What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

"Interesting" afternoon at the airport

Ed_Wischmeyer

Well Known Member
This is an RV story because I was in the RV-9A, and it ends with an RV-12.

In the instrument panel is a nutplate with a screw broken off in it. On a previous trip to the airport, I played with different drill bit sizes, using the butt end to find one that would just fit into the nutplate. I then ordered an assortment of copper rods (half the price of brass), cut an inch long piece of that diameter and one that fit inside it, to use as a drill guide to try to drill out the screw.

The drill was a new 7 amp Craftsman that will turn faster than an air drill (!). It replaces my 50 year old Craftsman drill that still works, mostly. Speed doesn’t help drilling out steel – slow and pressure is the way to go – and the screw proved every bit as tough as the drill bit. Gave up, put things back together to go fly before the evening EAA meeting – not another plane was to be heard.

What I didn’t realize was that I was just in time for the evening airliner hour.

Takeoff was easy on Rwy 19, runway heading, then turn right for a right downwind, Rwy 10, cleared for the option. I don’t recognize the controller’s voice – maybe a new transfer, maybe a trainee, dunno.

A minute later, cleared touch and go only. Just touching down, was told to stop on the runway. Having been through a similar routine before, I explained that I could not legally do a Land And Hold Short. Tower observed that I was at taxi speed, and to stop on the runway to allow traffic crossing downfield, a bizjet waiting to take off. No problem.

A bit of background to explain the next confusion. Hunter Army Air Field. KSVN, is about seven miles away. It shows up in the FAA databases, hence on everybody’s navigation systems, as “Savannah.” KSAV, the big airport in Savannah, is named “Savannah/Hilton Head International.” It shows up in the Leidos briefing system as “Hilton Head.” Go figure. There is also a different Hilton Head airport at the north end of Hilton Head Island, KXHD.

So along comes a Bonanza whose pilot speaks like an older, good old boy. He reports airport in sight but the tower controller observes that he is headed towards Hunter, not KSAV. Maybe his onboard database is misleading. Over the next few minutes, the ever more exasperated but still polite tower gives the Bonanza vectors towards KSAV which are followed, sort of, and eventually the Bonanza is on right base for Rwy 10.

Meanwhile, I’m cleared for takeoff Rwy 10, runway heading, then the controller instructs they’ll call turn to left downwind for Rwy 19. Somebody, maybe clearance, had said this is the start of the airline hour, as mentioned above. I tell tower that I’ll make the next one full stop. The controller, pretty obviously, could stand less traffic.

Ahead of me in the traffic pattern is a Cessna 172 from the local flight school. I’m keeping a good distance behind them and ADS-B reports their groundspeed as 78 knots. Works for me, I’m at 80 knots airspeed.

So the C172 is on final for Rwy 19 but has to go around because a pair of F-18s is slow going through the intersection. The C712 is told to turn right, make left downwind for Rwy 10. I’ve not been cleared to land yet, but I’m also told to make left traffic for Rwy 10. The C172 is on final for Rwy 10 when the good old boy in the Bonanza reports that he has landed gear up. I wonder about airport confusion, airport name confusion, controller induced stress when the Bonanza had to be given vectors multiple times and the controller told him that he was not complying, etc.

C172, go around. (Again). "Make left traffic for Rwy 19, no, I meant right traffic."

With the airport now down to one runway, tower apologetically says that they need to get all pattern traffic on the ground. No problem for me, I’ve already volunteered.

Then comes an unusual call from the tower. “RV, where are you?” Oh, boy. “I’m in position to turn left base for Rwy 10, if it was open.” (Gear up Bonanza on the runway). Tower asks if I can see the C172 “ahead,” but ADS-B shows that he’s at my 7 o’clock. I say that he’s behind me. I volunteer to do a left 270 for right downwind for Rwy 19, but they have me turn right, directly onto right base for Rwy 19.

Ahead of me, the C172 is on final for Rwy 19. They tell him to go around (yet again) so emergency vehicles can attend to the Bonanza. Cleared to land, I cut the corner to get on the ground more promptly and fly directly towards the end of Rwy 19.

I ask for and receive permission for a long landing on Rwy 19, as my hangar is at the far end. Approved as requested.

I’m on a half mile final when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there’s a Southwest B737 on frequency, going 150 knots on a three mile final behind me. I ask tower if the long landing is still approved. No answer.

I ask again, and, with confusion on both sides, I take a taxiway earlier than originally planned. I’m glad I’ve got the constant speed prop as the prior fixed pitch prop would not have let me decelerate as quickly. As I cross the hold short line, I see the B737, wings dark with full flaps, bright landing lights, starting to flare.

When I call Ground, I say something like, “That was interesting,” eliciting an enthusiastic agreement.

As I taxi in, I hear another plane on frequency with the same abbreviated call sign as the RV-9A, but he’s a Piper Cheyenne.

I drop by the flight school and chat with the instructor who was in the C172. She makes the comment that the B737 “appeared out of nowhere,” so my situational awareness was not lacking there.

An interesting day at the airport, lots of lessons to be learned by lots of people, and not just pilots. I’ve filed my third ASRS report about airport name confusion – filed one on the same topic last week – and maybe this one will help.

Then to the EAA chapter meeting. Our program chairman died of cancer two weeks ago, the man who started the pizza shop 50 years ago died this past week, our president needs to resign because of a new job, our newsletter editor/webmaster is overworked and needs to quit, and membership has never recovered from COVID. We did have one new arrival who is building an RV-12.
 
