Two planes on the same runway

[USMCmech]

I was waiting to take a glider flight and had positioned the glider on the runway waiting for the towplane to land and come pick me up.

Some guy in a C-172 came on freq ranting about the glider taking up the runway. I got on my Comm and told him that he was free to land over the top of me aiming for the 800 foot mark on a 4800ft runway(which is what the towplane always does). He replied that that was crazy and he would circle untill I cleared the runway.

Well, about that time the tow plane was about to land, so we hooked up and took off, the guy wound up circling for 10 minutes ranting and raving over Unicom the whole time.

 

[FL420]

I'm pretty sure they were operating on a waiver at the time but I flew in to the Watsonville Airshow once and there were six aircraft on the runway in front of me at touchdown. Three on the left half and three on the right half. When I cleared the runway there were six aircraft on the runway behind me.

When on short final in a transport category aircraft with an aircraft still on the runway I always reminded the other pilot to be prepared to go around and, since it doesn't happen very often, quickly briefed the calls and actions to be performed. You never know when the ATC guy will suddenly decide it's too close and command a go around.

 

[navigator72]

At really busy uncontrolled airports you sometimes have no choice unless you want to keep going around. Some pilots would take their time getting off the runway and I would slow the plane down as slow as I could. Usually I would land short, taxi in, and the other plane would still be trying to figure out where they were going.

 

[jaxpilot]

had it happen yesterday. I was midfield on the downwind and tower cleared an airplane to land and it landed with another plane on the runway. Tower said something like "you are still cleared to land, you have the required distance of 3000 feet met". Everything was fine.

 

[81Horse]

I have always thought that you can not land if another plane was on the runway, especially at a contolled field, but I was told today that you can as long as you have the "required distance" between the two of you. Is this true? Can you cite a reference? Either way it still seems a bit dangerous to me. Thanks.

Where do you fly? I can't see how you would find routine runway separation dangerous. The average freeway puts you in a more perilous predicament every time you drive.

 

[urflyingme?!]

Technicality Alert

Would this be considered LAHSO because you are requiring yourself to stop by a certain point on the runway? Or does LAHSO only apply to intersecting runways?

 

[Almerick07]

had a controller tell me to go around because a 172 was doing a snail taxi after he landed to "his" taxi way turn off and we had 3000' between us. Next attempt was told to go around because a Waco was taking his sweet time to get off the runway atleast 3000' as well, finally a new controller took over and cleared me to land behind a 757 on a differnet runway..."cessnaxxx cleared to land 35 if you can make taxiway bravo, oh and caution wake turbulence." I guess they have their days too...

 

[81Horse]

Would this be considered LAHSO because you are requiring yourself to stop by a certain point on the runway? Or does LAHSO only apply to intersecting runways?

The original question was, I think, about normal operations at a controlled airport wherein Airplane A lands behind Airplane B -- with 3000' or more anticipated distance between them (see the references in earlier posts). It doesn't require special instructions for either aircraft.

LAHSO applies to intersecting runways, and would include HOLD SHORT OF instructions and meet various other criteria.

LAHSO operations are built around the potential for collision caused by decreasing separation. Normal runway separation distances are for in-trail landings on a single runway, where the following aircraft will not overtake the leading aircraft; IOW the risk of collision is negligible.

<edit to add for almerick: everyone assumes the airplane you're following will exit the runway in a timely fashion -- there's always the occasional bonehead who screws up the plan.>

 

[Almerick07]

On a similar note at the same airport different controller a 737 was directed to land and hold short of runway 3 (they meet at the very end making somewhat of a V) and the pilot responded, "cleared to land 35 and if i dont hold short of 3 we're going to have a bigger problem." (would have been in the drink).

<edit to add for 81: Oh I know, atleast the 757 hustled to the end of the runway lol>

 

[bubbers44]

Just use common sense. I landed over a DC8 once in Columbia after diverting to Panama City because of thunderstorms. He elected to land with a 20 knot tailwind and blew his tires. They still hadn't cleared the first 2000 feet of a 10000 foot runway 3 hrs. later when I returned. The tower never even mentioned the DC8 but if you don't bend metal they don't care down there. Not saying it was a good idea but it was safe.