[TopCat]

Once that’s disconnected it’s quite easy to use your hands for wind and feet to steer.

Climb into wind, dive away from wind

At risk of adding a shade too much nuance for the newer students...

The purpose of this advice is slightly different in nosewheel aircraft from tailwheel aircraft. I'll just talk about nosewheel, as it's what most students learn in.

Steering while on the ground is easier, the less the load on the nosewheel. Especially on grass, as it can dig in, and become difficult to turn. So into wind, you hold the stick back to 'raise the nose'. It won't come off the ground, of course, but the wind over the elevators will push the tail down, and hence take the weight off and make it turn more easily.

The elevators work in the opposite sense if the relative wind is from behind. Hence the advice for stick forward if you're taxying downwind.

However, that spinning plank of metal at the front is blasting air backwards, so you need to be taxying downwind in quite a strong tailwind before the wind experienced by the elevators really is from behind.

So if the tailwind is only a few knots, stick forward is the wrong thing to do - you still want stick back.

You can see the effect of elevator on the ground - while stationary, pointing into wind (and conversely, downwind to see the opposite effect), with the engine on, move the stick backwards and forwards. You'll see the pitch change slightly.

and ailerons turn into wind.

This is only true in a headwind, by the way.

It's ailerons into wind if it's a headwind, but the reverse if it's a tailwind. This is because the ailerons work the opposite way too, if the wind is from behind.

The purpose of this is to prevent the wing lifting in strong gusts.

If you think about where to put the controls to suit the wind, I suspect it will be easier not to try to use the yoke as a steering wheel.

[lobstaboy]

And remember that the slipstream effect over the elevators (that means you've got to be in a strong tailwind before the airflow over the elevators is really from behind) does not apply to the ailerons because they are not in the propwash, just in the wind.
So taxiing in a strongish wind from a rear quarter can be hard to get your head round...

[TopCat]

And remember that the slipstream effect over the elevators....does not apply to the ailerons because they are not in the propwash, just in the wind.

Good point, I'd forgotten about that.

[abiopete]

172 does, yes, through springs. This will have "lag".

Taxi it like you're just using the rudder and airflow and you won't go far wrong...i.e. don't expect the nosewheel to move in time with the pedals! It does mean you can fine tune it and it isn't like driving a wheelbarrow...

Nailed it, this was it. I was trying to turn on brakes. Had no idea the rudder did anything on the ground and didnt know it wasnt a fixed front wing .

Maybe one of those 'stupid questions' i should've asked!

Still not perfect but now confident i'll be ok.

[VRB_20kt]

Excellent!!

[David Wood]

And the three 'levers' you have to help you turn tightly are:
Rudder Pedals - usually (but not always) connected to the nosewheel by springs;
only when you've run out of Rudder Pedal effect, Differential Braking to brake (but NOT lock) the inside wheel;
and if that's not quite enough, then a judicious blast of prop-wash to 'energise' the rudder.

If you get as far as the last then do make sure that the stick is held firmly back.

But you're instructor has shown you all this, right? If not, he must. Taxiing is a much overlooked 'flying' skill and a surprising number of accidents happen whilst manoeuvring on the ground. Don't ask me how I know that...

[Crash one]

I've always worked on the system of “move the stick downwind, in moderation! As in a strong quartering headwind full aileron might not work as the into wind aileron may tend to lift the wing, depends on the wind strength! Hard and fast rules of “one size fits all” are not necessarily a good idea.