Incidents with other pilots

L

LJS1993

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Apr 11, 2012
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584
Location
Riverside, California
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Display name:
LJ Savala
Okay gentlemen what is the worst incident you have had with a fellow pilot? I remember reading a while back about someone having an issue during a fly in with another pilot "formation flying" with him without his consent. I believe words were exchanged once they were on the ground. Any incidents where a confrontation was needed?
 
Really? Why do we want to go down that path? How about "Incidents with other pilots" Tell us about an incident where another pilot went out of their way to help you or someone you know out when they needed a hand?

Let's start with Jesse driving down to Texas to pick up David to take him to 6Y9! Or Dave Taylor flying from Gastons to Texas for a part for someone's plane?
 
On my first solo flight, in a relatively slow airplane, I was in the pattern and making all of my calls. About midfield downwind, an RV called that he was a few miles out and would be entering on the downwind. About the time I called base, he called midfield, with a "here I come" kind of inflection in his voice. About the time I called final, he called base, again in a warning kind of way. On short final asked something along the lines of "well, are you going to land long so I can land behind you?". I didn't really know what to do, short of going around. I wasn't comfortable landing long (grass strip, surrounded by trees, first solo flight, etc), so I just put it down and kept a fast taxi to the end of the runway.

My instructor wasn't very happy with the guy. In hindsight, I should have gone around to avoid the unexpected situation.
 
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bqmassey said:
O. In hindsight, I should have gone around to avoid the unexpected situation.
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Nope... You were first in the pattern, he is the one that should have adjusted speed or gone around. You did nothing wrong. I fly at an airport with a lot of glider and wood wing plane activity. I adjust speed/distances as required for spacing.
 
Next time just make a call that you're a King Air entering downwind, ATITPPA

bqmassey said:
On my first solo flight, in a relatively slow airplane, I was in the pattern and making all of my calls. About midfield downwind, an RV called that he was a few miles out and would be entering on the downwind. About the time I called base, he called midfield, with a "here I come" kind of inflection in his voice. About the time I called final, he called base, again in a warning kind of way. On short final asked something along the lines of "well, are you going to land long so I can land behind you?". I didn't really know what to do, short of going around. I wasn't comfortable landing long (grass strip, surrounded by trees, first solo flight, etc), so I just put it down and kept a fast taxi to the end of the runway.

My instructor wasn't very happy with the guy. In hindsight, I should have gone around to avoid the unexpected situation.
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gprellwitz said:
Really? Why do we want to go down that path? How about "Incidents with other pilots" Tell us about an incident where another pilot went out of their way to help you or someone you know out when they needed a hand?

Let's start with Jesse driving down to Texas to pick up David to take him to 6Y9! Or Dave Taylor flying from Gastons to Texas for a part for someone's plane?
Click to expand...

Second that opinion ,stress the positive.
 
Had a plane on my tail in the pattern coming in yesterday...we were spaced close but manageable. As I am close to the numbers on final I hear "Cessna XYZ turning short final"...well I land... and knowing I got someone behind me, I will do my best to clear the runway. I couldn't make the first taxi way safely and second is a ways down...then I hear "Cessna XYZ GOING AROUND in a huffy ****ed off voice"...I so wanted to reply "then why the hell did you turn short on final?"!..but I refrained. I got a laugh.
 
gprellwitz said:
Really? Why do we want to go down that path? How about "Incidents with other pilots" Tell us about an incident where another pilot went out of their way to help you or someone you know out when they needed a hand?

Let's start with Jesse driving down to Texas to pick up David to take him to 6Y9! Or Dave Taylor flying from Gastons to Texas for a part for someone's plane?
Click to expand...



Let the man talk about whatever he wants to talk about on a PUBLIC forum. :yes: Maybe he just wants to vent about a situation that he has experienced and would like see what other pilots have faced. There are much more controversial topics on this PUBLIC forum. So to the OP, welcome and say what you will. There is a lot to be learned from the members on the boards.
 
Well, there was this one time at band camp. :D:D
 
We have a couple of real pieces of work at our flying club. Best not to go into details though, it's a small world :D
 
bqmassey said:
In hindsight, I should have gone around to avoid the unexpected situation.
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You are a better man than I am. If you are respectful I will do all I can to accommodate you. If you have a legitimate reason to get down quick, even if not an emergency, I'll even go around to let you go first. If you are just an ass I will slow down even more in the hope you will learn that you don't own the pattern.




