Taxi on Slippery Surfaces.

I have taxied many aircraft types on slippery surfaces but never a nosewheel RV.

So my question is, with brakes for steering, how hard is it to taxi on wet snow or ice (assuming that wind is not a factor)? Will the aircraft turn at 90 degree taxiway corners? Problems with snow in wheelpants??

Usually the snow around here only lasts 3 - 4 days and then is gone, today about 4" of wet snow and our hangar taxiway does not get plowed.

Ice is the biggest problem, snow not so much. If you have fair braking taxing is not a problem, just go very slow and use the rudder. Sometimes adding alittle power will give you some additional rudder command. Practice makes perfect.

Snow can be a problem..

in the wheel pants. If you take-off with snow packed in the wheel pants, it can freeze and lock up the tires. Not a good landing scenario.

Mel's comment is one reason why I don't taxi on loose snow/slush/ice.

I've taxied in 1-3" of snow / slush, never had a problem, maybe cause I have snow tires on the plane?

If we waited to fly without snow on the runway or taxi we wouldn't fly from Oct - April.

Taxi on Slippery Surfaces

Expanding and clarifying the intent of my origional question. - Has anyone been on packed snow or glare ice and found that the wheel brake does not have enough traction to turn (swing) the nose wheel thereby causing a situation where one will have to shut down the engine and turn the aircraft by hand?

I landed my 6A on a runway that was glare ice on the whole surface. Freezing rain had occurred the day before. The brakes were utterly ineffective, but the rudder was more effective than normal at slow taxi speeds (could slide the nose one way or the other without pivoting the nose wheel). However, once stopped, the brakes could be used to nudge the nosewheel one way or the other.

There was a crosswind of perhaps 5 to 7 knots, and for the takeoff, one had to used whatever rudder it took to keep the plane centered on the runway, which didn't mean that the nose was pointing down the runway.

I frequently have taxied up to the hangar when the ramp was mostly ice, and yes, at slow speeds, the brakes will allow turning "on a dime". Use caution however - engine thrust will cause you to move forward a bit during these turns.

Thanks Alex

Thanks Alex,
That was the type of information I was interested in getting. One never knows what to expect the first time one encounters this situation.
Glad to hear RV's are capable of cautious operation on ice, I was expecting that if I got on glare ice that I might have to shut down and turn the aircraft by hand.

Have had B737 main wheels slide sideways on taxiway until reaching sanded centerline but at least one can assist steering & stop using forward/reverse thrust.