They get paid by the minute, you pay by the minute, so win-win except for the one who pays for the calibrator…
I don’t know if it was @Dave_Phillips but talking about better etiquette than mine, yesterday some nice PA31 doing flight calibration voluntarily offered to orbit downwind so that we could continuing following the ILS (we were VFR and started 16 miles out) at southend.
Thank you!
Balliol wrote:
Ps in the military instrument approach traffic has priority over visual circuit traffic, not sure if that is true of civilian airfields off hand
Aircraft on final approach have “priority” over other traffic (actually, the wording in SERA.3210(c)(4) is that other traffic are obliged to give way). So yes, an aircraft on an instrument final approach would have “priority” over aircraft in the visual circuit.
I had a close encounter recently where I was flying a slow aircraft and another faster aircraft left going around so late that it appeared to some on the ground that he came within a few metres of my tail as I was landing. Obviously I was oblivious to the situation as I cannot be trying to look behind me while landing a taildragger.
`My aircraft is yellow, I was in full radio contact with the airfield A/G service, so why leave it to almost crisis point with a very low go around?
Maintaining circuit height, turn towards the runway and cross just to the dead side and continue the circuit pattern. This should re sequence you and any further joining traffic will have to give way to you.
Ps in the military instrument approach traffic has priority over visual circuit traffic, not sure if that is true of civilian airfields off hand
Balliol, how would you go around from a point on say mid downwind, if catching up with someone?
I ask this because I have just had a lunch with someone who narrowly survived a nasty crash where the primary cause was much slower traffic ahead, and then it was compounded by a distraction which reduced the speed further. The AAIB report is not out yet so I am not saying more. But it will be a learning experience.
I don’t know the right answer but if it was me I would turn away from the circuit and sod off for 10-20 minutes. Airfields are like petrol stations… you get 5-10mins of manic traffic and then a gap.
Not convinced about initiating a glide approach when you are number 2 to something ahead, I would say it contravenes the SERA requirement to conform to the traffic pattern formed by other aircraft / is likely to lead to more disruption and potentially distract the other aircraft unfairly.
However, I agree most circuit issues are definitely caused by people flying inappropriately wide circuits. People then doing all sorts of bizarre wide downwind and extending just then adds to the chaos and safety risk.
Ps I get a lot of blank looks from pilots when asking them about going around in the circuit – a lot of people think you have to persist with a bad situation down to short final then go around, when actually you can go around at any point in the circuit if required.
Some 152 fly circuits more appropriate of a Concorde (minus the speed!). So ameam numbers, aka if they don’t mind a glide approach in front of them and let them know will go around if it gets tight for them. Never had complaints. Needs to be somewhere where you can exit the runway quickly too (backtrack won’t obviosuly work).
But truth be said I think I mostly do that when having fun in the circuit, and make these touch and go anyway
Do you mean shorting out the base leg?
I have seen that done but in most cases the pilot doing it didn’t judge it right and the aircraft which was flying the longer track had to go around.
A glide approach is also a good way to step in front of slow aircraft making a long downwind. Obviously with a courtesy call beforehand
