So There I Was...

....on my first post-engine inspection flight. The plan was to stay within
gliding distance of the field, "just in case", so I launched, made a wide
circle of the field, while climbing to 3,000' AGL. When on what was more or
less an extended crosswind, I made a descending 135 degree left turn and
called "Cartersville traffic, Experimental NXXX 2 miles southeast, inbound
on the 45 into the downwind for 19" (or something like that).

And the guy who'd been giving position reports from a different zip code
"NXXYY 30 miles North, inbound" responds on the radio and says "NXXYY is on
a 9 mile straight in, doing 180 knots". I look down and am clipping along
at 170 knots and am a mile from entering the downwind. That's very fast for
me in that relative position to the field, but I was dumping the altitude
I'd held in reserve since it was a post-maintenance flight. As I turn
downwind and announce, a C-172, which I know to be an instructor with
several students announces that he's departing and dawdles onto the runway.
So I extend for spacing from him and call my base turn.

Of course, the guy who was on the 180 knot straight in comes back with "You
understand there is an aircraft on short final"... I'd been looking for him,
and there he was, above my visual horizon, and on the other side of the 300'
hills that are a couple of miles North of the field. So I say "Yep", turn
final, and as I'm crossing the threshold, he announces "Meridian NXXYY is
going around".

Which leads to the age old question... Was there a better approach I should
have taken? My sense is that per the FAR's (altitude being the key factor),
I had precedence for landing. Also, my sense is that he was the one who was
smoking along all the way to short final and he could have meshed with the
existing traffic (me) if he'd pulled the throttle back a bit. Instead, he
probably burned an extra 5 gallons of Jet A on his go-around...

Yeah, I know... I'm hard headed too, but I don't see where flying a faster
airplane and calling a long, long, straight in approach means the other
aircraft in and around the field need to defer to you... Heck, my airplane
is faster than 90% of the GA fleet, and I'd never do that intentionally.

Oh, yeah. The post-maintenance flight went well. I had a surprising
experience once and that has made me pretty cautious on post-maintenance
flights.

KB

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
. ..
"NXXYY 30 miles North, inbound" responds on the radio and says "NXXYY is
on a 9 mile straight in, doing 180 knots".

Just thinking out loud here. Not trying to be a smart arse, and no, I've
never had this happen to me - yet!
At 180kts and 9 miles out, that means he'd be at the field in 3 minutes.
He's not in the pattern as such, so he can't see what's where. You're still
on downwind when he calls, so I'd have extended my downwind by a minute to
allow him through. Also, if you could see him a couple of miles to the North
when you turned base, at 180kts, he's on top of you in under a minute, so
it's obvious he's going to need to go around. Having said all that though,
you're right. If he pulled the throttle back a bit he could have saved
himself the go around.
Were any words exchanged once you were both on the ground?
Oz Lander

"Crash Lander" wrote in message
...
"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
. ..
"NXXYY 30 miles North, inbound" responds on the radio and says "NXXYY is
on a 9 mile straight in, doing 180 knots".

Just thinking out loud here. Not trying to be a smart arse, and no, I've
never had this happen to me - yet!
At 180kts and 9 miles out, that means he'd be at the field in 3 minutes.
He's not in the pattern as such, so he can't see what's where. You're
still on downwind when he calls, so I'd have extended my downwind by a
minute to allow him through. Also, if you could see him a couple of miles
to the North when you turned base, at 180kts, he's on top of you in under
a minute, so it's obvious he's going to need to go around. Having said all
that though, you're right. If he pulled the throttle back a bit he could
have saved himself the go around.
Were any words exchanged once you were both on the ground?
Oz Lander

Naah, no words, and I did several stop and go landings to conclude my
evening. I don't think the traffic conflict was a huge deal. It wasn't
like I was upset about the situation and he shouldn't have been either. I
just can't figure why he didn't try and blend into the light traffic. All
he had to do was pull the noise lever back a little. As far as extending my
pattern, you're right that it was an option. However, I was on a post
maintenance flight and wanted to stay close to the field, which meant I
didn't want to fly a big pattern. Also, I didn't think I needed to yield to
someone who didn't seem to be playing by the "rules of the road", whether
formal or informal.

