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Tower: "I'll call the base"

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2018 5:35 am
by Colonel
Doing pattern work recently - I just don't get as many landings
as I used to, so ....

On the last time around, I'm on left downwind for 25L and instead
of clearing me for the option, Tower clears a Great Lakes Biplane
for a leasurely takeoff on 25L and Tower tells me that he will call
the base.

Fine.  I slow down, hanging off the prop at 90 mph and I proceed
to nearly exit the zone to the east, because Tower gets busy with
traffic on 25R. 

Finally, as I am about to exit the class D, Tower clears me for a
base and I tell him this one will be a full stop.

Around comes the nose, let it drop and point it directly at the
threshold of 25L and full throttle.  Speed comes up to 190 mph
in the slant final, and on very short final, the throttle comes all
the way back, the constant speed prop does it's thing and I flare
at my normal 100 mph over the numbers and make the turnoff.

God, I love these crazy little biplanes.  Like liter bikes, I can't
understand why everyone doesn't have at least one.  Heck, you
can get a Gen1 'Busa for peanuts.

https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/200 ... 5004724026

They're asking 5, offer 4.  Peanuts.

Re: Tower: "I'll call the base"

Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 12:19 pm
by cgzro
Yeah they sure de-accellerate quickly ;) Those big props have a lot of drag at idle, which really screws you up if you ever have the engine actually stopped because they glide way better than you expect but when that happens boy can you slip them.

Re: Tower: "I'll call the base"

Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 2:44 pm
by Slick Goodlin
Last time I did VFR circuits at a controlled airport (when even was that, like twelve years ago?) I remember being "number eleven to land, I'll call the base."  This of course took me a couple miles outside the zone and I always wondered what ATC would have done if I just flew away without saying anything.  I mean, I'm out of his jurisdiction at that point, right?

Re: Tower: "I'll call the base"

Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 10:27 pm
by Colonel
You would think so, but there was a recent incident here where
a pilot flew out of the inverted wedding cake and thought he could
ignore ATC's instructions outside of class A/B/C/D.

[b]No soup for you[/b].  He violated the reg that you have to obey ATC
instructions.  See, as soon as you make the mistake of talking to
them (VFR) they have you by the short and curlies.

That's why Eric and I flew across the country NORDO, carefully
driving around the inverted wedding cakes and not talking to a
soul.  Best not to talk to ATC if you have a choice.

Re: Tower: "I'll call the base"

Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 2:59 pm
by David MacRay
Number 11 to land? Is it bad form to make that Marge Simpson sound at the beginning of your reply?

"Mmmm, Call sign nmber 11 to land."

Re: Tower: "I'll call the base"

Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:51 pm
by Slick Goodlin
[quote author=David MacRay link=topic=9307.msg25590#msg25590 date=1541775558]
Number 11 to land? Is it bad form to make that Marge Simpson sound at the beginning of your reply?
[/quote]
Too bad you weren't there to suggest it.  I was paying by the hour to do X number of circuits, hindsight being what it is I should have asked my instructor if we could have just flown somewhere else.

Re: Tower: "I'll call the base"

Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:59 pm
by Colonel
[quote]could have just flown somewhere else[/quote]

A few years back, Eric and I were flying a couple of Pitts to
Rockcliffe.  I forget for what.  Obviously a formation landing
was not possible, so we went stream, and I was #8 on downwind.

It was pretty raunchy, but after I landed, I asked where Eric
was.  You know, the other red and white Pitts.  No sign of him.

Turned out, he said "screw this cluster" and went to Gatineau
instead  ;D  Looks like he took your advice.