Eli5: Why can’t jetliners go backwards under their own power?
In: 2
Folks have already given pretty good answers (fuel use, noise, and FOD from ingesting bits being blown around) but there’s also one more downside.
If you get rolling backwards and you have to stop suddenly, your aircraft will try to do a tail stand. Now seeing a pilot pop a wheelie in a MD-80 might look cool, it’s gonna piss someone off.
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