Watch where you are going!

[ksu_aviator]

Just a little rant. I had an Aero Commander try to hit me today. I was on an IFR flight plan barely moving along at 7K when I saw the target on the TCAS. The target moved closer (heading west) and just as the TA sounded center also gave me an alert. I managed to get a visual on him and made a descending turn to get away. I'm sure we still passed less than 1/4 mile. Center was not talking to the guy, so I'm assuming he was VFR.

So, what did he do wrong...He wasn't watching where he was going, I'm convinced he didn't ever see me because he turned right at me as we where passing. He was at the wrong altitude for a VFR flight and was flying it in the wrong direction.

Please, if you are going to fly VFR do so at the right altitude for the direction, or even for VFR and watch where you are going. I had my landing lights on so he should have seen me. BTW it was a JS31 so the landing lights are visible in flight.

 

[bafanguy]

KSU,


TCAS !! The greatest thing they've put in airplanes so far.

 

[labbats]

If you were anywhere near Topeka, then I'd blame the controller too. I was only there a few times, and had a near collision half the times.

 

[ksu_aviator]

I was closer to HSV than TOP

 

[smellthejeta]

He was at the wrong altitude for a VFR flight and was flying it in the wrong direction.

How do you fly the wrong altitude in the wrong direction?

 

[ksu_aviator]

Are you joking? Do people really not know this?

He was flying an IFR altitude while under VFR and doing it in the wrong direction.

 

[rumpletumbler]

Are you joking? Do people really not know this?

He was flying an IFR altitude while under VFR and doing it in the wrong direction.

Yeah, but as much as it might suck, you are responsible to see and avoid.

 

[dseagrav]

How do you fly the wrong altitude in the wrong direction?

Even Thousands West, Odd Thousands East, Plus 500.

 

[minitour]

How do you fly the wrong altitude in the wrong direction?

For example, flying VFR west at 5,000

Wrong altitude (should be 5.5)
Wrong direction (should be East)

 

[Kream926]

thanks mini for clearing that up

 

[JoeMhama]

I always use the acronym:

Neodd = North to East is an odd thousand + 500
Sweven = South to West is an even thousand + 500

And remember that those are based on true course not mag heading

 

[rumpletumbler]

I always use the acronym:

Neodd = North to East is an odd thousand + 500
Sweven = South to West is an even thousand + 500

And remember that those are based on true course not mag heading

They are based on magnetic course. Are you sweedish by any chance?

 

[labbats]

I always use the acronym:

Neodd = North to East is an odd thousand + 500
Sweven = South to West is an even thousand + 500

And remember that those are based on true course not mag heading

Haha, my flight instructor for my private taught me that, and it stuck like glue.

 

[JoeMhama]

Oops, I knew it was one of the two, thanks for the correction

No on the swedish, but i wouldnt mind hookin up with one!!

 

[Kream926]

odd men (minitour) fly east...cause its better in tulsa

 

[MTpilot]

Out here in Montana we say:


People form back east are odd.

East is odd

 

[ksu_aviator]

Yeah, but as much as it might suck, you are responsible to see and avoid.

That is great, but you have to do the math on a head on encounter like this. From the time I was able to see him (and keep in mind I had a TCAS telling me where to look) to the time he was past me was laround 15 seconds. See and avoid is a great thing, in a 172. But when you get into anything that is even slightly faster, the closure rates make see and avoid in a head to head encounter very difficult.

 

[urflyingme?!]

even in a 172, it happens fast.
Lets do the math.
each plane is cruising at 120KIAS thats 2 miles a minute.
3 miles vis.
Closure rate of 240, or 4 miles a minute.
3 miles, equals 45 seconds from first possibility of seing to impact.

 

[Thedude]

So, what did he do wrong...He wasn't watching where he was going, I'm convinced he didn't ever see me because he turned right at me as we where passing. He was at the wrong altitude for a VFR flight and was flying it in the wrong direction.

