Skyhawk_310R
December 28th, 2013, 19:31
Well, flew my 310R from Portales to Lubbock to G&G Avionics to get a GDL-88 and GTX-330ES installed. This will give my 310R full ADS-B support. Well, to facilitate this ferry flight, my friend and minority owner of the 310R agreed to fly my Skyhawk to Lubbock. He was supposed to fly the 310R over there as part of his AMEL training, but his instructor could not make the flight so that's why he flew the Skyhawk.
Well, he took off from Portales about a half hour ahead of me and yet with the 310R's speed advantage, we ended up arriving at Lubbock about the same time. I was able to hear his coordination with approach and tower and he was cleared for runway 26. Approach gave me a choice and I told them I could land either runway so choose the one that worked best for their traffic flow. I figured they would give me 17R and they did.
Well, things started to get interesting when approach and then tower called out the Skyhawk, which I knew was my Skyhawk being flown by my friend. First, the traffic calls was a reasonable twelve o'clock at five miles which I had not a chance of seeing. There was a bank of clouds that I figured obscured that vantage point. But, then for some reason I could not at the time wrap my head around, suddenly the traffic call was amended to ten o'clock at three miles! Well, that shocked me and I made a greater effort to locate the traffic. Still could not see him and it was time for me to configure for landing on 17R. I was only five miles west and if I did not start slowing down I'd be too hot to land!
I then heard the tower instruct my friend to fly downwind for runway 26. Well, that means with me hitting the base leg perch for 17R he ought to be flying away from me and in front of me. This clarification was given to me after I asked tower if he wanted me to slot in front on the Skyhawk or maneuver to remain behind. Once tower explained he was going to 26 it suddenly made sense that it was not a factor. Or, at least it shouldn't have been!
Suddenly, with me configured to make a 90 degree right turn from a 090 heading to turn final to 17R, I heard tower give a traffic alert call for MY Skyhawk at 12-o'clock and only two miles! Holy cow! How could that be! But, sure enough, I looked over my nose and saw my Skyhawk on what appeared to be a short final approach to 17R! Holy moly!
I turned left to get behind the Skyhawk and asked tower if he wanted me to perform a left 270 turn, which if he agreed to I knew would give sufficient spacing for the Skyhawk to get out of the way. Tower agreed and then proceeded to excoriate my friend for confusing the runways! I was cringing, half expecting to hear the dreaded, "Give me a call at this number statement!"
Fortunately, the tower guy remained cool about it and the left 270 did the trick and got the needed spacing. I figured given all the confusion, I wanted to confirm I still had landing clearance, so I asked tower if I was still "approved" to land 17R. I don't like using the "cleared to land" term as I think that should only be uttered by tower. Tower confirmed I was and I landed.
Meanwhile, I heard my friend on the radio apologize profusely to tower. He's a really good pilot and I can only imagine what he was going through realizing he not only made a traffic pattern error, but that the dude he cut off who was approved to land on 17R was the dude who owned the airplane he was flying and was majority owner of the 310R he owns a ten percent stake of!
When he taxiied up to G&G Avionics, I walked up with a big grin on my face and gave him a bit of good natured ribbing! He felt horrible! I told him no worries and remarked that is why pilots have to keep their scans up even at a towered airport. The tower guy was pulling double duty on a Saturday, maintaining taxi traffic in his frequency. He was cool as a cucumber throughout it all and did an excellent job keeping me advised of the traffic's location. Being below me and to my left, that can be a real blind spot, and with me going so much faster on final approach, one wonders what might have happened if I did not see my Skyhawk and made that 90 degree right turn to final!
It is possible I might have literally crawled right up and from on top of my own Skyhawk! Like I wrote, you gotta keep your head up out there!
How ironic that this very installation will give my 310R traffic from the ADS-B datalink displayed on my Garmin 530W. That active type of displayed traffic (very similar to TCAS) would have really helped me understand what was really happening!
Ken
Well, he took off from Portales about a half hour ahead of me and yet with the 310R's speed advantage, we ended up arriving at Lubbock about the same time. I was able to hear his coordination with approach and tower and he was cleared for runway 26. Approach gave me a choice and I told them I could land either runway so choose the one that worked best for their traffic flow. I figured they would give me 17R and they did.
Well, things started to get interesting when approach and then tower called out the Skyhawk, which I knew was my Skyhawk being flown by my friend. First, the traffic calls was a reasonable twelve o'clock at five miles which I had not a chance of seeing. There was a bank of clouds that I figured obscured that vantage point. But, then for some reason I could not at the time wrap my head around, suddenly the traffic call was amended to ten o'clock at three miles! Well, that shocked me and I made a greater effort to locate the traffic. Still could not see him and it was time for me to configure for landing on 17R. I was only five miles west and if I did not start slowing down I'd be too hot to land!
I then heard the tower instruct my friend to fly downwind for runway 26. Well, that means with me hitting the base leg perch for 17R he ought to be flying away from me and in front of me. This clarification was given to me after I asked tower if he wanted me to slot in front on the Skyhawk or maneuver to remain behind. Once tower explained he was going to 26 it suddenly made sense that it was not a factor. Or, at least it shouldn't have been!
Suddenly, with me configured to make a 90 degree right turn from a 090 heading to turn final to 17R, I heard tower give a traffic alert call for MY Skyhawk at 12-o'clock and only two miles! Holy cow! How could that be! But, sure enough, I looked over my nose and saw my Skyhawk on what appeared to be a short final approach to 17R! Holy moly!
I turned left to get behind the Skyhawk and asked tower if he wanted me to perform a left 270 turn, which if he agreed to I knew would give sufficient spacing for the Skyhawk to get out of the way. Tower agreed and then proceeded to excoriate my friend for confusing the runways! I was cringing, half expecting to hear the dreaded, "Give me a call at this number statement!"
Fortunately, the tower guy remained cool about it and the left 270 did the trick and got the needed spacing. I figured given all the confusion, I wanted to confirm I still had landing clearance, so I asked tower if I was still "approved" to land 17R. I don't like using the "cleared to land" term as I think that should only be uttered by tower. Tower confirmed I was and I landed.
Meanwhile, I heard my friend on the radio apologize profusely to tower. He's a really good pilot and I can only imagine what he was going through realizing he not only made a traffic pattern error, but that the dude he cut off who was approved to land on 17R was the dude who owned the airplane he was flying and was majority owner of the 310R he owns a ten percent stake of!
When he taxiied up to G&G Avionics, I walked up with a big grin on my face and gave him a bit of good natured ribbing! He felt horrible! I told him no worries and remarked that is why pilots have to keep their scans up even at a towered airport. The tower guy was pulling double duty on a Saturday, maintaining taxi traffic in his frequency. He was cool as a cucumber throughout it all and did an excellent job keeping me advised of the traffic's location. Being below me and to my left, that can be a real blind spot, and with me going so much faster on final approach, one wonders what might have happened if I did not see my Skyhawk and made that 90 degree right turn to final!
It is possible I might have literally crawled right up and from on top of my own Skyhawk! Like I wrote, you gotta keep your head up out there!
How ironic that this very installation will give my 310R traffic from the ADS-B datalink displayed on my Garmin 530W. That active type of displayed traffic (very similar to TCAS) would have really helped me understand what was really happening!
Ken