Kyle Boatright wrote:
Naah, no words, and I did several stop and go landings to conclude my
evening. I don't think the traffic conflict was a huge deal. It wasn't
like I was upset about the situation and he shouldn't have been either. I
just can't figure why he didn't try and blend into the light traffic. All
he had to do was pull the noise lever back a little. As far as extending my
pattern, you're right that it was an option. However, I was on a post
maintenance flight and wanted to stay close to the field, which meant I
didn't want to fly a big pattern. Also, I didn't think I needed to yield to
someone who didn't seem to be playing by the "rules of the road", whether
formal or informal.


I don't see how he can claim any pattern rights from 9 miles out. He was taking
a chance and he knew it. Everybody who flies a long straight in knows he's
cheating a bit and may well get called on it and have to enter the pattern
properly after all.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
. ..
As far as extending my pattern, you're right that it was an option.
However, I was on a post maintenance flight and wanted to stay close to the
field, which meant I didn't want to fly a big pattern.

Fair enough too.

Also, I didn't think I needed to yield to someone who didn't seem to be
playing by the "rules of the road", whether formal or informal.

I never trust anyone to keep me safe but me. If he wants to push through, I
say let him, and live in the knowledge you've flown the safe flight. So what
if he gets down first. You've spent an extra precious minute doing what we
love most, and that's flying, not landing! ;-)
Oz Lander

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in message
...
Kyle Boatright wrote:
Naah, no words, and I did several stop and go landings to conclude my
evening. I don't think the traffic conflict was a huge deal. It wasn't
like I was upset about the situation and he shouldn't have been either.
I
just can't figure why he didn't try and blend into the light traffic.
All
he had to do was pull the noise lever back a little. As far as extending
my
pattern, you're right that it was an option. However, I was on a post
maintenance flight and wanted to stay close to the field, which meant I
didn't want to fly a big pattern. Also, I didn't think I needed to yield
to
someone who didn't seem to be playing by the "rules of the road", whether
formal or informal.


I don't see how he can claim any pattern rights from 9 miles out. He was
taking a chance and he knew it. Everybody who flies a long straight in
knows he's cheating a bit and may well get called on it and have to enter
the pattern properly after all.



I'm with you, Mort and Kyle both. Granted, sometimes you have to go above
and beyond the call in the interest of safety, but the guy was just wrong.
From a controlled field with clearance, a nine mile final can be considered
standard procedure. And if he was a jet, that's probably what led him to
make such an approach. But at an uncontrolled field that's nonsense. He
should have started adjusting, or making other plans when he hear Kyles
call. From nine miles out, he could have just as easily ran down upwind leg
and flown a full pattern.

Well don't feel bad, he was being an idiot. He thinks he can do that
because he is watching traffic on his tcas. He is just assuming
everybody has a working transponder. If he is such a good pilot he can
try joining the vfr circuit.

If you mentioned a nordo plane, that would get his attention.

Good thing you spoke up.

Kyle Boatright wrote:
...on my first post-engine inspection flight. The plan was to stay within
gliding distance of the field, "just in case", so I launched, made a wide
circle of the field, while climbing to 3,000' AGL. When on what was more or
less an extended crosswind, I made a descending 135 degree left turn and
called "Cartersville traffic, Experimental NXXX 2 miles southeast, inbound
on the 45 into the downwind for 19" (or something like that).

And the guy who'd been giving position reports from a different zip code
"NXXYY 30 miles North, inbound" responds on the radio and says "NXXYY is on
a 9 mile straight in, doing 180 knots". I look down and am clipping along
at 170 knots and am a mile from entering the downwind. That's very fast for
me in that relative position to the field, but I was dumping the altitude
I'd held in reserve since it was a post-maintenance flight. As I turn
downwind and announce, a C-172, which I know to be an instructor with
several students announces that he's departing and dawdles onto the runway.
So I extend for spacing from him and call my base turn.

Of course, the guy who was on the 180 knot straight in comes back with "You
understand there is an aircraft on short final"... I'd been looking for him,
and there he was, above my visual horizon, and on the other side of the 300'
hills that are a couple of miles North of the field. So I say "Yep", turn
final, and as I'm crossing the threshold, he announces "Meridian NXXYY is
going around".

