Sport Pilot Talk

So, was doing touch and goes with my instructor at an untowered airport close to our home field. Called out on CTAF, heard traffic on final for 18. Winds mostly clam, shifting 2 -4 knots here and there back and forth. We approached and called out our insertion into downwind for landing on 18 as another plane called out taking off on 18. Saw him on runway, good separation, all good. Then we called out our turn to base, followed by someone completely new calling he was on final for 36.

I got a quick lesson on going around. Also a "what if" that other plane couldn't land and would then be headed straight for us. After some chatter, the other plane commented that there was at the time a 4 knot wind from the north, and that just because everyone else was using 18 it didn't make it right. Which I countered that flying the opposite direction of everyone else regardless of the wind is "not right".

Lesson learned - always keep a sharp eye and ear out for the unexpected acts of other planes.

Probably best not to get into an argument with the guy over the radio. If the wind had truly shifted, you could simply easy over to the right and make a downwind to 36. On the other hand, if the wind was still favoring 18, he could have done the same.

That can happen at these small airports in class G airspace. Just last week in a period of about 20 minutes we had aircraft take off or land on 3 of out 4 runways. Also be aware that there are airplanes flying around out there that are not talking on the radio.

What's worse than that is someone calling out that they are landing the correct direction, but actually landing the wrong way. I had that happen last summer at a busy fly-in at a small grass strip.

This also happened to me during my training a few years ago at an uncontrolled (pilot controlled) field. Runway 10/28 was in use and winds favored 10. Standard is left traffic on all runways here. Another pilot radioed saying he was 3 miles west and would enter the downwind for 10 and join local traffic.

Next thing I see is him coming head on with me and my instructor while we were on the left downwind leg for 10. He was very confused and was actually on a right downwind leg for 28. My instructor quickly took the control and we banked right at what seemed like 90 degrees to get out of the pattern.

Then all we hear on the radio is "oops, sorry about that". I wanted to say WTF! Then he disappeared all together.

When in the pattern, eyes outside and listen carefully, things are not always as they seem.

Of course we all need to look out for what I've called "Mature Onset Dyslexia"!

It happens to the best of us. I remember calling Miami Approach inbound from the Bahamas and reporting 30 miles west.

I further recall being cleared to taxi to 9R at Hollywood N. Perry and being queried by ground why I had turned eastbound on the parallel taxiway.

Re: the thread title...

https://youtu.be/_akwHYMdbsM

I've had my moments, I called up AEX tower and said I was 10 miles to the west inbound when i was really to the east, luckily the controller managed to catch it, and traffic was light so I got a bit of laughter and a comment about dyslexic pilots instead of a chewing on that occasion.

On more than one occasion at an uncontrolled field with an instrument approach I've had to modify my runway selection or discontinue my use of a crossing runway when IFR pilots shoot their approach. Sometimes no matter if it is VMC or what the wind is doing IFR pilots will use the runway with the RNAV and ILS in this case to shoot approaches. Just got to work around it, and most times they are very nice about it and let everyone know way ahead of time.

Then there is that guy in the Cirrus that does not care where the wind is, he's taking off from the runway end closest to his hanger. Not joking, he's well known around here for taking off with a stiff tailwind just because he hates to taxi. My CFI warned me about him, and he's been on my radar ever since, luckily he uses a radio so at least you can tell when he's about to mess the pattern up...

Untowered airports can be frustrating sometimes. A few weeks ago I was doing a touch and go at a local airport. I called my pattern all the way around, and as I turned final:

ME: "Experimental 509CT, turning final runway 17, touch and go."

SOME GUY: "Seminole 123AB is on a two mile final, runway 35"

ME: "Seminole, you have two airplanes using 17, I'm on final for 17 now..."

At this point I see the Seminole on short final for 35, almost at the fence.

SOME GUY: "Yeah, we're short final for 35, but we're going missed so no problem."

ME: "509CT making a right turn out and exiting the pattern, I don't want a Seminole pointed right at my face."

As I was turning out I saw the logo on the Seminole of a local flight school. He was training students that it's totally cool to have two airplanes on short final for opposing runways. After all, what could go wrong? It's not like he could have had a failure and actually needed to land.

Sigh...

Or that you could have gone to a missed approach and have flown straight ahead.

foresterpoole wrote: ....
Then there is that guy in the Cirrus that does not care where the wind is, he's taking off from the runway end closest to his hanger. Not joking, he's well known around here for taking off with a stiff tailwind just because he hates to taxi. My CFI warned me about him, and he's been on my radar ever since, luckily he uses a radio so at least you can tell when he's about to mess the pattern up...

Yeah, my personal annoyance is people who are not using (don't have ) a radio. In this day and age of cheap portable radios it is stupid for FAA not to require one.
Yeah, yeah, I understand that having and using a radio is no guarantee ( bad frequency etc ) but , still , nothing is guaranteed and the overall safety is a combination/chain of factors and , not having a radio, is a big hole in that chain imho.

We do have at our airport , what my wife likes to call " the Mad Max people" , quite a few ultralights without radios and it is always unnerving on a calm summer day when they are in the pattern.

It is not uncommon for instrument training flights to make an instrument approach to a different or even opposite runway if that's the approach they want to make. However, they should do a good job of communicating what they are doing, where they are, and that they will "break it off to the west," etc. so as not to interfere with traffic in the pattern.