A method of operating a magnetic tape within a tape drive. The tape drive comprises a tape head, which shows a tape-bearing surface meant to face a front side of a magnetic tape, in operation. The tape-bearing surface comprises a transducer area. This area includes at least one transducer, which is a read or write element configured to read or write to the magnetic tape, respectively. The method may include driving the tape (along a longitudinal direction of circulation thereof above the tape-bearing surface) and concomitantly ejecting a gas flow toward the transducer area. The gas flow ejected impinges on the back side of the driven tape (e.g., opposite to the front side of the tape), so as to locally urge the front side of the tape against the transducer area and thereby read or write to the tape via said at least one transducer.