Pushing down on the Elevator

[Bill Greenwood]

I don't know for sure, and I haven't read anywhere in any plane manual about this, like you do read prohibitions against moving one by pushing on the prop spinner. It doesn't look like the best practice, better to get a bar to attach to the nosewheel to move it.
I have often seen CFIs move a small Cessna by pushing down on the tail to raise the nosewheel off the ground so they can pivot the plane around. I think I have also seen gliders moved by pushing down on the nose to raise the tail wheel off the ground.

But if you think about it, it probably doesn't really do harm, we don't see airplanes crashing very often because the hor stab fell off after being moved like this.
Think about it, a standard Cessna 152 is built to stand 3.8 gs, I believe, some planes like some Beechs more than that, not counting acro or military planes.

So the stab can stand 3.8 gs, and when you push down you are not applying anywhere near that, maybe a 200 lbs man might push down 60 lbs. of force. You are not having Shaq jump up and down on the stab.