truck on runway

Clark1961

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Okay, made the usual hop of FTG --> DWX today. Nice clear sunny day with relatively light winds in the hills. Approaching DWX noticed a "glint" from the runway from about three miles out. Maybe something on the runway I tell my pax. At one mile it is clear there is a vehicle on the runway. Not good. No notams and they evidently didn't hear my radio calls. Not surprising...it's a sleepy little field. I made a low approach and got the attention of the folks with the truck.

As I was flying downwind they manage to pull the truck off the runway onto the grass immediately beside the runway and about midway down. Crap, they trust me a lot more than I do. I have no way to communicate that they really should move further from the runway for all of our safety. Decided to land just past the vehicle since there was still 3,000 feet of runway. Not a big deal but not something I routinely plan to do. Couldn't take the time to talk to the folks 'cause I was running late as it was. Sure wish I could have had a level headed chat with them about airport safety.

I'll call the airport manager to discuss but doubt if anything gets communicated to the contractors or hay farmers. Anybody got better ideas on how to handle this?
 
Air-to-ground missle with appropriate STC?
 
I struggle with this at our field all the time, especially with the farmer who works the land all around the runway and taxiway. Keeping him and his equipment off the active surfaces is a real challenge.
 
You will find a truck on our runway every morning. Usually, I'm in it. It is called "Morning Inspection". But I do have a radio.
 
You will find a truck on our runway every morning. Usually, I'm in it. It is called "Morning Inspection". But I do have a radio.

I got a real thrill at Arcata one day when we broke out at about 600 ft. and found a county truck tooling along the runway doing their inspection. He was monitoring the Unicom, which was as he reported, "just dead". (Not much VFR traffic in the pattern??? Really???) Two of our helos had just landed, and the common practice is to side step to the taxiway after crossing the threshold since the CG Hangar is right near there. Hadn't learned to do that in a 130 yet. Hopefully the up close and personal look at the bottom of our bird as we went over will stick with him was a reminder to listen to Center as well. :D
 
Meh. Go fly gliders you will get used to landing amongst vehicles and pedestrians. I've laughed my a55 off about transients whiny and scared on the radio because of a parked glider 20' off the runway. The world isn't a sterile place deal with it.
 
Meh. Go fly gliders you will get used to landing amongst vehicles and pedestrians. I've laughed my a55 off about transients whiny and scared on the radio because of a parked glider 20' off the runway. The world isn't a sterile place deal with it.

I'll bet your glider is a little easier to weave through ground traffic than a HC-130H :yesnod:
 
I've had to do a go around once at Shelter Cove because of a golf cart on the runway. (Yes, it's on a golf course.)
 
Meh. Go fly gliders you will get used to landing amongst vehicles and pedestrians. I've laughed my a55 off about transients whiny and scared on the radio because of a parked glider 20' off the runway. The world isn't a sterile place deal with it.

RSAs, OFAs, and runway protection zones are established at airports for a reason and you should be abiding by them. If you're not, then you're part of the problem and you are establishing a hazard for other aviators...regardless of how cavalier your attitude is about it.
 
Golf carts can make convenient airport transportation even when there is no golf course around. Like at Columbia.

Very true, at least to the extent you don't destroy them on landing.
 
Um - here's a wild idea. Stop and have a chat with the guy who is actually driving the truck? Mention to him that although planes are supposed to stay on the runway, occasionally it happens that they depart for destinations unknown due to a blown tire, or wind gust, or spastic reaction to a good landing. Ask if he would please move to the other side of the taxiway, or at a min 100 feet lateral from the edge of the runway.

Be nice, explain why, offer a ride and be a good ambassador.
 
Yeah cause most pilots suck at stick and rudder skills.:lol:

Or a flat tire, or a brake lock up, or a multitude of other reasons...

...Safety around an airfield is no :lol: matter...

...to most people...

...as an airport manager myself, I take it seriously...

...I'm sorry (and disturbed) that you don't...
 
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Um - here's a wild idea. Stop and have a chat with the guy who is actually driving the truck? Mention to him that although planes are supposed to stay on the runway, occasionally it happens that they depart for destinations unknown due to a blown tire, or wind gust, or spastic reaction to a good landing. Ask if he would please move to the other side of the taxiway, or at a min 100 feet lateral from the edge of the runway.

Be nice, explain why, offer a ride and be a good ambassador.

RE: original post -- Clark didn't have time to park the airplane, go find the perp, explain nicely the issues, then get to the hinterlands over questionable roads (if you can call them roads).
 
RE: original post -- Clark didn't have time to park the airplane, go find the perp, explain nicely the issues, then get to the hinterlands over questionable roads (if you can call them roads).

