A photo taken moments before "stupid" occurs...

k9medic

k9medic

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Sep 27, 2018
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N Central FL and GTC Bahamas when off work
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ATP-H, CMEL, CSEL, CFI/CFII Airplanes and Helicopters
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At an LZ near you
I was sitting on the taxiway, number 6 for take off behind a jet at a local towered field when the craziest thing happened. A Cessna 172 (with a call sign that is similar to a very famous large "car only" gas station) decided it was going to force it's way into the space between me and the jet and bacislly assume the #6 departure spot.

The 172 was inching closer so I figured it was going to simply pull closer from the run up area and wait to fall in behind me, but nope, that's where the stupid started. The 172 then squeezed between me and the jet with it's noe about 20' from the tail of the jet and it's tail about 10' off nose (no banana for scale.) This plane was then rocked for the next 3 minutes from the jet exhaust. I was monitoring both tower and ground and called the tower to see if he knew what was going on. The tower replied he had no idea what the 172 was doing. My reply was a curt, I don't think the 172 does either.

After departing and arriving back at my home airport, I called the tower to make sure that I didn't miss any radio traffic. The controller I talked to confirmed that I did not miss anything and that these events are quite regular with this operator.

No metal was bent and it didn't inconvenience me but I shake my head that a CFI would conduct such a dangerous (if not more uncomfortable due to the jet wash) event. Photo was taken before I moved up a little closer.

On a side note, I was picking up this little Muskateer to rent out as a time building aircraft. On the way home, I climbed to 10K at a leisurley climb rate of 150fpm solo. I shared this with a friend who promply noted "it's not a Muskateer, its a musty turd." I think that name will stick.
 

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On tower freq and the tower or ground controller did not direct the Cezzna to follow the Mouse? The CFI probably did not understand what a Mouse was. The Cezzna just moves around the taxiways as they desire and not as directed?
 
k9medic said:
I was sitting on the taxiway, number 6 for take off behind a jet at a local towered field when the craziest thing happened. A Cessna 172 (with a call sign that is similar to a very famous large "car only" gas station) decided it was going to force it's way into the space between me and the jet and bacislly assume the #6 departure spot.

The 172 was inching closer so I figured it was going to simply pull closer from the run up area and wait to fall in behind me, but nope, that's where the stupid started. The 172 then squeezed between me and the jet with it's noe about 20' from the tail of the jet and it's tail about 10' off nose (no banana for scale.) This plane was then rocked for the next 3 minutes from the jet exhaust. I was monitoring both tower and ground and called the tower to see if he knew what was going on. The tower replied he had no idea what the 172 was doing. My reply was a curt, I don't think the 172 does either.

After departing and arriving back at my home airport, I called the tower to make sure that I didn't miss any radio traffic. The controller I talked to confirmed that I did not miss anything and that these events are quite regular with this operator.

No metal was bent and it didn't inconvenience me but I shake my head that a CFI would conduct such a dangerous (if not more uncomfortable due to the jet wash) event. Photo was taken before I moved up a little closer.

On a side note, I was picking up this little Muskateer to rent out as a time building aircraft. On the way home, I climbed to 10K at a leisurley climb rate of 150fpm solo. I shared this with a friend who promply noted "it's not a Muskateer, its a musty turd." I think that name will stick.
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I'm curious what his ground instructions had been? Is it a free-for-all at the airport?
The airports I've been to have given me clearly defined instructions for allowing someone to pass, joining behind them, in front of them, etc. I don't think there should be much ambiguity about where you're supposed to go.

But yeah, I don't see myself wanting to be parked a few feet behind the jet engines just to move 1 spot up in the queue :oops:
 
Is it possible that he'd been sitting there long enough that he thought he was legitimately #6 and was trying to clear space out of the run-up area for someone else? Maybe the distance you left caused him to think that you were being courteous to him?
 
Like driving down the freeway with just more than a car length in front of you so you don't rear end the car you are following, then some jackwagon decides to merge over in that space.
 
Even if he was thinking nautical you'd have right of way
 
midwestpa24 said:
Like driving down the freeway with just more than a car length in front of you so you don't rear end the car you are following, then some jackwagon decides to merge over in that space.
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After I got back from the Philippines, I found New York City almost relaxing to drive in! lol
 
It sounds from your description that ATC was not controlling…which we normally expect them to do as a vital part of their job description.
I would have expected tower to tell the errant pilot to hold short of your taxiway (and if he fails to do that, no takeoff clearance, taxi down the runway to turn in behind you; plus Brasher)
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
It sounds from your description that ATC was not controlling…which we normally expect them to do as a vital part of their job description.
I would have expected tower to tell the errant pilot to hold short of your taxiway (and if he fails to do that, no takeoff clearance, taxi down the runway to turn in behind you; plus Brasher)
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Seriously, at that point ground is complicit with pilot actions. Especially after the phone call to tower. "Yeah it happens with Bucky planes." Sure nobody got hurt. But what's the difference between this mentality on the ground vs air.

That's garbage.
 
RyanB said:
Hate to say it, but the CFI pool is loaded with very low time pilots right now who are still in learning mode themselves. It concerns me.
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This has always been a problem. It's even more of a problem since COVID. But I spent about a month on Reddit r/flying and I couldn't take it anymore. CFIs asking student pilot level questions every day.

And they're making their way to a 121 near you. I've seen some doozy ASAP reports. Returning to gate and having to find a replacement crewmember because you realized you forgot your medical cert. while taxiing to the runway is probably the most interesting one I can share without getting in trouble.
 
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Self-important jerks are not exclusive to the highways. Sadly some of them become pilots and even instructors.
 
ERAU has some issues too, so I don't think it's specific to any particular program. I flew into Palatka the other day and there were 6 training planes landing with a 7kt tail wind because nobody could process how to "turn the airport around." Ceilings were marginal VFR and one poor pilot was on a solo in the pattern. It took myself and an aircraft on an IFR approach to get that wagon fixed when we entered the pattern.

I have also noticed a huge increase in the apparent lack of functional English amungst may pilots in the training pipeline. This is not neccessarily new but it certainly contributes to the chaos.

In the early 2000's the Delta Connection Academy had a large contract in Florida with a foreign airline that had similar ESOL issues. They pumped these "pilots" through at a record pace.

252 hour CFI's teaching new pilots has and will always be dangerous. I should know, I was there once too...
 
RyanB said:
Hate to say it, but the CFI pool is loaded with very low time pilots right now who are still in learning mode themselves. It concerns me.
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It has always been so... My primary CFI got hired by the airlines at 1500 hours 22 years ago. The pipeline is just a lot wider now so the quantity of low time CFIs is larger whereas the quantity of grizzled graybeard veterans is the same as it ever was.

The other difference is that with airline hiring the way it was 2021-23, *everyone* was getting hired at 1500 (or sooner) whereas it used to take some people longer.
 
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