Did not collide with Aeronca

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Sundancer

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Oops. . .an Aeronca rolled onto the numbers as I was on very short final today - very dark in color, almost merged with the asphalt runway. Our eyes are built to detect movement, especially peripheral vision, so I noticed him because he moved.

I called the "go", side-stepped to the right, and got the rare treat of flying, briefly, in low-level formation - it takes an Aeronca to make a Cherokee look fast.

I think he was using a hand-held with a rubber-ducky antenna; I just got bits-and-pieces of him being apologetic and maybe not hearing my calls. No harm done, we worked it out, and it was kinda fun. That thing "levitated" on climb out! Sometimes we make too big a deal out of events that truly aren't that serious.
 
Sundancer said:
Oops. . .an Aeronca rolled onto the numbers as I was on very short final today - very dark in color, almost merged with the asphalt runway. Our eyes are built to detect movement, especially peripheral vision, so I noticed him because he moved.

I called the "go", side-stepped to the right, and got the rare treat of flying, briefly, in low-level formation - it takes an Aeronca to make a Cherokee look fast.

I think he was using a hand-held with a rubber-ducky antenna; I just got bits-and-pieces of him being apologetic and maybe not hearing my calls. No harm done, we worked it out, and it was kinda fun. That thing "levitated" on climb out! Sometimes we make too big a deal out of events that truly aren't that serious.
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Giving people the benefit of the doubt... Something that doesn't happen enough these days! Glad crisis was averted!
 
Sundancer said:
Oops. . .an Aeronca rolled onto the numbers as I was on very short final today - very dark in color, almost merged with the asphalt runway. Our eyes are built to detect movement, especially peripheral vision, so I noticed him because he moved.

I called the "go", side-stepped to the right, and got the rare treat of flying, briefly, in low-level formation - it takes an Aeronca to make a Cherokee look fast.

I think he was using a hand-held with a rubber-ducky antenna; I just got bits-and-pieces of him being apologetic and maybe not hearing my calls. No harm done, we worked it out, and it was kinda fun. That thing "levitated" on climb out! Sometimes we make too big a deal out of events that truly aren't that serious.
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I really love your attitude about it - 100% of the sharing information about a potential safety event and 0% silly drama!
 
I think the aeronca being immediately apologetic may have helped. That or just being an Aeronca in the wild
 
Good situational awareness on your part, and good, calm reaction to deal with the problem. Well said above about avoiding drama makes solving problems much easier and gives better outcomes. Getting on the radio and "setting the other pilot straight" with a lot of screaming would not have helped and probably rattled the guy and caused more problems.
 
Yeah, he just missed my calls - maybe on a hand-held in a high noise environment, maybe no headset. I've been guilty of being on the wrong CTAF freq, missing an ATC call, botching a clearance read-back - plenty of opportunities to mess up over 50 years. . .there but for the grace of God. . .
 
Glad you had little to report.
 
You mean you didn't immediately file an ASRS report, call the FSDO, call the police, call the Governor, call the President, call the Pope? What kind of pilot are you!?
 
One of the many beauties of tailwheel airplanes is that you can so easily spin them around at the hold short line looking for traffic. Dope moment on the Aeronca pilot, but no biggie. Some people act as if having to go around on short final due to a runway incursion is the most grievous dangerous offense imaginable. Like imagine a car pulling out in front of you several hundred yards down the road. Doesn't exactly require heroic reaction skills.
 
I never really understood the angry "SOME GUY (cut me off, did this, did that)" when... in truth - 'there is this big sky', and you or me, and someone else, moving about this sky.

Of course we are going to end up close to each other from time to time.
Why immediately assume (and blurt to everyone else) how another's presence offended you.

Certainly, we can determine in each of these events there was a failure on one's part to use correct procedures, and that can be ascertained/corrected, and we can move on, like adults?
 
Tom Wells said:
Giving people the benefit of the doubt... Something that doesn't happen enough these days! Glad crisis was averted!
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Lots of people (everyone) do dumb things, Occasionally it is you (me) doing the dumb thing.

