Would you do it? Check out this video of two pilots flying a Cessna into Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
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How about “do what your comfort level allows” and let’s not dictate someone’s individual inadequacies and low comfort/skill level to the whole universe, which includes all sorts of pilots who have no problem fitting in their little 172, Cherokee 140, etc. competently into busy airspace and landing in Class B. Conversely, if pattern work at a non tower field is your comfort level, and I’m guessing from the responses from Ray and Lee it probably is, stay there.
Tim, my comfort level is fine as you suggest at a non-tower airport, as it is on parallel ILS, CAT III ILS, or the back of An aircraft carrier after a combat mission. (Experience: B777, B747, ++, 5 Navy single seat fighters, Gulfstream, Stearman cropdusting)
I have had twice in my airline adventures been forced to go around on short final with 200+ pax because a Cherokee was too slow or not off the runway…..because the poor coordination between the controller and the pilots did not provide safe spacing. Not too cool, is it?
My comments were not meat to insult anyone, just common sense safety not to mix 175k approach speeds will 90k where controllers are not experienced with the resulting situations.
How nice, I would have much rather flown into Meigs Field.
Unfortunately you’ll need to speak with the mayor about that .. Seems his friends got a little over zealous with their toys one night and viola .. ” Meigs field .. all gone ! ” ..
Why ? Because a story comes with it. There are no answers, just stories. Do things that create them.
Why Not! I say that is a great and inspiring experience for a couple of young pilots aspiring to one day become professional pilots.
Now, whether anyone in the ground or pattern appreciated this the answer is probably not. There is also the question of safety (wake turbulence), jet blast while moving around in the ground, etc. O’Hare moves large aircraft at a very fast pace and expect it’s pilot to fly the approaches at high speed and tightly spaced. Unless they have a runway for small aircraft (I don’t recall), fitting a small Cessna in the flow must have been a challenge. Well, I guess that if done very early in the morning hours it is probably OK.
I had the unique opportunity to work as a regional jet pilot out of O-Hare last year and it was awesome (didn’t last due to abysmal pay, but that is another story). You where expected to keep moving as fast as you could both in the air as in the ground (fly all the way to the FAF at 180 kts and not much taking in the ground, just move it). Just taxing around O’Hare is an experience I am never going to forget (part fun part horrifying). Being next to all those large aircraft in one of the busiest airports in the world was very very inspiring.
But, if it can be coordinated so that it is done safely, I say more young pilots should be allowed to experience it.
Regards,
Chris
Why?
No one needs another dog on the football field!
Ray, I’m with you. The answer “Because we can, or the mood struck us, or it seemed like a good idea at the time” never impresses me. It seems like a good way to annoy those in power enough to think something like “Maybe only commercial and passenger aircraft should be allowed into Bravo airports.” A good friend talked me into flying to Chicago and landing at Midway in my C-172. Never again. A smaller satellite airport like Schaumburg would have worked just as well, perhaps better. We were just in their way. Departing, I got into a conga line of 20 or 22 737’s waiting for takeoff. A controller finally sent me down a taxiway and across the active runway “WITHOUT DELAY” to a smaller, parallel runway so I could just get out of there and out of their way. Flying SE, the stream of incoming landing lights looked like an Interstate highway at night. Wake turbulence, anyone?