B767
 

For those 767 captains and f/o's out there I have an (ignorant) question. Does only the nose gear allow the aicraft to turn or does the main gear also flex/turn to allow turns (i.e. runway alignment.)? As I said, this is probably ignorant to ask but I've been in suspense since i first flew on one.

767/757 has a steerable nose gear only. The 777 and the 747 have steerable nose gear and main gear steering (on the main gear trucks).

Thanks for the info!

Why does the 737 taxi sideways?

What exactly do you mean by sideways? I've never heard of anything such as this.

Do the larger jets steer with a nosewheel tillar or rudder pedals?

The 747 uses primarily a tiller but can be controlled to a limited amount but the rudder pedals.
The 747 has a tiller for both the Captain and FO. They are mounted on the sidewalls. The Captain steers with his left hand and the FO steers with his right.

When you taxi beheind them, the longitudinal axis of the airplane is not lined up with the direction they are taxing. It's always just a little off.

I believe it has something to do with the nose-gear being mounted slightly offset from the keel beam.

EDPM

Wow! I fly 'em and I learned something new today!

Most Boeings (older model KC-135's excluded) have limited steering capability with the rudder pedals. The limited swing from the pedals is useful for clearing at a highspeed or for making small adjustments on the taxi line. The tiller is used for the big turns. I believe the Airbuses are the same in this regard although, I have been wrong in the past. The business jets I have flown were one or the other, that is either had a tiller OR had nosewheel steering.