You have made my point. He couldn't make time to solve the problem, but there's enough time to tell someone else to make time to solve it.
 
You have made my point. He couldn't make time to solve the problem, but there's enough time to tell someone else to make time to solve it.

....and fight for Truth, Justice and the American Way:D
 
at night I drive the length of the runway in my car before each departure. You find all kinds of stuff out there in the dark. In the winter it's sleeping deer, in the summer it's snapping turtles and cars with teenagers making out. Given the choice I'd rather hit the teenagers, since the turtles rarely have insurance.
 
Um - here's a wild idea. Stop and have a chat with the guy who is actually driving the truck? Mention to him that although planes are supposed to stay on the runway, occasionally it happens that they depart for destinations unknown due to a blown tire, or wind gust, or spastic reaction to a good landing. Ask if he would please move to the other side of the taxiway, or at a min 100 feet lateral from the edge of the runway.

Be nice, explain why, offer a ride and be a good ambassador.

Of course you're right...I should delay my day to educate someone even though it'll cost my employer money. On second thought, no, I don't think so.

Maybe you have infinite time available. Other folks don't. Have a nice day.
 
I went to a sleepy little airport about this time last year. When I got there the air was so smooth I wanted to do some landings. Someone was out there cutting hay right next to the runway. I waited for him to make a turn away from the runway, but when he did he just stopped.

I went around and by that time he was cutting at the end of the runway and I thought he would be clear by the time I got there, but he stopped. I came around again and he was still sitting there.

I don't know if he didn't want me to land, or if he was parked there thinking it would be fun to have an airplane buzz over his head. I went around again and he was on the runway with the tractor with the cutter off the runway cutting.

At that point I gave up and flew home.

You would think that someone would brief them about proper procedures if they are going to be working around an open runway.
 
My mom, bless her I guess knows nothing of aviation. So, I'm leaving Winslow, and called to let her know I'd be at Rimrock AZ airport in about 35 minutes. When I get there, the runway is kind of on a table, and it slopes to the SW some, but the direction of the wind favors that direction. It's right traffic for that direction, and the road up to the airport ends right at the numbers, I think it's runway 23. There's her Ford, parked just to the left of the numbers, and she's standing out next to the car, waving at me. I rock the wings a bit, and she watches as I make a right base, right final, then fly somewhat over her car about 10 feet up. I kept to the right side of the runway, but it's not that wide.

Once I got on the ground, I had to ask why she parked there. She told me that's where the road leads, and she was just waiting for me. I told her next time, to go over to that big dirt lot and park there until I land.
 
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My mom, bless her I guess knows nothing of aviation. So, I'm leaving Winslow, and called to let her know I'd be at Rimrock AZ airport in about 35 minutes. When I get there, the runway is kind of on a table, and it slopes to the SW some, but the direction of the wind favors that direction. It's right traffic for that direction, and the road up to the airport ends right at the numbers, I think it's runway 23. There's her Ford, parked just to the left of the numbers, and she's standing out next to the car, waving at me. I rock the wings a bit, and she watches as I make a right base, right final, then fly somewhat over her car about 10 feet up. I kept to the right side of the runway, but it's not that wide.

Once I got on the ground, I had to ask why she parked there. She told me that's where the road leads, and she was just waiting for me. I told her next time, to go over to that big dirt lot and park there until I land.


That's some funny stuff. :D
 
Okay, made the usual hop of FTG --> DWX today. Nice clear sunny day with relatively light winds in the hills. Approaching DWX noticed a "glint" from the runway from about three miles out. Maybe something on the runway I tell my pax. At one mile it is clear there is a vehicle on the runway. Not good. No notams and they evidently didn't hear my radio calls. Not surprising...it's a sleepy little field. I made a low approach and got the attention of the folks with the truck.

As I was flying downwind they manage to pull the truck off the runway onto the grass immediately beside the runway and about midway down. Crap, they trust me a lot more than I do. I have no way to communicate that they really should move further from the runway for all of our safety. Decided to land just past the vehicle since there was still 3,000 feet of runway. Not a big deal but not something I routinely plan to do. Couldn't take the time to talk to the folks 'cause I was running late as it was. Sure wish I could have had a level headed chat with them about airport safety.

I'll call the airport manager to discuss but doubt if anything gets communicated to the contractors or hay farmers. Anybody got better ideas on how to handle this?

Word on the street is...... it was Henning driving that truck , coming back to haunt you...:yes::D.....

