I was a little distracted today at work, looking out my window and seeing great flying weather outside. I flipped open the ADS-B Exchange map, took a look at my local airport, and at that moment was treated to this sight.
Earlier:
Archer 344D takes off Runway 16 and makes left traffic.
Cessna 4659G takes off and makes right traffic having not been given a direction by tower.
This is the transcription of the relevant comms.
Tower: “Cessna 4 6 5 9 golf, runway 1 6 cleared to land.”
Cessna 4659G: “1 6 cleared to land, 5 9 golf.”
90 second later
Tower: “Archer 3 4 delta, do you see the Cessna off your right?”
Archer 344D: “Off our right? No, 3 4 4 delta”
Tower: “Archer 3 4 4 delta, alright, I’ll call your base then.”
Archer 344D: “3 4 4 delta is already on base.”
Tower: “I’m sorry, do you have the traffic… Cessna 5 9 golf, traffic alert, traffic just uh, you turned in front of the Archer there at one thousand one hundred, climb now and then reenter the downwind.”
Cessna 4659G: “alright we’re climbing and then reenter the downwind.”
Archer 344D: “3 4 4 has the traffic in sight, no factor.”
Helicopter 5AZ: “Helicopter 5 alpha zulu is a mile to the West.”
Tower: “Roger, you go straight to Hawthorn ramp and just uh keep it going across that runway, traffic short final.”
Helicopter 5AZ: “Traffic in sight, straight to the ramp, 5 alpha zulu.”
They cross off the far end of runway 16.
Tower: “Archer 3 4 4 delta, runway 1 6, cleared touch and go, traffic crossing downfield helicopter.”
Archer 344D: “Traffic in sight, cleared touch and go runway 1 6, 3 4 delta.”
Tower: “Cessna 5 9 golf, and I don’t know what happened there, sorry about that, you can reenter the final, come back to the runway, runway 1 6 cleared to land.”
Cessna 4659G: “No problem, uh we’re uh, uh ruh… turn back to the runway, 5 9 golf.”
Having once been given an instruction to taxi across a runway by ground while tower had given landing clearance, I’ve developed a healthy skepticism of tower instructions – “trust and verify,” as they say. This event illustrates how important it is to never be complacent at a towered airport; always maintain situational awareness!
FencerPTS 