Which leads to the age old question... Was there a better approach I should
have taken? My sense is that per the FAR's (altitude being the key factor),
I had precedence for landing. Also, my sense is that he was the one who was
smoking along all the way to short final and he could have meshed with the
existing traffic (me) if he'd pulled the throttle back a bit. Instead, he
probably burned an extra 5 gallons of Jet A on his go-around...

Yeah, I know... I'm hard headed too, but I don't see where flying a faster
airplane and calling a long, long, straight in approach means the other
aircraft in and around the field need to defer to you... Heck, my airplane
is faster than 90% of the GA fleet, and I'd never do that intentionally.

Oh, yeah. The post-maintenance flight went well. I had a surprising
experience once and that has made me pretty cautious on post-maintenance
flights.

KB

And the guy who'd been giving position reports from a different zip code
"NXXYY 30 miles North, inbound" responds on the radio and says "NXXYY is on
a 9 mile straight in, doing 180 knots".

At this point did you know he was a Meridian?

If so, I'm with you. That guy can fly a 90 knot final, so for him to
be calling out a final approach at 180 knots is just absurd.

If, on the other hand, you didn't know what type of airplane it was
(and your narrative, above, doesn't specify) I'd have extended my
downwind. Just in case it was a Gulfstream or some other fast jet.

Either way, the other guy was wrong, and you were right. But there's
"right", and then there's "dead right"....

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
And the guy who'd been giving position reports from a different zip code
"NXXYY 30 miles North, inbound" responds on the radio and says "NXXYY is
on
a 9 mile straight in, doing 180 knots".

At this point did you know he was a Meridian?

No, I didn't. I actually *thought* he was a Bonanza because of
transmissions from a nearby field. I'm not sure, but he may not have
mentioned his aircraft type until the go-around.


If so, I'm with you. That guy can fly a 90 knot final, so for him to
be calling out a final approach at 180 knots is just absurd.

If, on the other hand, you didn't know what type of airplane it was
(and your narrative, above, doesn't specify) I'd have extended my
downwind. Just in case it was a Gulfstream or some other fast jet.

Either way, the other guy was wrong, and you were right. But there's
"right", and then there's "dead right"....

Ain't that the truth.


;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Apr 10, 9:18 pm, "Kyle Boatright" wrote:

Yeah, I know... I'm hard headed too, but I don't see where flying a faster
airplane and calling a long, long, straight in approach means the other
aircraft in and around the field need to defer to you... Heck, my airplane
is faster than 90% of the GA fleet, and I'd never do that intentionally.


Similar experience at my home field (1H0), im on a left downwind,
there's another guy rolling down 34. I turn base, and just catch a
flicker of something out of my peripheral vision. I look to the right
and there is a small white jet on a long final (probably 5-6 miles).
A half second later comes the call, "Beechjet final straight in 34".
It's obvious from his tone that STL Approach just dropped him off to
the CTAF frequency. I make a call telling him where I am, and that I
would be abort my landing and instead side step to the upwind and go-
around. He landed behind me.

So I went around again, taxied in, put the bird away in the hangar,
and then while driving back, drive over to give the guy a wave. He
thanked me several times over for not making him go around, we
exchanged some discussion about how approach can sometmies do that to
you, etc. All in all a nice experience.

I figured he's probably a transient, and being a jet, its harder for
him to go around than me (especially in the tight class B airspace
confines around 1H0. Plus he's burning more $$$'s per minute than I
am.

So for the $3 it cost me to go around, I hoped I spread some goodwill
and made the pilot feel better about visiting 1H0 (instead of the
pricier SUS).

'Course what I really wanted was a tour of the plane, but he was
loading up the rental car by the time we were talking and the plane
was already buttoned up.

As an aside, anybody ever build 2 push to talk's in their aircraft
yokes (experimental or otherwise) I don't know how many times I'd
love to have a second PTT to talk on COM2 while im monitoring both
frequencies. Without having to turn the "transmit" dial on my
intercom.

On GPS practice appraoches into uncontrolled fields I usually make a
call or two as im navigating the approach (without being with
approach) just to let other airplanes in the area know im out there.
It would be helpful to do this on actual IFR approaches into
uncontrolled fields.

I would think it would be a function of the intercom system more than
anything else. Anybody ever done it? Seems like it would be a neat
thing for the experimental crowd.

Brian