jpower
Cleared for Takeoff
As I mentioned in my other thread from yesterday (aircraft checkouts), we had a very interesting experience with a total wacko pilot. I first picked him out as we were heading back to do landing practice during my Remos checkout and pointed him out to my instructor. We both kept our eyes on him as we were cruising back to the airport at about 2000 ft, and as we were watching him, we realized that he was really really low, and that he was following the creeks just inland from the Chesapeake. We both thought he was a seaplane at first.
My instructor wanted to take a closer look, because we have some NIMBYs that can be pretty vicious, and he knows who a lot of the local pilots and planes are. We don't want NIMBYs calling Bay Bridge Airport and complaining about something we didn't do.
So we go down to take a closer look, and it's a Cessna of some sort, a 172 or a 182, red and white, but we couldn't get close enough to get an N number. By the time we turn around to go shoot landings, he's heading towards the area about a mile off the departure end of Runway 11, the active runway, at a few hundred feet. Not exactly a good place for a plane to be. My instructor calls out on Bay Bridge's CTAF that there's a guy there, and getting no response from him, tries the old CTAF to see if he's perhaps on that frequency. Nope, no response. So fuming we went back and shot landings. First two were bouncers, my first landings in the type. On our base to final turn for the third landing, our Cessna friend cruises right across the final approach path. It doesn't sound very dramatic when I write out out, but it was a midair waiting to happen. My instructor broke off and wanted to go get an N number, which we did. Those 12" numbers are pretty easy to read from far away! He gave the Cessna a vigorous wing wag in case he was looking our direction, and we headed back to shoot more landings.
When I was at the hold short line looking up on final, there he was, cruising at a few hundred feet off the approach end of Runway 11, still the active. I jumped on flight following at my first opportunity, and never heard from him again.
SOOO, feel free to discuss, fume, bicker, sympathize--do what you will. But this was definitely a good training moment for me. Though my instructor told me this many times, this really drove it home for me. Even though if there's nobody on the radio, KEEP LOOKING OUTSIDE. And keep a lookout for the loonies. Just because it would be stupid to do something doesn't mean someone isn't doing it right now.
My instructor wanted to take a closer look, because we have some NIMBYs that can be pretty vicious, and he knows who a lot of the local pilots and planes are. We don't want NIMBYs calling Bay Bridge Airport and complaining about something we didn't do.
So we go down to take a closer look, and it's a Cessna of some sort, a 172 or a 182, red and white, but we couldn't get close enough to get an N number. By the time we turn around to go shoot landings, he's heading towards the area about a mile off the departure end of Runway 11, the active runway, at a few hundred feet. Not exactly a good place for a plane to be. My instructor calls out on Bay Bridge's CTAF that there's a guy there, and getting no response from him, tries the old CTAF to see if he's perhaps on that frequency. Nope, no response. So fuming we went back and shot landings. First two were bouncers, my first landings in the type. On our base to final turn for the third landing, our Cessna friend cruises right across the final approach path. It doesn't sound very dramatic when I write out out, but it was a midair waiting to happen. My instructor broke off and wanted to go get an N number, which we did. Those 12" numbers are pretty easy to read from far away! He gave the Cessna a vigorous wing wag in case he was looking our direction, and we headed back to shoot more landings.
When I was at the hold short line looking up on final, there he was, cruising at a few hundred feet off the approach end of Runway 11, still the active. I jumped on flight following at my first opportunity, and never heard from him again.
SOOO, feel free to discuss, fume, bicker, sympathize--do what you will. But this was definitely a good training moment for me. Though my instructor told me this many times, this really drove it home for me. Even though if there's nobody on the radio, KEEP LOOKING OUTSIDE. And keep a lookout for the loonies. Just because it would be stupid to do something doesn't mean someone isn't doing it right now.