Ps.. you still owe me for him parking your company car in my private parking lot...:yes:;)
 
Meh. Go fly gliders you will get used to landing amongst vehicles and pedestrians. I've laughed my a55 off about transients whiny and scared on the radio because of a parked glider 20' off the runway. The world isn't a sterile place deal with it.

We hammer our pilots to push back at least to the hold short line. Draw that imaginary line through the infield and head it.

The runway is 60ft wide, so that's 30ft centerline to edge and maybe another 30ft to the hold short line.

Not much power traffic landing on the "glider" runway during glider ops, other than the tow plane. The Grob is 60ft (17.2m) wingspan. A 20m glider will have the span beyond the runway edges.

Then you get that pilot or student that lands everywhere except on centerline.
 
I got a real thrill at Arcata one day when we broke out at about 600 ft. and found a county truck tooling along the runway doing their inspection. He was monitoring the Unicom, which was as he reported, "just dead". (Not much VFR traffic in the pattern??? Really???) Two of our helos had just landed, and the common practice is to side step to the taxiway after crossing the threshold since the CG Hangar is right near there. Hadn't learned to do that in a 130 yet. Hopefully the up close and personal look at the bottom of our bird as we went over will stick with him was a reminder to listen to Center as well. :D
How far out did you announce on CTAF?
 
I got a real thrill at Arcata one day when we broke out at about 600 ft. and found a county truck tooling along the runway doing their inspection. He was monitoring the Unicom, which was as he reported, "just dead". (Not much VFR traffic in the pattern??? Really???) Two of our helos had just landed, and the common practice is to side step to the taxiway after crossing the threshold since the CG Hangar is right near there. Hadn't learned to do that in a 130 yet. Hopefully the up close and personal look at the bottom of our bird as we went over will stick with him was a reminder to listen to Center as well. :D

Why monitor center? I know of no airport maintenance crews that monitor more that the local CTAF or Tower freq. What good is to a non pilot to hear, "n123X, final approach fix for 21"
 
Why monitor center? I know of no airport maintenance crews that monitor more that the local CTAF or Tower freq. What good is to a non pilot to hear, "n123X, final approach fix for 21"

I was monitoring center/approach because when you are on an instrument approach they really, really, insist you do that. :yesnod:
 
How far out did you announce on CTAF?

Typically when IFR into an airport that was below VFR minimums we would monitor but not announce unless we heard traffic. The guy running the FOD check for the expected commercial flight stated later that he didn't announce on the Unicom because he knew no one was flying in the pattern.
 
Typically when IFR into an airport that was below VFR minimums we would monitor but not announce unless we heard traffic. The guy running the FOD check for the expected commercial flight stated later that he didn't announce on the Unicom because he knew no one was flying in the pattern.
Classic case of everyone thought someone else would do something.

Be proactive, rather than reactive.
 
I was monitoring center/approach because when you are on an instrument approach they really, really, insist you do that. :yesnod:

I understand that. We were taking about a maint crew on the ground. No need for them to monitor approach, he's on CTAF.

When I was trained, it was the responsibility of the IFR pilot on approach to not only listen/monitor ATC, but to also announce on CTAF the arrival into the airport.

Airports in Class G, pilots only need 1 mile VIS and clear of clouds to be in the traffic pattern.

Sure you were monitoring the CTAF while on approach, but timing is everything. The truck makes an announcement on CTAF that he is accessing the runway, micro seconds before you start to monitor. You say nothing during the approach, and the driver knows not that you want the runway.
 
Buzz the crap out of them, come up from behind with some speed, this ground vehicles understand.
 
Buzz the crap out of them, come up from behind with some speed, this ground vehicles understand.

Let us know when you are coming. We'll make a point of staying off of the runway for you - and leave the sleeping coyotes lie - and the stuff they have drug up to play with. You can buzz that. We do have a function.
 
I was monitoring center/approach because when you are on an instrument approach they really, really, insist you do that. :yesnod:
That's a new one for me. Why would a controller need you to remain on frequency rather than going to CTAF?

JO7110.65U
4-8-8. COMMUNICATIONS RELEASE
If an IFR aircraft intends to land at an airport not served by a tower or FSS, approve a change to the advisory service frequency when you no longer require direct communications.
 
That's a new one for me. Why would a controller need you to remain on frequency rather than going to CTAF?

JO7110.65U
4-8-8. COMMUNICATIONS RELEASE
If an IFR aircraft intends to land at an airport not served by a tower or FSS, approve a change to the advisory service frequency when you no longer require direct communications.

Well the obvious answer, at least to me, is that we were IMC until we broke out and went missed. I have never encountered an instrument approach where the controlling facility released you until you reported the field in sight, or they handed you off to another facility such as a tower.
 
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