Run-Up Area Etiquette

ETres said:
As others have replied, it's poor etiquette and inconsiderate.
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This sums it up. The pilot wasn’t thinking with a full deck - clearly.

Before you do your run-up, you should be thinking about where your prop blast is going. An open hangar? A group of people? An aircraft?

All things to consider and be mindful of.
 
This happens. At 17 years old back in 1981 I can definitely see myself doing this and worse. I am sure that I did.

I think the idea of a professional, but firm call out on CTAF would be appropriate. I learned a lot from old timers chewing my butt out when I did something stupid in the pattern or on the ground. Now that I am an old timer I have empathy towards those young pilots (or inexperienced) but that does not mean that I won't tactfully and with discretion have a conversation with them.
 
A couple weeks ago, I had just finish refueling when a guy literally did his run up 40 yards away and prop blasted the **** out of me. He could have taken the runway or at least made a slight left turn so his prop blast wasn’t directly at me or just given me another 10 minutes and I could have moved and been out of his way. I sat there, at the fuel farm thinking what a douche bag! He finally took off and stayed in the pattern. When I departed I thought about saying something to him on the radio but I figured it wasn’t worth it. He looked to be in his late 60s early 70s and I’m sure nothing I could have said would have made an difference.
 
So...when you're getting blasted by some pilot at the runup area...is it taboo at some airports to call the offender on CTAF and ask him to please point his airplane in a different direction? Maybe he's just not aware and would be happy to comply, horrified to learn that he's committed such a breach of etiquette ....
 
MacFly said:
So...when you're getting blasted by some pilot at the runup area...is it taboo at some airport to call the offender on CTAF and ask him to please point his airplane in a different direction? Maybe he's just not aware and would be happy to comply, horrified to learn that he's committed such a breach of etiquette ....
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This. Never attribute to malfeasance what can be reasonably attributed to cluelessness. A friendly reminder on CTAF to not aim one's propwash at another aircraft might suffice, and but for the most dense, a safety courtesy to remember for the future.

How else to explain runups aimed at the open maintenance hangar or in the parking area aimed at the fuel farm?
 
Llk said:
Huh.
Manners?

Sorry to feel particularly cynical. I went to seminary school when I was very young; I came to the States at 17, was always amazed at the politeness and kindness of Americans (I was born here but raised abroad), and yet, virtually everything I came to know as a young man has all but disappeared in various neighborhoods I've lived in in California. Most people don't know their neighbors in most places here, a bit different than my time in Illinois or Massachussetts, and people don't seem to agree on most anything these days. Politeness and manners? Only a matter of time before our airports become even more polluted with rudeness, sadly.

This also extends to flying - I've been cut off during final even though they had acknowledged me on the pattern; I've seen countless departures within a mile final with no regard, regardless of whether I was in my 172 or Turbo Mooney. Towered airports bring a modicum of improvement, but even there things get odd at time.

Being parked at the end of a runway troubleshooting a mechanical issue would usually invite other parties to come and lend a hand; these days, talking to strangers without an invitation seems rude to many.

I miss the old days...
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These polite communities still exist, in the midwest. At GA airports around here people sit around waiting for someone to help or chat with. Even on the road, if I pop my hood to check something, I often get someone come with a jumper cable asking if I need help. I have to politely tell them I am fine. It feels like I am depriving them of their need to help someone. There are lots of great folks out there still.
 
sarangan said:
These polite communities still exist, in the midwest. At GA airports around here people sit around waiting for someone to help or chat with. Even on the road, if I pop my hood to check something, I often get someone come with a jumper cable asking if I need help. I have to politely tell them I am fine. It feels like I am depriving them of their need to help someone. There are lots of great folks out there still.
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I made a comment about 6 months ago: My daughter was moving about 12 hrs away. She was driving the truck and trailer, and I was following. We stopped for gas and had to figure out how to get back onto the highway. We both had scoped the stop out ahead of time on Google Earth, but the image was several years old and the off ramp and a few other access roads had been changed. It wasn't as simple a job as it seemed, especially with a trailer. I went inside to ask someone at the counter about how to get back to the on-ramp, and got a complicated set of instructions. "Oh, with a truck and trailer? Go to that light, turn left, make a u-turn, cut across that road, ..." There was a FedEx delivery driver there who overheard. He said, "Follow me, that's where I'm going." We weren't quite ready to leave, so he said he'd make the drive and we could watch where he turned. He did, we watched. A few minutes later we followed his lead. What we didn't know was that he had circled around a 2nd time and was waiting for us to make sure we made it OK. We saw him watching us while we were making our way back. There are still good people out there, lots more than you think.
 
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Similar situation, but I was the offender: at KLKP, there were a ton of people and their gliders camped out (literally, with tents) at the departure end of the runway. So, I was taxing to depart from runway 32. The camp full of gliders and people were on the right and left of the numbers (not on the runway itself). Elevation is ~1800', so I needed to use the full runway. They were ****ED when I went full RPM on the runway to take off. I'm not sure what they were expecting me to do - take off from opposite runway (with tailwind)? Depart from a few hundred feet away (reducing my runway length)? Not sure I know what the protocol is here- anyone know?
 
I was taught to not only be aware of the prop blast during runup, but also during engine start.

(I know, a small trainer barely makes enough wind to blow away the smell, but later on in bigger planes I was still in the habit of checking behind me before starting engines)
 
I've also been both the victim and the offender... Did the normal "turn 90 degrees to line up with parking space" thing once. Guy in the next-door parking space was working on his engine. Came up to talk after I'd shut down, asked me if in the future I could please shut down first, and turn the plane the 90 degrees by hand, so as not to spray him with gravel. He was polite about it. I apologized. The conversation was effective. I changed my habits and am much more aware now.

Speaking of "lessons learned"... I once parked right behind a jet at a fly-in, because I thought it was one of the static displays. Turns out it wasn't! When the jet folks wanted to leave, a team of friendly (and strong) airport people drove up in a truck. They parked the truck in front of my 172 to block some of the jet wash, and grabbed ahold of the 172 struts to keep it from being blown away. You know you're a pilot when you have stories that begin with "I was such an idiot..."
 
nj-pilot said:
Similar situation, but I was the offender: at KLKP, there were a ton of people and their gliders camped out (literally, with tents) at the departure end of the runway. So, I was taxing to depart from runway 32. The camp full of gliders and people were on the right and left of the numbers (not on the runway itself). Elevation is ~1800', so I needed to use the full runway. They were ****ED when I went full RPM on the runway to take off. I'm not sure what they were expecting me to do - take off from opposite runway (with tailwind)? Depart from a few hundred feet away (reducing my runway length)? Not sure I know what the protocol is here- anyone know?
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I vote for let them be mad and you fly safe.
 
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