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bad interaction: a pilot hitting my aircraft, damaging the aileron. The idiot tried to pull his aircraft between two airplanes instead of going around mine (my airplane was on the end of the tie-down row...nothing on one side, but the idiot tried to squeeze it on the other side). Yes, he paid to get it fixed.

Good interaction: a CFII friend was my instructor for my private. Basically, I was her only student for the seven months.
 
On the good side: A guy with whom I've flown 14,000nm who won't let me buy any fuel.:yes::yes:
 
frfly172 said:
Second that opinion ,stress the positive.
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I respectfully disagree, this is a more than valid topic relating to GA, there is a lot to be learned from such a thread, and it could also be a serious contributor to the safety of GA flying.

We learn nothing when our head is buried in happy sand.

-John
 
When Mike Andrews and I went down to sun N fun, we stopped for fuel at KLGC. There was no activity, but the was a Navajo at the fuel pumps which are just west on an apron at the intersection of the two runways. We made our calls and touched down on 21. The Navaho driver, pulled out onto 21 to taxi to his to his part 135 base. I flat spotted a tire and came to a halt about ten feet behind him.

He never acknowledged radio calls. He didn't look. So I wrote down the tail # and when we go home I looked it up; wrote the owner of record.

I was harassed by that pilot for about three months. He was in his 50s and ranted repeatedly "I know I'm a safe pilot". Yeah.

I should have reported him to the FSDO. The guy endangered my life.
 
The only time I have had an "incident" worth noting is when trying to deal with clueless pilots who cannot navigate or communicate and were bumbling along happily clueless through a TFR I was partially responsible for clearing. In fact one complaint that was filed hung in a place of honor in my office at Clearwater. It was hilarious. :D
 
The 135 guy who taxied up to the terminal at T82 (Gillespie County, TX), and turned-to with power up, blasting David White and me as we gassed-up the Bo from the self-serve pumps. I mean, there was avgas frothing out from the filler, and David and I were holding the plane to stop it from rolling.

Charter guy was picking up a 13 (or so) year old girl from summer camp (nice parents!). I called him out (firmly, not nasty, young ears and all that), and he was very contrite, very apologetic, and helped push the Bo into the tie-down so he would not blow grit all over it when he taxied out.

Guy said he was in a big hurry, running behind, but made no excuses. Bet he doesn't do it again. Maybe he was afraid I'd call his boss, but he seemed sincere to me, and with his apology, the matter was closed.
 
I've had incidents with fellow POA members john221us, MAKG1, Aeric, Kmberly and several others. We incidentally had lunch at various flys-in and had a great time.
 
I witnessed the wingtips being chopped off a parked high wing cessna using the left prop of a c-47. Cut the outer couple feet off one wing then turned around and did the other one. I cant recall what was the difference of opinion between the cessna owner and the douglas driver but it must have been significant. The C-47 had just made its last landing, it was being delivered to that field to be scrapped.
 
SCCutler said:
The 135 guy who taxied up to the terminal at T82 (Gillespie County, TX), and turned-to with power up, blasting David White and me as we gassed-up the Bo from the self-serve pumps. I mean, there was avgas frothing out from the filler, and David and I were holding the plane to stop it from rolling.

Charter guy was picking up a 13 (or so) year old girl from summer camp (nice parents!). I called him out (firmly, not nasty, young ears and all that), and he was very contrite, very apologetic, and helped push the Bo into the tie-down so he would not blow grit all over it when he taxied out.

Guy said he was in a big hurry, running behind, but made no excuses. Bet he doesn't do it again. Maybe he was afraid I'd call his boss, but he seemed sincere to me, and with his apology, the matter was closed.
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Well what do you expect flying a Bonanza? :dunno: You probably had it coming. :stirpot: :D
 
JHW said:
I witnessed the wingtips being chopped off a parked high wing cessna using the left prop of a c-47. Cut the outer couple feet off one wing then turned around and did the other one. I cant recall what was the difference of opinion between the cessna owner and the douglas driver but it must have been significant. The C-47 had just made its last landing, it was being delivered to that field to be scrapped.
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Holy crap. You win! No way anyone is going to beat that. :lol:
 
Corpsmaide said:
Let the man talk about whatever he wants to talk about on a PUBLIC forum. :yes: Maybe he just wants to vent about a situation that he has experienced and would like see what other pilots have faced. There are much more controversial topics on this PUBLIC forum. So to the OP, welcome and say what you will. There is a lot to be learned from the members on the boards.
Click to expand...