These kinds of events happen frequently and the system is generally designed to be able to handle it just like the OP did. Everyone should try to learn from these kinds of events and try to make the time between us doing the dumb things as long as possible.

Brian
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I like your constant and reliable sense of humor, half fast.
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upload_2023-1-12_14-11-36.gif


I’m under house arrest at the moment. Just had a blue light treatment for pre-cancers and I have to stay indoors for a couple of days. Add to that, SWMBO is out of town at a riding clinic (horse) this week.

Consequently I’m sitting around bored stiff.
 
midwestpa24 said:
You mean you didn't immediately file an ASRS report, call the FSDO, call the police, call the Governor, call the President, call the Pope? What kind of pilot are you!?
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... and where's the U-Toob video so that you can make mucho moola from the 1/2 dozen POA views it would have gotten? How can we blame you if we don't have any evidence to review?

Seriously ... good pilotage!
 
Timbeck2 said:
Kick his arse…Sea…Barse!
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You know… most folks just do not know who Sea Bass was…

for those who don’t, he was NHL hall of Famer Cam Neely.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/038DxvTnV6bv8NEUSM35zbwmQ

038DxvTnV6bv8NEUSM35zbwmQ
 
Sundancer said:
Oops. . .an Aeronca rolled onto the numbers as I was on very short final today - very dark in color, almost merged with the asphalt runway. Our eyes are built to detect movement, especially peripheral vision, so I noticed him because he moved.
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It's funny you couldn't see it because it was very dark in color. Someone will know the exact story, but I think it was during a test flight of the Champ, they almost got hit by another plane. They then came up with the bright yellow and orange paint scheme to make it more visible.

Like others have posted, I like your attitude about it. No harm, no foul. He made a mistake and apologized for it. I can't tell you how many times we heard someone say they were on final when I was getting ready to take off and we couldn't spot them immediately. Like you mentioned, our eyes detect movement, but there's little movement in a plane coming directly at you.
 
I had one instance of a plane pulling onto the runway when I was short final. It was on my IFR practical test. (Yes, I passed. Not a big deal - we just slid to the right. It was the last maneuver, so test was over at that point).
 
Thanks for the heads up,nice report without all the drama. A reminder to be super vigilant at uncontrolled airports. Any pilot can make a mistake at any given time.
 
one pet peeve of mine is watching pilots taxi to the end of the runway with a good view of the Base and final then turn 90 degrees to face the runway and stop at hold line with their back to the Downwind and in high wings that blocks the view of the Base leg when if they would just stop facing downwind they would have a good view of the Base, final and even some of the Downwind.

Watched a guy do this just today. When I see people do this I almost expect them to pull out in front of me and a good percentage of the time they do. Or start to roll as I am making the radio call that I am on Base, since I know they can’t see me.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
I'm fine with someone taking off if I'm on base - I'm not flying a speed demon - plenty of room and time.
 
Sundancer said:
Oops. . .an Aeronca rolled onto the numbers as I was on very short final today - very dark in color, almost merged with the asphalt runway. Our eyes are built to detect movement, especially peripheral vision, so I noticed him because he moved.

I called the "go", side-stepped to the right, and got the rare treat of flying, briefly, in low-level formation - it takes an Aeronca to make a Cherokee look fast.

I think he was using a hand-held with a rubber-ducky antenna; I just got bits-and-pieces of him being apologetic and maybe not hearing my calls. No harm done, we worked it out, and it was kinda fun. That thing "levitated" on climb out! Sometimes we make too big a deal out of events that truly aren't that serious.
Click to expand...

I had something similar happen during flight training. Plane ahead of me landed and was taking longer than expected to vacate. I was just about to say something when my instructor told me to go around and ATC at the same moment said the same. As was mentioned, it was kind of fun and educational to see how even at a towered airport, plans can and do go out the window when unexpected events occur. Switching from landing configuration to takeoff in the air, that close to the ground, was an eye opener. Trim is your friend!
 
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