What you should have said was, Wrong altitude for direction. Welcome to the wonderful world of commuter flying in the US. Get used to haveing your head on a swivel when you go into podunk airports. J-3s will pop out of now where and of course they won't be talking to anybody. Light twins will be flying in IFR and not talking to anybody (hopefull their xponder is on). FAA King Airs will cut you off when you are on a 3 mile final and the list goes on.

 

[smellthejeta]

Are you joking? Do people really not know this?

He was flying an IFR altitude while under VFR and doing it in the wrong direction.

Well, can you fly the right altitude in the wrong direction? Or fly the wrong altitude in the right direction?

 

[crudeoilpilot]

Did you happen to notice if he or she was climbing? Your dope scope would have told you.

VFR departures anywhere in a high perf airplane are crazy. You cant see snot because of your AOA. A lot of folks do it; there we where FDH!!!!!!

 

[wingnutt]

..odd ducks fly east! (cause they are supposed to fly north or south)

 

[TIGV]

I was closer to HSV than TOP

Y'all hiring ???

 

[Flyin Tony]

I was landing at Apple Valley the other day...........


I made my call like 15 to the southwest 5,000
then another
10 to the southwest. Apple Valley has a thing if you click the mike 3 times it tells you the winds and all that good stuff.

By this time theres some bone head out there that cant speak english.

He calls
piper XXXXJ to the south west and asked for the runway
I told him left traffic 18 and asked him how many miles out he was......
He says
piper XXXXJ southwest for landing apple valley
I asked him 4 times to say how many miles out he is, he just said
piper XXXXJ southwest for landing apple valley

I was getting mad

on and on
I made my calls for downwind and base
He came on the comms and say piper XXXXJ right base for 36..... and now he is on left base for 36 and the winds are calm.
I told him 4 times the calm wind runway is 18
I get on final and hes right there too, but landing on 36. I went around and he does a t/g on 36 and does this again. Im on downwind and he is right under me. I landed and went to my hangar and waited for this dumba$$ to get out of this place before I tookoff again.

 

[tk855]

I told him 4 times the calm wind runway is 18

Since when did this rule come about? I have never heard of such a thing as a "calm wind" runway. Maybe 18 was the calm wind runway for you, but nothing says anyone else has to use it.

 

[TIGV]

Was flying the old: ' F ' back to Wasau Wisconsin one morning but got fogged in, we held for about 40 minutes and headed to Appleton, trapped the localizer and descended inbound, I was flying, FO was running xlist, we were just entering a 3000 ft broken layer when I hear a very high octave " Oh SH!T ! " from the right seat.
I look up to see a c-150 about 1 o'clock, slightly low, climbing, head on about 1/16 mile away he was moving left to right in the windshield so I cranked in a 'shed' load of left yoke and pulled back......
Couple of seconds later we hit his ' wake '....yeah who knew you could feel the wake of a one-filthy in the old ' F '.
Needless to say I'm sure he felt ours, we were IFR, he wasn't talking to anyone and wasn't in radar, I suspect just threading his way through to get VFR on top....We got lucky and he probably got some unusual attitude recurrency from our wake, let that be a lesson to him.
Scary stuff.

 

[minitour]

Since when did this rule come about? I have never heard of such a thing as a "calm wind" runway. Maybe 18 was the calm wind runway for you, but nothing says anyone else has to use it.

I've seen it listed.

Here (I believe the AFD) lists the calm wind runways as:
Takeoff runway 35, land runway 3 or Takeoff runway 21, land runway 17
(Converging, non-intersecting runways)

No such thing as an "active" runway at a non-towered field...though I do love that phrase at uncontrolled fields

 

[Vector4fun]

Lots of airports have a "Calm wind runway" designated. I've often seen it for noise. May just be a local thing though on the airport bulletin board.

 

[FlyGirlFelicia]

Another way to remember it...

My CFI taught it to me this way:

North-Easterners are ODD, South-Westerners get EVEN.

 

[minitour]

Wee! O...