Exactly!!! I made this thread so I can get a feel for what you guys have been through and how you handled those interesting situations.
 
I imagine a lot of us have had experiences in the pattern in non-towered airports, as even with perfect comms it is not a perfect situation, and there are always missed calls, not to mention planes with no radio. About 15 years back I had an experience with a fellow who just bombed into the pattern and didn't seem to be all that coherent, don't remember all the details but I do remember I was plenty hot and was going to GIVE HIM A PIECE OF MY MIND when I got down! Well it turned out it was this fellow who was 80 years old and was flying down from NY to FL to see his son, he probably shouldn't have been flying as he didn't seem all "there" but anyway I felt for him so I ended up giving him a ride to the hotel! So I would say that was my most significant "incident" with a fellow pilot, went from wanting lay hands on him to giving him a hand.
 
Worst: yesterday. Not going into any details as the FSDO is probably getting a phone call from me about it.

Best: too many to count! Pilots really are a great group overall. :yes:
 
My worst ordeal was at a self-serve pump. At KDUA, the line guy (who normally drives the truck) handles the self-serv pump when they're busy with casino traffic or whatever, and three planes can nose in around the pump at one time. Our farm is 2 miles east of the airport and I've been using the airport since 1961, so we kinda know how things work there.

As I'm waiting my turn as one of the three, a Grumman Tiger taxied in and parked in the tie-down area a few hundred feet away and the couple walked into the FBO office. They gave no indication they wanted fuel or service and just disappeared. I assumed they had a car parked outside or a ride awaiting. Not unusual, many gamblers and other patrons do the same.

When my turn (finally) came, the guy said the card reader on the pump was broken so he was using the manual over-ride and I should pay in the office. He said he would push the plane back if anybody else needed fuel, but by then I was the only one in line and the other two slots were open. So I paid, chatted with the FBO manager briefly, and saw the couple in the Tiger emerge from the restrooms and head back towards the ramp.

As I reached my plane to push back, the guy in the Grumann came over and jumped my case for being rude and blocking the pump. I apologized and asked if there was a reason he didn't want to use the two open spots that had been empty for 10 minutes or so. He said he wanted my spot so he could taxi out without being pushed back. I then asked if there was a reason he couldn't use the other outside spot that offered the same access, but that for safety and courtesy we usually didn't swing the prop blast towards the pump guy and preferred to push back instead, which seemed to plss him off even more.

The pump guy was saying all the same things and trying to be nice as well, but the guy wasn't particularly interested in hearing any of them and continued to chew on me.

As I was debating whether to play some offense rather than defense, the pump-guy decided he had heard enough and made it clear to Mr. Tiger that if he wanted fuel he should STFU and put his plane were he was told to put it or go buy it somewhere else. By then I was ready to go, so I left them to continue the discussion without me. A few weeks later the pump guy told me that Mr. Tiger had written a letter of complaint about him to the head of Public Works, who by coincidence has been a family friend since childhood.

LJS1993 said:
Exactly!!! I made this thread so I can get a feel for what you guys have been through and how you handled those interesting situations.
Click to expand...
 
I was waiting at the hold short line to depart a busy non towered airport in my Mooney. There was a mix of jets and props in the pattern, the radio was hopping. There was a twin that announced base to final far enough out that I could make my takeoff, so I announced and took the runway. As it turns out, a Sukhoi that had not been making radio calls was in the process of cutting off the aircraft on final (I did not see him) and shortly after I started rolling down the runway chimed in "Oh, that's the way to do it." I took off and was at about 300-400 feet agl when the Sukhoi came up from underneath me, rolled, and continued around in a very tight pattern. (He had plenty of time to land behind me, if he'd wanted to.)

I departed the pattern without clogging the frequency over it, but my wife was on the ramp watching this. The Sukhoi continued around in his very tight pattern, cutting off everyone else, and then landed and taxied to a T-hangar. Being the type of person she is, she drove directly over to his hangar and gave him one of her lady lawyer tongue lashings. I doubt he knew what truck hit him after that.
 
wabower said:
My worst ordeal was at a self-serve pump. At KDUA, the line guy (who normally drives the truck) handles the self-serv pump when they're busy with casino traffic or whatever, and three planes can nose in around the pump at one time. Our farm is 2 miles east of the airport and I've been using the airport since 1961, so we kinda know how things work there.

