This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
I was holding short of the runway preparing to takeoff.
A PA18 made one radio call that they were entering a right base for Runway XX when left traffic is standard.
I continued to hold short of the runway.
Aircraft landed prior to the displaced threshold and runway, taxied to the runway entryway and stopped nose to nose with my aircraft.
Pilot made a motion with his hands that he wanted me to move out of his way so he could taxi past.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1840206
Aviation anarchy.
We used to joke about it—but it has become chronic & is not so funny anymore. Without the FAA, or some other agency, having a real-time, direct law enforcement response capability…like a “911”…it is only getting worse.
There aren’t enough printable adjectives to describe “pilots” (kind of an insult to that title)…that continue to operate aircraft with no regard for regulations, recommendations, basic common sense…or human life. I don’t understand why they have such a hard time…just…doing what is right.
Of course, folks like that don’t read things (assuming they can read) like General Aviation News, so I don’t imagine that they know, or care, how much disdain the rest of us have for them.
Curran
how about b nice pull over and take off? kill with kindness
Truly good idea but the challenge may have been the width of the area where the guy was holding short. May not have been enough room to pass each other?
Because ass%#&#@s don’t die easy. They just win and being the narcissist that they are, the winning reinforces their behavior. Nice guys will always loose.
I fear the pilot community is losing the mutual-assistance attitude. It sounds like the “me first, and only me” attitude is becoming more prevalent. It is a shame when a general society problem raises its ugly head in aviation. Forgiveness is required by and for us all, but at what point does forgiveness become enablement? The pilot of the PA-18 should be reported and counseled by a local airport manager or the FAA if that doesn’t work. Attitudes need to be corrected early or they become permanent.
They’re called traffic patterns for a reason. Patterns are predictable. Predictable is safety in a dynamic 3D environment.
This rates right up there with pilots thinking that because they call “straight in” from 10 miles out, that they have ROW….even with several other aircraft in the pattern. Nope. Read the reg.
Having said that, I’ll hold, extend downwind, even leave the patter when a pilot calls for a little consideration—power-off 180s, shooting practice ILS, high altitude engine out spiral practice to a stop, high speed taxi practice, fast-moving keroburners. If for no other reason than to watch the show. After all, that “special needs” pilot probably chose your little airplane patch because they wanted to be out of the way in the first place.
One of my continually-voiced soap box subjects while I’m doing my daily landing instruction in my little flight school is me complaining about the amazing amount of inconsideration shown by some pilots towards others. In my case, much of it it is actually being taught by CFIs in some of the other flight schools (there are four) on our airport. Even though a major amount of the traffic on what is the busiest single runway airport in the country (KSDL) is timed-release IFR jet traffic, the school airplanes will almost always taxi up and park right in the middle of the hold short line even though the run up area is huge with lots of space around the edges where we can park and let IFR traffic past. The many of the instructors do it, so their students do too. They act as if they own the airport and greatly inconvenience the traffic behind them. Rant over. Off my soap box.
No; you need to stay on your soapbox and rant until folks wake up!!!! Sounds like someone needs to arrange an airport user’s “Come to Geezus” meeting & air things out.
We see that same type of stupidity at our local Class D airport. We have three flight schools, including one ‘national brand’, that will all launch their fleets at the same time & absolute choke our single-runway operations. Imagine sitting behind 6, 7, 8 other ‘trainers’ while YOUR Hobbs is clicking off $12 bucks at a time.
Then they all come back to the traffic pattern at the same time & want to do touch & goes…and we wonder why the controllers get a bit frustrated.
I could not afford to train in a busy tower airport. I did it to get comfortable with the controlled environment since I was uncomfortable with flying into congested areas.
At $150.00 an hour, you would be lucky to get three T&Gs in an hour. Weekends are worse. But is was a good experience and I did get somewhat comfortable.
If I were the pilot waiting to takeoff, I would tell the guy who broke the rules in the first place to pound sand because I am not getting out of his way. And if I had a camera available take pictures of the event and send them to the FAA. Some people think that they are special, and rules do not apply to them.
The cynical side of me is thinking the reason why the rule-breaker wanted to get off quickly was to get away and hide from any ramp checks or the like.
This has to be the #1 Stupid pilot Trick !! arrogant stupidity !
Not only that, but a ‘careless and reckless’ FAR 91.13 should have been charged this pilot.
I’m wondering how the confrontation was resolved ? Since airplanes don’t have a reverse, did one of them turn , if there was room to make a 90 degree turn, or shutdown and push back, or, …???