Steering control in an aircraft equipped with a wheel drive system

A method for controlling steering in aircraft equipped with nose landing gear wheel drive systems for autonomous ground travel that reduces or eliminates forces on the aircraft's nose landing gear hydraulic steering system when the aircraft is turned to change direction of ground travel, comprising:

• a. providing an aircraft with a nose landing gear supporting a pair of nose wheels and a hydraulic nose wheel steering system controllable to swivel the nose wheels and turn the aircraft in a desired direction during ground travel;
• b. mounting a wheel drive system comprising an electric drive motor controllably powered to drive and steer the aircraft during ground travel without reliance on operation of aircraft engines within each one of the pair of nose wheels;
• c. providing controls for the hydraulic nose wheel steering system operable to control swiveling of the nose wheels and turning of the aircraft and controls for the wheel drive system operable to control actuation of the electric drive motor mounted within each nose wheel, speed of the aircraft during ground travel, and direction of ground travel operationally integrated with the hydraulic nose wheel steering system controls;
• d. operating the wheel drive system controls to actuate the electric drive motors and move the aircraft during ground travel and operating the hydraulic nose wheel steering system controls to swivel the nose wheels and turn the aircraft when the aircraft is moved above a predetermined speed by the electric drive motors;
• and
• e. when the aircraft is stopped or the aircraft is moving at the predetermined speed or at a speed lower than the predetermined speed during ground travel, operating only the wheel drive system controls and controlling actuation of the electric drive motors to turn and move the aircraft.