- Joined
- Mar 10, 2018
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Since we've been talking about traffic pattern etiquette, here's another one for your consideration.
I took the Comanche out yesterday. As I was taxiing out, a Baron taxied out from the local A&P. He's not local on the field, I'm guessing he was doing a return to service flight after an annual or something. We did our run-ups and departed.
When I came back in about an hour later, I approached the field from the west, to land on 32. I was making position reports on CTAF. My ADS-B showed me traffic opposite direction, 700 feet higher. It looked like that same Baron. I set up for the pattern, making traffic reports, at about 3 miles, and entered the downwind. Meanwhile, the Baron had turned around and approximately followed me in, but faster. He was maybe a mile behind me, high and outside. I called "other traffic entering pattern, say intentions". Nothing. When I got about abeam the numbers, I got a traffic callout from the Baron, saying midfield left downwind. He was still slightly behind me, maybe 1/4 mile right, and still 600 feet above pattern altitude.
I called him back, asking if he had the Comanche traffic on downwind. He said no. I aborted the approach, turned left to cross the arrival end of the runway, still at pattern altitude. That didn't feel like the ideal thing to do for traffic avoidance, but I sure wasn't going to turn toward or under him. Nobody else was in the pattern, so it was pretty safe, if non-standard.
I went upwind and around again, he extended a bit and landed on 32.
It all worked out with no incident/accident, but sure wasn't great. If I hadn't had the ADS-B, I likely wouldn't have seen him. After the initial opposite direction sighting, I never did see him until I was back on downwind after my diversion, and he was on base. From the limited evidence I have, I suspect he had his radio off, or on the wrong frequency, or something, because he didn't hear my traffic callouts until he was on top of me in the pattern.
When I told my wife this story, she got all pissed off and said I should track down his tail number and report him. I'm not a big call-the-authorities guy, but maybe in this case I should do the community a favor and try to get some feedback to him.
I don't think I made any blunders in there, but if y'all do, please say so. I should maybe have aborted sooner, when he got close and I wasn't getting any radio traffic from him.
Standing by for roasting or other opinions.
I took the Comanche out yesterday. As I was taxiing out, a Baron taxied out from the local A&P. He's not local on the field, I'm guessing he was doing a return to service flight after an annual or something. We did our run-ups and departed.
When I came back in about an hour later, I approached the field from the west, to land on 32. I was making position reports on CTAF. My ADS-B showed me traffic opposite direction, 700 feet higher. It looked like that same Baron. I set up for the pattern, making traffic reports, at about 3 miles, and entered the downwind. Meanwhile, the Baron had turned around and approximately followed me in, but faster. He was maybe a mile behind me, high and outside. I called "other traffic entering pattern, say intentions". Nothing. When I got about abeam the numbers, I got a traffic callout from the Baron, saying midfield left downwind. He was still slightly behind me, maybe 1/4 mile right, and still 600 feet above pattern altitude.
I called him back, asking if he had the Comanche traffic on downwind. He said no. I aborted the approach, turned left to cross the arrival end of the runway, still at pattern altitude. That didn't feel like the ideal thing to do for traffic avoidance, but I sure wasn't going to turn toward or under him. Nobody else was in the pattern, so it was pretty safe, if non-standard.
I went upwind and around again, he extended a bit and landed on 32.
It all worked out with no incident/accident, but sure wasn't great. If I hadn't had the ADS-B, I likely wouldn't have seen him. After the initial opposite direction sighting, I never did see him until I was back on downwind after my diversion, and he was on base. From the limited evidence I have, I suspect he had his radio off, or on the wrong frequency, or something, because he didn't hear my traffic callouts until he was on top of me in the pattern.
When I told my wife this story, she got all pissed off and said I should track down his tail number and report him. I'm not a big call-the-authorities guy, but maybe in this case I should do the community a favor and try to get some feedback to him.
I don't think I made any blunders in there, but if y'all do, please say so. I should maybe have aborted sooner, when he got close and I wasn't getting any radio traffic from him.
Standing by for roasting or other opinions.
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