As I'm waiting my turn as one of the three, a Grumman Tiger taxied in and parked in the tie-down area a few hundred feet away and the couple walked into the FBO office. They gave no indication they wanted fuel or service and just disappeared. I assumed they had a car parked outside or a ride awaiting. Not unusual, many gamblers and other patrons do the same.

When my turn (finally) came, the guy said the card reader on the pump was broken so he was using the manual over-ride and I should pay in the office. He said he would push the plane back if anybody else needed fuel, but by then I was the only one in line and the other two slots were open. So I paid, chatted with the FBO manager briefly, and saw the couple in the Tiger emerge from the restrooms and head back towards the ramp.

As I reached my plane to push back, the guy in the Grumann came over and jumped my case for being rude and blocking the pump. I apologized and asked if there was a reason he didn't want to use the two open spots that had been empty for 10 minutes or so. He said he wanted my spot so he could taxi out without being pushed back. I then asked if there was a reason he couldn't use the other outside spot that offered the same access, but that for safety and courtesy we usually didn't swing the prop blast towards the pump guy and preferred to push back instead, which seemed to plss him off even more.

The pump guy was saying all the same things and trying to be nice as well, but the guy wasn't particularly interested in hearing any of them and continued to chew on me.

As I was debating whether to play some offense rather than defense, the pump-guy decided he had heard enough and made it clear to Mr. Tiger that if he wanted fuel he should STFU and put his plane were he was told to put it or go buy it somewhere else. By then I was ready to go, so I left them to continue the discussion without me. A few weeks later the pump guy told me that Mr. Tiger had written a letter of complaint about him to the head of Public Works, who by coincidence has been a family friend since childhood.
Click to expand...

Now that guy sounded like a real tool.
 
wabower said:
My worst ordeal was at a self-serve pump. At KDUA, the line guy (who normally drives the truck) handles the self-serv pump when they're busy with casino traffic or whatever, and three planes can nose in around the pump at one time. Our farm is 2 miles east of the airport and I've been using the airport since 1961, so we kinda know how things work there.

As I'm waiting my turn as one of the three, a Grumman Tiger taxied in and parked in the tie-down area a few hundred feet away and the couple walked into the FBO office. They gave no indication they wanted fuel or service and just disappeared. I assumed they had a car parked outside or a ride awaiting. Not unusual, many gamblers and other patrons do the same.

When my turn (finally) came, the guy said the card reader on the pump was broken so he was using the manual over-ride and I should pay in the office. He said he would push the plane back if anybody else needed fuel, but by then I was the only one in line and the other two slots were open. So I paid, chatted with the FBO manager briefly, and saw the couple in the Tiger emerge from the restrooms and head back towards the ramp.

As I reached my plane to push back, the guy in the Grumann came over and jumped my case for being rude and blocking the pump. I apologized and asked if there was a reason he didn't want to use the two open spots that had been empty for 10 minutes or so. He said he wanted my spot so he could taxi out without being pushed back. I then asked if there was a reason he couldn't use the other outside spot that offered the same access, but that for safety and courtesy we usually didn't swing the prop blast towards the pump guy and preferred to push back instead, which seemed to plss him off even more.

The pump guy was saying all the same things and trying to be nice as well, but the guy wasn't particularly interested in hearing any of them and continued to chew on me.

As I was debating whether to play some offense rather than defense, the pump-guy decided he had heard enough and made it clear to Mr. Tiger that if he wanted fuel he should STFU and put his plane were he was told to put it or go buy it somewhere else. By then I was ready to go, so I left them to continue the discussion without me. A few weeks later the pump guy told me that Mr. Tiger had written a letter of complaint about him to the head of Public Works, who by coincidence has been a family friend since childhood.
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Obviously things did not go well in the restroom. :nonod:
 
People going through hot MOAs without talking really irritates me. Other than that I haven't had any negative experiences, civilian or military, that I can remember.
 
I guess I've been pretty lucky, flying for almost 20 years now and there's really only one bad one that stands out in my mind, and that was a controller. A female ground controller at KADS proceeded to rip me a new one on the freq one morning about 10 years ago because I stopped about 10 feet short of the hold-short line in a 172 approaching Rwy 33 and she apparently wanted my nosewheel ON the line, and proceeded to explain that to me in no uncertain terms. Still can't figure out why she was so uptight, I guess I just caught her on a bad day.

