I want to thank the Controller KCHD

E

evapilotaz

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Feb 13, 2012
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Gilbert AZ. VFR All Year Baby
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Drone airspace abuser
So a couple of Sundays ago I screwed up my approached to the Airport.
I was 6 miles out and I was told to enter Right Down Wind for Run 4R. I started the approach Left Down Wind for run 4L by mistake. The controller asked what my intentions were and I confessed my mistake and said I was changing my course to enter the right downwind for 4R. At this time I was 3 miles out. The controller gave me turn by turn vectors to a 45 degree entrance for right downwind 4R and asked "If I had the airport in sight". I said "airport in sight" even though I had the airport in sight all along.

I made a stupid student type mistake.

Well lesson learned on this flight. Thank you for the help KCHD controller who ever you are.
 
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See? Fess up and as long as you didn't cause a confliction or an unsafe maneuver they will work with you. You probably won't do that again but really, it was an honest mistake, especially that far out.
 
KCHD controllers are people too !!! No seriously, FFZ, CHD and others airport controllers are very understanding, it is a very student intense area and are sharp about identifying deviations and will help nudge you in the right direction
 
We're all human, ATC isn't out to get ya. Sounds like it worked out, don't sweat it. :)
 
I'm still low time Private Just over 130 hours so I'm allowed a few more mistakes :)

Yea I was still far out and wasn't close to entering the Pattern on the wrong down wind.
I was out far enough I could have changed my heading without Turn by Turn vectors from the Controller.
One of these days I need to do a tower visit tour.
 
+1 on the local tower visit but if you get an opportunity , visit a TRACON facility - eye opening experience
 
Scrabo said:
+1 on the local tower visit but if you get an opportunity , visit a TRACON facility - eye opening experience
Click to expand...
I've been fortunate enough to visit tower, Approach and Center in my neck of the woods... they were all within a mile or two of each other at the time..
 
Suggestion on the tour: Have a list of questions ready for the controllers. I've briefed so many tower tours and seen so many others it just seems that the visitor just listens to the brief ( "this is local, what you guys call tower, and the controller is responsible for everyone in the pattern and on the runway, this is ground control....") says something like, "you guys have a great view up here" and then leaves. Controllers like questions and it makes it easier and a better experience if you have some specific questions on how/why we do things like we do.
 
We have a group going up to see KMKE tower and approach this evening. Any suggestions on things we should definitely ask about if not covered? I've done this tour before, but it was probably 20 years ago... long before I became a pilot.
 
We as controllers always critique pilots, our colleagues and better yet, ourselves. Your small mistake which I have huge amounts of respect for recognizing, may have been a learning experience for not only the controller but for others in that facility. After we get off position a lot of us speak about what we experienced in our slow/busy 45 minute session. What I love about this is that, that controller may be a trainer at his facility so when the next trainee walks through the door and has a pilot that is not familiar with the runway config, he can pull this technique out of his bag of tools and provide short, sweet, and simple vectors to the pilot. Once more, a lot of respect for speaking about your experience!
 
Timbeck2 said:
Suggestion on the tour: Have a list of questions ready for the controllers. I've briefed so many tower tours and seen so many others it just seems that the visitor just listens to the brief ( "this is local, what you guys call tower, and the controller is responsible for everyone in the pattern and on the runway, this is ground control....") says something like, "you guys have a great view up here" and then leaves. Controllers like questions and it makes it easier and a better experience if you have some specific questions on how/why we do things like we do.
Click to expand...

And talk in a low voice. Nothing worse than some loud mouth or kids laughing in the background while you're trying to move aircraft. It's like, we just briefed you to whisper in the radar room and you do that.:mad:
 
Oh yeah, little kids are a pain. Every kid we've had was more interested in spinning around in the chairs than actually learning about how a tower and ATC works.
 
I flew approaches a month ago with an ATC friend/pilot, including two where were were slam-dunked. The controller had some feedback for his colleague at work the next day.
 
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