Landing Conflicts Avoided using Radio Communication
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 11:36 am
Have you ever been a few turns away from landing and suddenly seen someone else very near you who you hadn't noticed before? Suddenly your whole landing plan has to be rethought in a big hurry. And you ask yourself, "Why didn't I see this other pilot before?"or "Does this other pilot even see me?"
It isn't easy to scan the entire sky for other pilots while trying to concentrate on setting up a landing pattern. The task of spotting others in the pattern, or coming into it, becomes a whole lot easier if you know someone else is there, or is going to be there soon.
So, I am requesting all pilots who have a radio to announce their landing intentions as soon as they cross the Gavina bridge. If you are coming in low, and need a priority landing, please announce it ASAP. This gives those in the pattern a chance to float around and delay their landings until the lower person lands.
This is the same procedure used for non-tower controlled airports. Pilots approaching the landing field announce their intention to land and report their positions, which tells other pilots that there is someone else to look out for.
I believe that landing conflicts present a significant safety risk to our pilots and we need to take a proactive approach wherever we can.
It isn't easy to scan the entire sky for other pilots while trying to concentrate on setting up a landing pattern. The task of spotting others in the pattern, or coming into it, becomes a whole lot easier if you know someone else is there, or is going to be there soon.
So, I am requesting all pilots who have a radio to announce their landing intentions as soon as they cross the Gavina bridge. If you are coming in low, and need a priority landing, please announce it ASAP. This gives those in the pattern a chance to float around and delay their landings until the lower person lands.
This is the same procedure used for non-tower controlled airports. Pilots approaching the landing field announce their intention to land and report their positions, which tells other pilots that there is someone else to look out for.
I believe that landing conflicts present a significant safety risk to our pilots and we need to take a proactive approach wherever we can.