Why do schools teach into-wind engine checks regardless of wind speed?

Yak 52 nose wheel steering tends to be tricky in situations like that!

Not a problem with Yaks, they got no nose wheel steering at all. You just operate the hand brake lever at the stick and do full right or left rudder and add power. No foot brakes either, just the lever at the stick. So differential braking at main wheels with “hand brake” will turn the plane around easily . Vic

Cant comment on the Cessna, but wrt the Yak, could it be that he was being considerate and displaying good airmanship by turning at an angle so as not to do a run-up with the potential for someone unseen close behind? I actually try to turn slightly off-axis if Im aware of someone possibly taxiing behind me when I do power checks.

Regards, SD..

Yaks or Sukhois don´t overheat at all in these situations. But I suspect a flight instructor on board teaching runups in wind direction only – stupid really. My idea in that airfield photo would be to go into the parking area and point the Yak slightly to the left side so the prop wind will go to the right into the green. So less turning action to get out of there onto the taxi way. So airfield politics my guess . . . . Vic