What's with the turbo prop ego's

[Yooper Rocketman]

I've had two instances lately with turboprop drivers that were pretty interesting.  I was flying the Rocket into Boyne Falls, MI a few weeks ago to pick up a driver delivering a new plow truck chassis to the body (up-fit) installer.  MSP Center asked me what runway I was going to use (I was south east bound) and I said RWY 17 (1/2 right base to final).  I was out about 12 miles and he then asked a Pilatus his intentions and he said the same runway.  ATC then advised him to take a 10 degree turn to the right for spacing, you're number two for the airport.  He wasn't happy so he cancelled.  I stayed with center and cancelled about 5 miles out.  After announcing my position on CTAf (5 miles northwest) he comes on and says " I'm  6 miles south and really moving quick, doing almost 240 knots", like I should jump out of his way so he can land first.  I asked if he was a medical flight and he said no, so I continued in to the airport, noting I was doing 200 knots (so big deal).  As I was on short final he asks where I am at, as he is now about to enter down wind.  I was on the ground, shut down, and walking to the terminal by the time he was on final.

This Tuesday, coming back from the Mayo Clinic in the Northwoods Airlifeline turbo Bonanza, I was going IFR into Rhinelander WI (KRHI), following a regional jet (Delta Regional carrier).  I heard just before cancelling a VFR Cheyenne 22 miles out announcing a straight in for RWY 09.  I was 14 out at the time.  I cancelled at 8 miles out and announced my location and amazingly he was now 9 miles out and clearly wanting me to get out of his way (I was doing 195 knots in the B36T at the time).  I announced my altitude and inquired what his was, with him admitting being 1500' above mine.  I continued to the airport, looking hard for him as I arrived in the pattern.  I announced I was on a 2 mile final and he was supposedly "right behind me".  As I was pulling onto the taxiway he asks for my position (what, you're only a mile behind me?).  He then announces he is on a 4 mile final.  Again, I'm walking off the ramp with my ride and he's on a half mile final.  

Seems some of these turboprop guys think they are the only ones that can move fast.

Tom

[MB65E]

They are just pissed because they are not in a Jet.  Nice stories! I like the fact you asked about a Med flight. 

Fly safe, keep your speed up!

-Matt

[ryoder]

Man you fly fast.  That is cool though.  People are probably shocked at how I putt around at 125mph so often.

[aviatoreb]

One time about two years ago I was coming in to Bar Harbor ME  high and fast about 20 miles out because ATC had held me high - and coming down there was a really good tail wind too.  I was well over 200 but I don't remember what.  There was also a citation jet coming from the south who was about 15 miles out.  We both cancelled and switched to ctaf.  We talked to each other and agreed I would be number 2 - obviously - he is a jet and he was 5 miles closer.  But at 10 miles out I announced 10 miles and asked him to state position and he said something like 8 mi that I had obviously closed the gap.  So I said I would slow down and he should continue.  Then a guy at the FBO on the ground got on the radio and was laughing and called me 933 Mooney Heavy.

[N201MKTurbo]

If you were paying the fuel bill you would want to go first too.

we were out flying my friends CT-133 the other day. We were at the FBO at TUS and called the tower on the cell and asked if we could get takeoff clearance from the FBO before engine start. They said that it might take a while but they would make it happen.  About 5 min later they called on ground and said "cleared to taxi to 11L and cleared to takeoff 11L" that plane burns a couple of gallons a minuet holding short.

[Yooper Rocketman]

Many of you know about my "project", but a fun story when I was first converting my project to turbine a guy named Tom Zedecker from Reno had just converted his IV to turbine after a nightmare V-8 installation.  He had done most of his flight testing with the new Walters 601D (724HP) in the Reno area, I think he was actually based there, and relayed this story to me at Sun & Fun.  

The tower controller knew him pretty well.  One day a King Air had taxied out just in front of Tom and in receiving his take off clearance was instructed to make an immediate 40 degree turn to the left upon departure.  The King Air pilot, in an obviously annoyed manner, asked why he needed the turn.  The tower replied " you see that little airplane behind you?  If you don't turn he will saw your tail off."  There were no more comments from the King Air pilot.

I will always be a Mooney fan, but this project should be flying by next spring.  Here's a teaser.

[cujet]

We operate 2 Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. They really are not all that fast down low. 

