Is it true that commercial flights unable to move reverse?

Yes most of these are correct in that reversers can be used to back away from the gates. This is most effective with clam-shell (or bucket reversers) as they create a stronger vector. FOD and soft target damage is a concern and usually why this isn't used.


But the real safety reason for me has to do with other safety reasons not ';tipping';. Unlike the other answers state this used to be a pretty common practice with 737's until Air Florida flight 90 crashed after this procedure stuffed snow and ice in the front of the engine ultimately leading to its crash into the Potomac river.





Tipping only plays into the 727 series as far as I know.Is it true that commercial flights unable to move reverse?
I've never seen an airplane move in reverse on it's own power with the exception of a Harrier. Jets and propellors only work in one direction, forward.





The Harrier does it with a trick called ';vectored thrusting'; where it can adjust it's exhaust to go down and a little forward to keep it in the air and push it backward. Even so, it's not that fast.Is it true that commercial flights unable to move reverse?
Many aircraft can including jets, turboprops and some piston aircraft with reversing props (Convair 340/440).





But most don't reverse in this manner because of safety and the potential for damage to the aircraft and ground equipment.





Air Florida flight 90, a Boeing 737-200, used reverse thrust to back up from the gate after the tug couldn't push it back because of icy conditions. The reverse thrust threw ice and snow into the engines and blocked sensors for the engine instruments. When it went to take off, only partial thrust was applied when the instruments said full thrust and the aircraft crashed.
Yes they can go in reverse. The use of thrust reverser's. The thrust reverser is used when an airplane is landing as method of braking.
RH is correct, but another reason for not using the thrust reversers for getting away from the gate on an airplane with wing-mounted engines is that the airplane could tip backward... and that causes some damage...
Clearly they can't fly in reverse, so I take it you mean on the ground. In that case, the answer is ';sometimes';. Most if not all modern airliners have thrust reverse which aids the braking action on landing. But it CAN be used to move the plane backward.





This is generally only actually done with a couple of models, DC-9/MD-80 series planes, and 727s. That's because they have ';T-tails';, with the engines mounted high above the ground.





Aircraft with engines under the wings would blow everthing all over the place, including people standing in front of the plane. So it's usually prohibited, although technically possible.
I've seen Southwest airlines jets using thrust reversers to push back from a gate. It was either on youtube or flightlevel350.com.





They can reverse, but I've heard they really shouldn't under a certain speed, I've heard it was about the chance of the engines sucking up the exhaust. (Can someone confirm?)
No, most modern jets and turboprops can back up with their thrust reversers to get away from the gate and to slow the aircraft on landing
Conventional fixed wing commercial aircraft can't fly backwards but they can and often do taxi backwards on the ground when necessary for brief positioning and maneuvering. Jets use ';thrust reversers'; in the form of metal panels which redirect a portion of the engine thrust to forward. Turboprops change the angle of the propeller blades to accomplish the same purpose.





Aircraft with piston engines do not have this ability.
I believe that your asking if it is possible for a commercial aircraft to move backwards.





In the air, no





on the ground yes, although it is very rarely done under the aircraft's own power. The reason for this is that since it requires the use of reverse thrust, powerbacks- as they are called cause a great deal of noise, use fuel, stress the engines out, increase the possibility of Foreign object damage (things getting blown by the reversers back into the engine intake, or into another aircraft), and pose a substancial risk to ground crew.





In larger aircraft with wing-mounted engines eg. 757, 767, powerbacks are specifically forbidden in the flight-ops manual.





In smaller aircraft with tail-mounted engines, powerbacks are done only when a tug is not available.
It probably can w/ thrust reverser. But for the safety of others and airplane, airports leave that job to the tow truck since pilots can't see what behind the airplane.
Airplanes usually Jet and turbine (basically a jet engine with a propeller) utilize TR's or Thrust reverser's. these are usually used to slow the airplane down after landing. This is why it is so loud just after landing. They are not recommended to back an airplane up but it can be done. The thrust reverser's work by have two sheets of metal being closed behind the engine sending the engines thrust foward. It is the same concept like backing up a jet ski.
some military planes can do it. i've heard about people nudging them some with the thrust reversers. the prob with TR's is that they are still producing 40% thrust in the normal direction.
Many propeller planes (turbo props) are able to back up under their own power.


The prop blades go to a negative angle, called beta mode. Besides using this for breaking action after a landing it can be used for reversing on the ground.


It is very noisy and marchallers have to be present for safety
I rode on an Airtran flight and we pushed back from the gate using reverse thrust. It was a Boeing 717