Straight in Final

[glbtrottr]

I own a Mite. I own cessna singles. Mooneys, Comanches, and twins…I don’t own a jet anymore as I found it too frivolously rich for my blood.

My field is uncontrolled- literally adjacent to the final of 4 runways on a very busy class B airport.

Rumor has it Sling Pilot Academy lost their business license at their home drone- so they pollute each adjacent airport with 5 planes in the pattern anywhere they can fit them. 35 slings looking for places to saturate is quite a fleet.

Since I’m often in the system I sometimes get dumped on a straight in final for the RIGHT runway at my uncontrolled field. There’s always an uppity CFI who has zero issue polluting the airways chatting it up with their pals, but is all too eager to provide an unsolicited, unpaid flight lesson where they authoritatively state that you can’t fly straight into an uncontrolled field.

Everyone at my home field keeps saying it’s a matter of time before Sling has a midair or creates an incident at our untowered airport. Charging 90k per student to go from zero to commercial makes them feel pretty proud to write up their own regs without care for the normal unwashed pilot.

[Yetti]

17 hours ago, dkkim73 said:

Actually, I almost asked about this the last time it came up. 
I used to do overheads on practice flights back in the PA-28's, usually when it was quiet and the controllers and I were helping each other's currency with surveillance approaches. 

Haven't done it in the Mooney, yet. I guess I figured more time to configure was good so I've been doing the standard box patterns.  But I have been wondering if anyone here has any tips on procedural flow to share on doing a robust overhead recovery in a Mooney (esp. long-body, and ref. speeds, etc). ?

It's not much different than my standard mid 45 entry to downwind.  Those are flown with the runway 1/3 under the wing from the tip.   Hit mid field 500 ft high from TAP reduce throttle a bit.  Then reduce throttle more when you are at threshold on downwind put your gear down.  (this is standard for me)  Keep turning add flaps as needed.   I usually land half flaps only if I am high or the airport demands will I be full flaps.   Or if the Mooney Safety instructor demands that I land full flaps.   No turns under 90mph without flaps.    It's kind of just a cool circle to land learning to manage energy.

I would say it is safer than going wide to mix and do a mid 45 downwind entry.    You can always break it off and enter an upwind and fly the whole pattern if someone else shows up.

Edited September 4 by Yetti

[Shadrach]

9 hours ago, glbtrottr said:

I own a Mite. I own cessna singles. Mooneys, Comanches, and twins…I don’t own a jet anymore as I found it too frivolously rich for my blood.

My field is uncontrolled- literally adjacent to the final of 4 runways on a very busy class B airport.

Rumor has it Sling Pilot Academy lost their business license at their home drone- so they pollute each adjacent airport with 5 planes in the pattern anywhere they can fit them. 35 slings looking for places to saturate is quite a fleet.

Since I’m often in the system I sometimes get dumped on a straight in final for the RIGHT runway at my uncontrolled field. There’s always an uppity CFI who has zero issue polluting the airways chatting it up with their pals, but is all too eager to provide an unsolicited, unpaid flight lesson where they authoritatively state that you can’t fly straight into an uncontrolled field.

Everyone at my home field keeps saying it’s a matter of time before Sling has a midair or creates an incident at our untowered airport. Charging 90k per student to go from zero to commercial makes them feel pretty proud to write up their own regs without care for the normal unwashed pilot.

I would feel more comfortable doing a straight in to an uncontrolled field If the last controller I speak with before going to CTAF can confirm no aircraft observed in the area.   When I cut off a NORDO aircraft I mentioned earlier, I was not receiving advisories nor would it have mattered as I don't believe ATC has coverage in the area below 5K.

[201er]

20 hours ago, jetdriven said:

On the other thread, we’re talking about somebody almost running over somebody in an Aeronca something or other with no radio. And again the barrier to entry is like low enough to where If you can’t afford it you probably shouldn’t be flying. Rental planes have Com radios. 

So you think this guy shouldn't be flying because he doesn't bother using the radio?

 

[PeteMc]

3 hours ago, 201er said:

So you think this guy shouldn't be flying because he doesn't bother using the radio?

No different than a Cub (or other plane) with no electrical system and no hand-held. 

If I lost my hearing I'd probably only go with another pilot or someone I knew that could really work the radios.  And this is only because I'm so use to working with the radios it cuts down how many planes you need to find only by scanning. 

But if I learned as a deaf pilot, I guess it would be totally different.  More like those that learned in the NORDO Cubs.  So my scanning skills would probably be a major grade above mine now, which I hope are pretty good.

[hubcap]

I have flown straight-in to my home non-towered airport when coming in off a cross-country trip. It can be safely done as long as everyone is communicating. I have a video of a landing we were making with a departing plane about 100' off the ground as we are on very short final, and another plane is on downwind turning base while we were landing. Good comms and everyone stays safe.

On the other hand, we have powered parachutes that operate out of our field that are NORDO. That is another story. We actually implemented airport "rules" for the powered parachutes that operate out of our field. That was done with the help of the local FSDO.

[Mac80]

“Oh, and by the way, most likely you’ll be following every procedure in the book properly but some newly minted cowboy in a CIrrus who doesn’t know that he’s supposed to look outside the plane will descend on top of you.

Back when all Cirrus  planes were fairly new this did happen to me. I announced on downwind at uncontrolled airport he announced I thought 5 miles out? He few over top of me coming from east in early AM. I never saw him until I heard his engines. I was at pattern altitude apparently he apparently was descending quickly from above. He did not see or avoid me , his plane was washed out by the sun rise. I asked him what the heck you nearly dropped on top of me. He apparently heard my engines too and asked where are you?  I explained you just passed over me. 
 

 

 

 

[1980Mooney]

On 9/4/2024 at 4:27 PM, hubcap said:

I have flown straight-in to my home non-towered airport when coming in off a cross-country trip. It can be safely done as long as everyone is communicating. ..... Good comms and everyone stays safe.

That didn't work in the Watsonville mid-air in 2022.  The 340 had been flying in and out of Watsonville several times during August 2020.  It was returning straight in after a short cross-country flight.  Both planes were communicating.

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ntsb-cites-pilot-error-in-fatal-midair-collision-over-watsonville-municipal-airport/