Going Around

[96gs917]

Returning from KFOK in the Hamptons to KISP yesterday to do some pattern work and 3 or 4 touch and goes before calling it a day. Wind was out of the north at 11kts, gusting 19kts so a good opportunity to practice landings in less then perfect conditions. Very busy day, lots of students like myself in the pattern, a 737 waiting to take off, and about 4 other planes on the ground waiting to go. Tower sounded very rattled...she was making a few mistakes, plane numbers, and the like, but nothing dangerous. She just sounded overwhelmed.

First T&G was OK, not perfect, but acceptable given the conditions. I get back into the left traffic pattern, call my downwind leg and am told to continue downwind until advise. No big deal, I wait a while, she tells me to turn base, # 3 for T&G following a Cessna. I turn final, I see plane # 1 about a quarter mile from the runway, and I see plane # 2 about a quarter mile in front of me.
Plane # 2 must have been practicing short field T&G's because he was slow, and I was catching up pretty quick. Plane # 2 still has not touched down, when I almost get to the end of the runway about 100 feet. I say to my CFI, no way we can land, and sure enough, tower tells me to go around. A little late I thought.

I add power, reduce flaps by 1 notch, and start climbing out...problem is, the Cessna in front of me is now beginning his roll down the runway to take off and I am now literally right on top of him flying RH. Since it was a left traffic pattern, my CFI tells me to turn right and continue to climb. That's the closest I have ever been to another plane while in flight. My CFI wasn't phased, but I thought it was a little to close, separation was about 300-400 feet when I started my turn to the right to get out of his way.

Thoughts?

 

[frfly172]

A great learning experience. It all worked out,good job.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

Too close for comfort. Sounds like you did everything right though.
IMO if it were me, I would have requested a 360 on final when I felt it was too close. In a non towered field I would have just made the call and done the 360. so at a towered field I would advise them that I need to do that.

I had a very similar situation one time and it jarred me pretty good.
I saw the plane before the tower did (I think) and I told the tower I was going to do a 360 to avoid traffic.

Good thing is you got to go through it with a CFI and also see that he wasn't rattled.

Sounds like you guys handled it well.

 

[denverpilot]

Happens. No reason to continue if you can see it won't work. You call your own go around and add "and we will move to the right side" so everyone knows where you're going. Parallel runways can make this trickier.

 

[bobmrg]

I agree with Nate...never overfly an airplane on the runway. Slide over to the right so that you can maintain visual separation. We have parallel runways at Boeing Field, but they are far enough apart that moving a couple of hundred feet laterally does not impinge on the other runway's traffic.

Bob Gardner

 

[denverpilot]

I overflew an ultralight once, but it was pretty obvious he wasn't going anywhere since his hard landing snapped the cable holding his wing on, and he dragged the wingtips a couple hundred feet as a new kind of brakes. Impressive STOL capability. Or maybe just SL capability?

I was behind him in the pattern and he sounded pretty panicked on UNICOM, telling me not to land behind him and chop him into little bitty ultralight pilot bits.

Was at Ft. Collins Downtown airport, may it RIP.

[edit...]

I didn't land. I overflew him and went elsewhere, figuring he'd be on the runway for a while once he got someone from the FBO to come help him drag his airplane parts off the runway into the grass.

 

[jordane93]

Happens. No reason to continue if you can see it won't work. You call your own go around and add "and we will move to the right side" so everyone knows where you're going. Parallel runways can make this trickier.

. You can also ask for an early crosswind turn