Last edited:
Enjoyed reading your write up. Lots of lessons to be learned by just reading it however I’m sure you’ve had better days. Glad everyone is safe. I concur that the controller probably contributed to the “older, good old boy’s” gear up landing but it was still his responsibility to confirm his checklist was followed and a “safety check” completed before touchdown. Traffic congestion, surprising traffic and changing weather or runway conditions demand all pilots attention.

Even with my fixed gear RV7A I still do a safety check (including gear) on final. In the Air Force while upgrading to Aircraft Commander my local instructor bet me he could get me to land the KC-135 gear up. Being the confident pilot I took his bet knowing full well my superior skill level. After about an hour in a very empty pattern and receiving excellent landing technique instruction he told me to “go around “ about 100 feet off the ground. I said “what” and then asked him to repeat himself because I couldn’t hear him for the loud “horn sound” going off. It immediately occurred to me what was going on and did my go around too close to the runway. What an excellent way (though admittedly very dumb) to demonstrate how easy it is to do something stupid. I now always do a safety check on final (gear, flaps, fuel, prop and airspeed). It’s saved my bacon more than once.
 
Last edited:
A lot to consider

Thanks for writing this up, and the excellent follow up discussion I am sure we will all have. The situation you were in is a great case study for discussion.

This reinforces "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate" and how we must always focus on flying the plane first. The patterns we reinforce in ourselves during calm times help us when the stress level is high. I was reminded of the recent stall/spin death during a STOL competition where a faster plane was struggling to maintain distance behind a slower plane. With so much situational awareness required in a busy pattern with distracting logic flows to figure out we can easily be distracted from flying.

The closing paragraph was sobering. I hope we can all "cherish the day" as you never know when life will throw you a curve.
 
Exciting day for sure!! I just have one question.. if you’re on final, how did you know the Southwest jet was behind you? Having a hard time understanding how they came out of nowhere..

“ I’m on a half mile final when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there’s a Southwest B737 on frequency, going 150 knots on a three mile final behind me. I ask tower if the long landing is still approved. No answer.”
 
Exciting day for sure!! I just have one question.. Having a hard time understanding how they came out of nowhere..

“ I’m on a half mile final when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there’s a Southwest B737 on frequency, going 150 knots on a three mile final behind me. I ask tower if the long landing is still approved. No answer.”

A distracted or busy terminal or IFR side controller leading to a late hand off to tower and a congested tower frequency can all contribute the what was described.
 
A distracted or busy terminal or IFR side controller leading to a late hand off to tower and a congested tower frequency can all contribute the what was described.

Cockpit distractions can also lead to a forgotten switchover to Local and landing without checking in. Ask me how I know. (Thanks to the kinder, gentler FAA and our Pro Stans for letting us off the hook.)


Don't know if you can still do this post-9/11, but I always brought my pre-solo students up to the Tower for an hour or so, and if it was quiet at the flight school I'd sometimes go up and spend some time with them, apologize for whatever had happened and pre-apologize for whatever was going to happen, find out what the current hot issue was that was getting on their nerves so I would not do it.
 
Last edited:
A distracted or busy terminal or IFR side controller leading to a late hand off to tower and a congested tower frequency can all contribute the what was described.

Yep. Many years ago -when you could still select ‘ATC’ instead of music on an airliner - I was sitting in coach listening as we approached MSP. I clearly heard ATC call our flight number, with ‘Contact the tower’. From up front, silence. I estimate we were 300’ agl when the cockpit calls ATC: ‘Did you want us with tower?’ The short response from ATC can’t be written here (Doug’s rules against profanity). Someone up front called the tower just as we touched down.
 
Two things I just don't understand.

One... You can see a C-172 on your ADS-B. But the B-767 did not show up??

Two... As you were flying downwind for 19, how could not see a B-767 with landing lights ON, heading right at you??
 
Two things I just don't understand.

One... You can see a C-172 on your ADS-B. But the B-767 did not show up??

Two... As you were flying downwind for 19, how could not see a B-767 with landing lights ON, heading right at you??

Good questions!
* In the pattern, I was concentrating on the C172 ahead and the landing, watching for more surface traffic because the C172 had just gone around because of emergency vehicles on the runway. I wanted to make sure those two were off the runway (they drove down the runway, not on a parallel taxiway) and no more vehicles were following. I was not looking for the most unusual circumstance of an unannounced B737. Lesson learned! I was getting situational awareness from the radio and using ADS-B to track traffic ahead.
There a whole 'nother story to be told about what makes a good ADS-B display, and the current displays are not all that good for every circumstance. I wrote about that a year ago, https://airfactsjournal.com/2021/06/great-expectations-ads-b-traffic-uplink/
For example, ADS-B-in usually has an altitude filter so that, for example, airliners flying at 30,000 feet don't show up on the display. That kind of altitude filter works well in cruise for detecting other GA airplanes, but does not work around an airport where airliners are often talking to tower before they are low enough to be within an ADS-B altitude band and visible.
Lastly, other traffic becomes a "don't care" when you're getting close to touchdown.

* Never flew downwind to 19, it was a base entry. When cleared to land, I was concentrating on the approach, getting on the ground promptly. And landing lights are just that, for landing, with a relatively narrow beam of illumination. If the airliner is far away, there's a greater chance of seeing the landing lights. But if the geometry of the situation means that you're not almost in front of the airliner, landing lights won't help.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top