On a flight from Southern Florida, to Northern Florida, (F45-SJG) we raced our Extra 300L and PC-12. The "little" Extra was on heading, up and climbing away at 3000FPM instantly. The PC-12 started using up real estate like crazy. Just to get it on heading took time. By then the Extra was a mile or two ahead, and the Extra's lead grew for quite some time. 

As my PC-12 climbed at 1500 FPM and 150Kts, the Extra was already level and cruising at nearly 200Kts. The PC-12 did not "catch" the Extra until 1/2 way there! Sure, we landed first and won the race. Even so, the difference was just a few minutes, at most. 

And, yes, PC-12 app speeds are low. 

[Yooper Rocketman]

I guess what really agitates me is the Cheyenne pilot "lying" about his distance to the airport so any traffic even close to him will "move out of his way".  I was stopping to look at a pick-up truck for my dealership and had a 45 minute window (10 minutes driving each way to the car dealership too) and had to be back in the air for home base.  I was scheduled to center ref a high school soccer match and could not be late.    There was no way he made up 7 miles on me, to the point he was 1 mile behind me, never saw me, even when I was on the runway, and then landed 3 minutes behind me.  He clearly got caught in his little game.  I've had this happen many times with the turbo prop crowd, and never with the jet pilots.

I will try to remember this when I move up.

Tom

[bonal]

This reminds me of an incident I had once as a newly minted PP. My wife and I had just departed in our C150 there was this guy getting ready to go in his beautiful bright red experimental with a turbo prop engine. As we were on the upwind he made a call telling us it looked like we had a seat belt hanging out the door my wife and I were both wearing our belts as always so I tried to contact this guy but he made no replies so we announced a return to landing as he departed and flew to the downwind departure same as we had planned to do. After landing I got out and checked the airplane and there was nothing hanging out. Personally I think he did this to get us out of his way since we were both going for a down wind departure. We got back to the runway and departed without incident. we were the only two aircraft flying at the time if he wanted me to move he could have just asked me to extend my cross wind for separation. Some people...

[Shadrach]

I've yet to have an issue based on engine type. I have had some twins act as though they are twice as fast in the pattern. Most any Mooney can operate quickly enough in the pattern to mix with turbo props and Jets. 

[gsxrpilot]

Flying into KGTU for cheap fuel, the tower had me on a 45 to the numbers. There was a Cherokee that was straight in. We both reported 6 miles. The tower said I was number 1 for the runway since I was a little faster. The Cherokee didn't object. I was actually pumping fuel when the Cherokee touched down. He came up to the pumps and said he didn't think there would be that much difference between the two of us on approach, but obviously there was.

In other news while we both stood there at the self-serve, a long body Mooney came in and did the nose wheel, main wheel, nose wheel dance all the way down the runway and then went around. I commented that that's what happens when you try to come in just a bit too fast.

#LoveToFlyFast

[gsengle]

I've had the opposite happen. One of the flight instructors on our field was in a 152 with a student when he heard me call up ten miles out for landing... I forget the exact pattern geometry, but to make a long story short, the student was going to ignore my ten miles out call up as I was so far out, until the instructor hinted that well I might be appearing much sooner than the student expected, and I did...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shadrach]

Flying into KGTU for cheap fuel, the tower had me on a 45 to the numbers. There was a Cherokee that was straight in. We both reported 6 miles. The tower said I was number 1 for the runway since I was a little faster. The Cherokee didn't object. I was actually pumping fuel when the Cherokee touched down. He came up to the pumps and said he didn't think there would be that much difference between the two of us on approach, but obviously there was.

In other news while we both stood there at the self-serve, a long body Mooney came in and did the nose wheel, main wheel, nose wheel dance all the way down the runway and then went around. I commented that that's what happens when you try to come in just a bit too fast.

#LoveToFlyFast

if it had been a Cherokee 6, the difference would have been minimal. They can also stay fast longer because they slow down so well!

Edited October 4, 2015 by Shadrach

[Danb]

Tom your spot on, I had an incident going into North Myrtle Beach where I actually turned a plane in and after investigation he was cleared of all the violations that I mentioned in my letter to the FAA, it was clear Kcre Tower also did not want to be a part of the situation.

I was a low time Ifr pilot and was on the Ils and broke out at about 1300 ft. a big deal for me, then all of a sudden a Turbo Prop passes over me on about a 2 mile final lands etc.I queried the tower about how this could happen with no answer except h was no. 1 to the field, I asked how since I was cleared to land and handed over from approach control. It seems like we're just not being handled correctly, at that time I was quite frightened and pissed which is why I notified the FAA to investigate. It was a total waste of time. That was around 1986 so we have always been looked down on.

