Dilligaff
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2005
- Posts
- 160
A few years ago I was flying a 172 into FRG. As we approached the pattern for Runway 32, the tower pointed out a Cherokee on downwind and told us to follow that traffic. I entered downwind at a safe distance behind the Cherokee and followed him as instructed. I continued to follow the Cherokee after he turned his base leg.
When I was on base, the tower controller asked me to confirm that I was still on downwind. When I told him that I was on base he blew a gasket on me, saying (actually, screaming) that he never called my base turn and I was to re-enter the downwind.
I told him that he never said he would call my base and I was simply following the Cherokee as instructed. He responded by saying that the instruction to follow the Cherokee was only meant for the downwind leg. When I told him that he didn't specify that, he informed me that it was implied by the instructions that he gave me. He then sequenced me behind a turboprop who was on a straight-in final about 10 miles from the field. If I continued on my base original base leg I would have had more than enough room to make it to the runway in front of the t-prop.
I've never heard of this before. I've had controllers tell me that they would call me base but any time that I've just been told to follow traffic, the controllers had no problem with me initiating my base or final turns without them calling the turn for me. There was another pilot in the plane with me and he agreed that he had never heard anything like that before and was surprised by what the controller said.
Can a controller lurking on the board here take a minute to clarify for me what is meant by "follow traffic?"
As a side note, during the time that I was flying in that area I was in FRG frequently. The controllers were always very professional and friendly to me and this one time was definitly the exception to that treatment. I'm not looking to flame FRG tower - especially since this happened several years ago - I'm just looking to clarification as to what is really meant by "follow traffic".
Thanks,
Dilligaff
When I was on base, the tower controller asked me to confirm that I was still on downwind. When I told him that I was on base he blew a gasket on me, saying (actually, screaming) that he never called my base turn and I was to re-enter the downwind.
I told him that he never said he would call my base and I was simply following the Cherokee as instructed. He responded by saying that the instruction to follow the Cherokee was only meant for the downwind leg. When I told him that he didn't specify that, he informed me that it was implied by the instructions that he gave me. He then sequenced me behind a turboprop who was on a straight-in final about 10 miles from the field. If I continued on my base original base leg I would have had more than enough room to make it to the runway in front of the t-prop.
I've never heard of this before. I've had controllers tell me that they would call me base but any time that I've just been told to follow traffic, the controllers had no problem with me initiating my base or final turns without them calling the turn for me. There was another pilot in the plane with me and he agreed that he had never heard anything like that before and was surprised by what the controller said.
Can a controller lurking on the board here take a minute to clarify for me what is meant by "follow traffic?"
As a side note, during the time that I was flying in that area I was in FRG frequently. The controllers were always very professional and friendly to me and this one time was definitly the exception to that treatment. I'm not looking to flame FRG tower - especially since this happened several years ago - I'm just looking to clarification as to what is really meant by "follow traffic".
Thanks,
Dilligaff
