency, and read back every ATC instruction. If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification right away. It is better to slow the taxi down and confirm than to guess and risk a misstep.

Where speed fits in (and where it doesn’t)

Reducing speed is a natural companion to visibility, but it’s not a magic fix for seeing through fog. In low vis, slower taxi is essential to give your eyes, your instruments, and your crew enough time to confirm each turn, hold, or cross with the ground controller’s guidance. You’ll often hear crews saying, “Taxi at a controlled pace,” which translates to smoother steering, fewer last-second moves, and more time to cross-check the route on the A/FD or the taxi chart.

On the subject of speed, there’s a helpful distinction to keep in mind: your ground speed may be constrained by ATC, but your internal visibility-awareness also needs to be conservative. If you’re not 100% certain about a turn or a clearance, slow down further and verify. It’s not about looking busy; it’s about preventing a miscommunication or a misstep in real time.

What about increasing altitude or changing systems?

Some questions pop up in the moment: could we just gain altitude to improve visibility? No—during taxi, you’re on the ground, which means climbing isn’t an option. The “altitude trick” would be the wrong tool for the task and could create other hazards.

As for turning off non-essential systems to “clear the cockpit,” that’s a classic misstep. During low-visibility taxiing, you want a clear, reliable information flow. Non-essential toggles may not help visibility directly and could remove important alerts or data feeds you rely on in the taxi environment. The aim is to maintain readiness and keep critical information in front of you.

A few practical reminders that tend to get overlooked

• Scan and cross-check. In the fog, use a systematic taxi scan: look outside for lights from other aircraft, watch for ground vehicles, and monitor tower or ground control for any updates. It’s easy to get lulled into a rhythm, but a quick outside check can catch something a radio might miss.

• Confirm your exact position. Ground control can give you multiple hold-short points or alternate routes. When you hear a clearance, place it in your mental map and verify your position on the taxi chart. If you’re unsure, pause and ask for a readback.

• Don’t hurry through dirty weather. The urge to hustle can lead to mistakes. A small pause to confirm a turn or a hold is worth while—the taxi crew will thank you for it.

• Keep the lights and cockpit interfaces clean. Dimming, misaligned lights, or clutter on the glareshield can hamper quick recognition of crossing instructions. A tidy cockpit helps you react more quickly when ATC changes a plan on the fly.

A quick note on CQ and KV framing (without the classroom glare)

In SkyWest ERJ operations, the pairing of crew qualification and knowledge validation modules places emphasis on real-world decision-making under conditions like low visibility on the ground. The emphasis isn’t on memorizing a checklist in a vacuum; it’s about translating that knowledge into calm, precise actions when the airport environment itself becomes the challenge. The core message is clear: visibility on the ground requires your eyes to see, your hands to move smoothly, and your communications to be crisp and timely.

Stories from the ramp help, too. A fog-bank morning, a single taxiway lighting scheme, and a radio call that could go either way—these moments test how well you blend procedure with judgment. The more you practice the mental habit of using taxi lights and ATC guidance as your core safety pillars, the more natural it feels to navigate the maze of low visibility with confidence.

How these ideas connect to bigger safety goals

What you’re doing on the taxiway isn’t just about the moment. It’s about building a chain of safe actions that continues from pushback, through taxi, to the gate. When you emphasize visibility and clear communication, you’re investing in a culture of safety that starts with a flashlight on the ground and travels upward through every phase of flight. It’s about reducing miscommunication, shortening the time between instruction and action, and keeping everyone aware of the airplane’s exact position.

A final thought you can carry into the next foggy shift

Low visibility is not a barrier; it’s a test of disciplined habit. Use taxi lights to illuminate your path, talk to ATC with clarity, and keep your speed under control. Those steps may seem small, but they are the difference between a smooth roll on a dim apron and a tense moment that could put you at risk. In a SkyWest ERJ cockpit, the emphasis is always on practical, real-world safety—nothing flashy, everything essential.

If you’re ever tempted to shortcut or assume you know what ATC wants, pause. Recheck the route, confirm your position, and use those taxi lights as your guide. In the end, the quiet rigor of good taxiing in low visibility isn’t just a rule—it’s a habit you’ll rely on every single flight. And that’s what makes flying feel not just possible, but confidently doable, even when the weather won’t cooperate.

Would you like a compact checklist you can print and pin near your console for foggy mornings? I can tailor one that fits your aircraft and the routes you fly, keeping the focus on taxi lights, ATC communication, and steady deceleration—the trio that keeps every SkyWest ERJ crew safe on the ground.