:dunno:
 
airguy said:
I guess I've been pretty lucky, flying for almost 20 years now and there's really only one bad one that stands out in my mind, and that was a controller. A female ground controller at KADS proceeded to rip me a new one on the freq one morning about 10 years ago because I stopped about 10 feet short of the hold-short line in a 172 approaching Rwy 33 and she apparently wanted my nosewheel ON the line, and proceeded to explain that to me in no uncertain terms. Still can't figure out why she was so uptight, I guess I just caught her on a bad day.

:dunno:
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if you're including stuff like that then I'll include the lady parking nazi at OSH from years past. Some of you know who I mean.
 
airguy said:
I guess I've been pretty lucky, flying for almost 20 years now and there's really only one bad one that stands out in my mind, and that was a controller. A female ground controller at KADS proceeded to rip me a new one on the freq one morning about 10 years ago because I stopped about 10 feet short of the hold-short line in a 172 approaching Rwy 33 and she apparently wanted my nosewheel ON the line, and proceeded to explain that to me in no uncertain terms. Still can't figure out why she was so uptight, I guess I just caught her on a bad day.

:dunno:
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That reminds ,me of that old story about the female GC gong off on some poor hapless pilot to the point that the airway went completely silent afterwards, everyone was afraid to ask for clearance for anything. After a few minutes of completely dead air, some guy finally broke the ice by saying; "Wasn't I married to you once?"

-John
 
John Baker said:
That reminds ,me of that old story about the female GC gong off on some poor hapless pilot to the point that the airway went completely silent afterwards, everyone was afraid to ask for clearance for anything. After a few minutes of completely dead air, some guy finally broke the ice by saying; "Wasn't I married to you once?"

-John
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Too funny
 
John Baker said:
That reminds ,me of that old story about the female GC gong off on some poor hapless pilot to the point that the airway went completely silent afterwards, everyone was afraid to ask for clearance for anything. After a few minutes of completely dead air, some guy finally broke the ice by saying; "Wasn't I married to you once?"

-John
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Its from an oldie but goodie

During taxi, the crew of a US Air departure flight to Ft. Lauderdale, made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United 727. The irate ground controller (a female) lashed out at the US Air crew screaming, "US Air 2771, where are you going? I told you to turn right on "Charlie" taxiway; you turned right on "Delta". Stop right there. I know it's difficult to tell the difference between C's and D's but get it right."
Continuing her lashing to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically, "God, you've screwed everything up; it'll take forever to sort this out. You stay right there and don't move until I tell you to. You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about a half hour and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you. You got that, US Air 2771??"
The humbled crew responded: "Yes Ma'am".
Naturally, the "ground control" frequency went terribly silent after the verbal bashing of US Air Flight 2771. No one wanted to engage the irate ground controller in her current state. Tension in every cockpit at LGA was running high.
Shortly after the controller finished her admonishment of the U.S. Air crew, an unknown male pilot broke the silence and asked, "Wasn't I married to you once?"
 
Biggest incident I've had with other pilots was this:

EAA+Appeals+FAA%E2%80%99s+$447,000+Oshkosh+ATC+Bill.jpg
 
12-13 years ago I had an Ercoupe and was flying to HQM in WA to meet another chap for lunch. There was a twin in the area also making for Hoquiam so I was keeping a sharp eye out and making sure my position reports were accurate.

After landing I was securing the airplane when the twin pilot started chewing me for not making radio calls. I was polite and told him that I had indeed been making calls.
He next informed me that I had better have my junk radio fixed. At this point I was alarmed that indeed my radio was TU.:yikes:
While he was standing there I climbed on the wing turned the master on and called my friend Marty who had not landed yet for a radio check.

Marty answered that he was still 15 miles out and I was loud and clear.

The guy in the twin was just a little red faced.:D

Paul
Salome, AZ
N2426E
N1431A
 
I've had a guy do a touch and go right after I took off and flew crosswind 200' under me as I turned downwind.
On the good side, my helicopter flight instructor and I went into Boston Logan for a FAA Science Technology Engineering and Mathmatics (STEM) event. He let me fly. I logged the time. Spent the entire day there. And did not charge me a dime.
Also on the good, I got to ride in the back of a Citation 5 while they delivered it to a radio shop 100m away.
Same side, Socata TBM850. Brand new.
Same side, dead battery. Not home airport. Mechanic came out on Veterans Day to jump start the plane. Worse yet, it was a rental. Even worse, it was vacation.
I would say, on balance, a lot of good. Not so much bad.
 
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