 

 

[ryoder]

Many of you know about my "project", but a fun story when I was first converting my project to turbine a guy named Tom Zedecker from Reno had just converted his IV to turbine after a nightmare V-8 installation.  He had done most of his flight testing with the new Walters 601D (724HP) in the Reno area, I think he was actually based there, and relayed this story to me at Sun & Fun.  

The tower controller knew him pretty well.  One day a King Air had taxied out just in front of Tom and in receiving his take off clearance was instructed to make an immediate 40 degree turn to the left upon departure.  The King Air pilot, in an obviously annoyed manner, asked why he needed the turn.  The tower replied " you see that little airplane behind you?  If you don't turn he will saw your tail off."  There were no more comments from the King Air pilot.

I will always be a Mooney fan, but this project should be flying by next spring.  Here's a teaser.

what the heck is that?

[Shadrach]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancair_Propjet

[Danb]

That is one bad ass airplane, one I'd love to own 

I almost bought a Lancair IV P about 5 yrs ago, I kinda regret it to this day.

[PMcClure]

Cool!

[Hank]

Blistering performance, short thin wing. Really fast enroute, in the pattern and at touchdown. There was one based at my former home field in WV, he usually went into beta thrust in the rollout to get stopped (3000' field). Really cool sound taxiing in, exercising the prop and cooling things off. Just be careful, wing loading is high and so is stall speed.

[chrisk]

Flying into KGTU for cheap fuel, the tower had me on a 45 to the numbers. There was a Cherokee that was straight in. We both reported 6 miles. The tower said I was number 1 for the runway since I was a little faster. The Cherokee didn't object. I was actually pumping fuel when the Cherokee touched down. He came up to the pumps and said he didn't think there would be that much difference between the two of us on approach, but obviously there was.

In other news while we both stood there at the self-serve, a long body Mooney came in and did the nose wheel, main wheel, nose wheel dance all the way down the runway and then went around. I commented that that's what happens when you try to come in just a bit too fast.

#LoveToFlyFast

I'm based at kgtu.  It wasn't me, since I have a white/red mid body.  I've found the tower to be exceptionally helpful for spacing and very accommodating for requests.   Next time you head to kgtu, give me a shout.

[gsxrpilot]

No it wasn't you, or I'd have come over to say hi after you'd got it under control.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Yetti]

KGTU was the good landing today. Although did not make the turn off and had to go to the end. There were a couple others that I could count as 2 or 3 landings.  Goodness it was busy there today.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Yetti

[AZ231]

Many of you know about my "project", but a fun story when I was first converting my project to turbine a guy named Tom Zedecker from Reno had just converted his IV to turbine after a nightmare V-8 installation.  He had done most of his flight testing with the new Walters 601D (724HP) in the Reno area, I think he was actually based there, and relayed this story to me at Sun & Fun.  

The tower controller knew him pretty well.  One day a King Air had taxied out just in front of Tom and in receiving his take off clearance was instructed to make an immediate 40 degree turn to the left upon departure.  The King Air pilot, in an obviously annoyed manner, asked why he needed the turn.  The tower replied " you see that little airplane behind you?  If you don't turn he will saw your tail off."  There were no more comments from the King Air pilot.

I will always be a Mooney fan, but this project should be flying by next spring.  Here's a teaser.

That's going to be incredible. Not many planes more beautiful to look at than the Lancair IV Ps.  Congrats!

[Yooper Rocketman]

Thanks for the nice comments.  I'm not your usual Lancair Propjet guy, as I am building the plane completely myself.  Bought the kit in 1999 and have almost 6,000 hours into the build now.  The last 6 years the pace has been more related to money than time.  It took me a while to get to the point I could afford the engine and instrument panel.  Luckily my dealership has had a pretty decent run the last couple years.  I debated selling the Rocket to finish this and the wife was absolutely opposed to that.  She even wants to keep it after the project is done (we love our Mooney).  That may change when the oxygen is traded for pressurization though, and we are flying 120 knots faster.

Here is my engine builder with his IVPT.  I've seen ground speeds as high as 450 knots by him over the years.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N213JC

[Yetti]

On topic going back to Austin Executive there was a very nice King Air behind two of us.  Everyone was talking and working it out. I think there was even a "no worries" from the King Air.  Everyone helping everyone be safe.