I knew it was going to happen

[thesource]

I thought it might be a Delta captain but I lost that bet!
Runway 8R is closed, Most of the concrete is removed, there is a fence all the way around it, a big lighted X next to the taxiway on the runway. For all practical purposes the runway does not exist, yet....

I ended up behind a guy that held short and would not cross to 8L until the tower cleared him to cross the non existant runway.

The inflection in the controllers voice when he cleared him to cross was priceless.

This is what happens when the position one holds exceeds ones experience and common sense.

 

[ReportCanoa]

Considering the seriousness of a runway incursion, it pays to be extra careful. I can't see why it would bother you, or the tower.

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

It really hurt to ask, didn't it? If there is any doubt at anytime, my airplane stops and we ask. Added points if there is a Southwest plane stuck behind me trying to taxi at 80 mph to the gate.

 

[TOOL CRIB]

They had us hold short of 8R the other day after we landed 8L. The construction traffic is uncontrolled with no radios. They had trucks with radios set up at the intersection to tell tower that the construction traffic was clear and the planes could cross. Better safe than sorry.

 

[The Drizzle]

I thought it might be a Delta captain but I lost that bet!
Runway 8R is closed, Most of the concrete is removed, there is a fence all the way around it, a big lighted X next to the taxiway on the runway. For all practical purposes the runway does not exist, yet....

I ended up behind a guy that held short and would not cross to 8L until the tower cleared him to cross the non existant runway.

The inflection in the controllers voice when he cleared him to cross was priceless.

This is what happens when the position one holds exceeds ones experience and common sense.

nobody likes hubris

 

[jobear]

Hugh had a Bris? I didn't even get him anything; who was the Moil was it Mr Fieldhiem? Ohh he's good, he did my cousins sisters nieces nephew's son!!!

I believe I have exceeded my sarcasm limit for the day...

Jobear

 

[thesource]

All hubris aside, The trucks don't tell the tower it's clear it's actually the other way around. The traffic is controlled and aircraft have the right of way on active taxiways. The ground traffic uses the area around TWY C and D and I would expect to stop if the tower told us to.

At the west end of 8R there is no ground traffic, it is a taxiway plain and simple. The runway really doen not exist.

What I'm getting at is that I was out there for four days, I must have followed 100 aircraft to 8L over those four days and not one had a problem. On the day in question this guy was behind like 20 other planes and I was behind him. It was daylight, clear and sunny. The guy just sat there as the planes in front of him taxied to the active runway. The tower asked us all to tighten up on the guy in front to make room on the taxiway for more aircraft. He had to question this guy as to why he would not move up and he says, Verify we are clear to cross 8R. That's when the tower guy said in a roll your eyes kind of way, Ah, ok clear to cross 8R I guess.

Why would this guy watch 20 other guys have no problem and then decide he was going to show everybody how it's done the right way?

Is the guy, MR. By the Book even if it kills me, or just not paying attention to what is going on around him. Either way It makes a statement about the guy.

My point is, it goes back to the quality of training and the variety of experience one has. The career changers and fast track people are filtering through the system and showing up in the left seats and it shows more and more each day. And I see them go through my right seat everyday. Again, it's easy to teach someone how to fly the airplane but you can't teach judgement and you can't develope judgement without experience.

And I don't want to hear about getting experience in the right seat. We, myself included, didn't have much time to sit back and watch the captain and learn the lessons that we should have learned before flying a jet at a regional.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I hear ya, man.

 

[Lear70]

It really hurt to ask, didn't it? If there is any doubt at anytime, my airplane stops and we ask. Added points if there is a Southwest plane stuck behind me trying to taxi at 80 mph to the gate.

Heh heh... pretty funny stuff right thar.

Although, in the original poster's defense, for TAKEOFF on 8L (which I just did about 4 hours ago), you have to cross the THRESHOLD of 8R. When I say "cross the threshold, I do mean the THRESHOLD... that's the only part of the runway that still exists. There's only about 200 feet of it, then it turns to dirt with a big fence.

If you can land anything in that 200 feet except a helicopter or a cub/citabria/decathlon -type aircraft, then I guess I'd be a little more concerned with getting a crossing clearance.

After just seeing that runway (or the threshold markings which is all that's left), I'd probably have laughed at the guy, too.

But then again, this is ATL, and I've seen more stupid things down here than I EVER saw in DTW or MSP (don't get me started on the mensa scholar that designed the ramp system in ATL), although MEM runs a close second.

"Who dat be callin ops?"

 

[blackhawk911]

nobody likes hubris

....but haggis is an acquired taste. So what's your point?