S Turns over an Airport????

[WDD]

Weird day. I'm at an untowered airport holding short ready to depart; I call it out. Then I hear "Cessna 1234 we are 5 miles out from Paulding, will be doing S turns over the runway". It took a few seconds to process that - he's doing what???. Sure enough, the ADSB shows that he's no longer coming in for pattern entry, but headed straight over the opposite threshold. Then "We'll be a pattern altitude, you can depart." A few more seconds of trying to process in my mind "He said what???".

I called out "Skylane will hold short until you clear". First instinct is not to be anywhere close to this guy. Sitting still on the ground seemed very appealing. Sure enough, right over the runway this Cessna is S turning.

Now, if you want to practice an engine out landing by circling around a point off to the side and behind your runway, I'll give you that assuming there isn't traffic already or traffic coming that you'll disturb. But S turns over the runway? You've shut the entire airport down.

Anybody else ever run into this?

 

[dbahn]

Anybody else ever run into this?

If you mean running into "people doing strange things at non-towered fields" then yes.

Someone calling intentions five miles out to me means I've likely got at least a minute or two to depart and get out of the way, but it's up to the departing pilot to do whatever he does and be safe.

 

[GaryM]

But S turns over the runway? You've shut the entire airport down.

If only straight stretches of asphalt NOT under a traffic pattern existed somewhere as an alternative to tying up a runway…

 

[ateamer]

A flight school near here has been known to do S-turns across a canal that borders our airpark so that their turns take them across our final at the same altitude as planes on final. When there are a few hundred square miles of dead-straight roads laid out on section lines, and many miles of canals.

Turns out that their Part 141 manual prohibits operations inside the patterns at airparks. Between that and their two fatal CFI-caused crashes in nine months (one of which involved a mechanical failure and a pencilwhipped annual), they’re in the FAA’s bullseye.

 

[Racerx]

A few weeks ago a non towered airport had som shenanigans. Coming from the south I planned on overflying 500 above pattern and doing a teardrop for 11 . One guy announced he was 2 miles to the east. 2 other guys in pattern. One of the guys in the pattern was on short final. "Is there someone on the other end of the runway?!?! We're gonna sidestep and go around"! With that I kept going north to let whatever was going on settle and keep spacing for the guy that had to go around. I didn't completely grasp the whole scenario until later. Landed and a guy in a piper sport was fueling. I got out and sat at a picnic table. 10 minutes later the guy who's in his mid 50's asks if I can help him. He's never fueled before and can't get the pump to work. Usually his instructor keeps cans at the hangar. No problem! Well.... for starters we gotta pull your credit card from the reader smh.

At that point I started putting things together. Going on adsb exchange the next day, the guy in the pipersport landed straight in on 29 when the winds were out of the east. He made a call a few miles out, nothing else. Even after queued by landing traffic he remained silent. I felt compelled to email the owner and say his student solo wasn't ready .

 

[flyingron]

Years ago I landed at New London (VA) and the state police came and asked when we were leaving. We told them in a few minutes and then asked why they were asking. They said "No rush, but we want to set up cones on the runway and practice driving fast." Of course, this I understand as my employer used that runway for drag races one Sunday a month.

 

[Lindberg]

I'm confused about how an airplane 1000' AGL above a runway "ties up" that runway or shuts the airport down. Was there any risk of collision with a normal departure?

 

[SoonerAviator]

I'm confused about how an airplane 1000' AGL above a runway "ties up" that runway or shuts the airport down. Was there any risk of collision with a normal departure?

Guess that depends on where the aircraft is when you reach 1K' AGL upon departure. Doesn't seem a whole lot different than a go-around or low pass from an operations standpoint, but that may also depend on how long it takes to do the S-turns (and how far into the downwind leg that S-turn gets).

 

[Bob Noel]

maybe another consideration is the confusion regarding the exactly what the f... er... what the heck the guy is doing and what he'll do next.

 

[Lindberg]

Guess that depends on where the aircraft is when you reach 1K' AGL upon departure. Doesn't seem a whole lot different than a go-around or low pass from an operations standpoint, but that may also depend on how long it takes to do the S-turns (and how far into the downwind leg that S-turn gets).

First let me get out of the way that I fully support people sitting still when something's going on that makes them unsure or uncomfortable. That's a good instinct.

But, as someone who's done stuff at uncontrolled fields that some other pilots tend to overreact to, I've got a bias.

I took from the OP that the invader was going in the opposite direction (so flying downwind over the runway), in which case a safe departure, or even remaining in the pattern, seems pretty much assured once he's crossed the opposite threshold if not sooner. This seems little different from someone practicing an opposite-direction approach and circling to land or going missed.

 

[Hang 4]

I used to train at that airport. There's a recognized practice area just to the north with a bazzilion places to practice s-turns, turns around a point etc. Agree OP could have gotten out, but understand why he was cautious.
Had a similar situation at the same airport when an IFR trainee called that he was on the RNAV 13 at YOBUY. I was on downwind for that runway. As a solo student at the time, I had no idea where YOBUY was. I called my position and asked the IFR guy how far out he was. No answer. Extended my downwind and kept looking. Never saw the guy and never heard another radio call. I got out of dodge and headed back to RYY.

 

[dbahn]

maybe another consideration is the confusion regarding the exactly what the f... er... what the heck the guy is doing and what he'll do next.

That's always my strategy at non-towered fields, then I monitor his actions closely and always have an "out", or several of them.

 

[SoonerAviator]

First let me get out of the way that I fully support people sitting still when something's going on that makes them unsure or uncomfortable. That's a good instinct.

But, as someone who's done stuff at uncontrolled fields that some other pilots tend to overreact to, I've got a bias.

I took from the OP that the invader was going in the opposite direction (so flying downwind over the runway), in which case a safe departure, or even remaining in the pattern, seems pretty much assured once he's crossed the opposite threshold if not sooner. This seems little different from someone practicing an opposite-direction approach and circling to land or going missed.

Agreed. No problem at all with just holding position until you feel it's safe to resume. Even if you can get eyes on the guy and don't see a conflict, it may be safer just to hang out for another minute or two to allow for spacing in case he does something unexpected (or someone else adds to the pandemonium).

 

[Zeldman]

I planned on overflying 500 above pattern

4-3-3 (a)(2) Traffic Patterns

Remembering that large and turbine-powered aircraft enter the traffic pattern at an altitude of not less than 1,500 feet AGL or 500 feet above the established pattern altitude. Which is usually not a problem when everyone is on the radio.

 

[Racerx]

4-3-3 (a)(2) Traffic Patterns

Remembering that large and turbine-powered aircraft enter the traffic pattern at an altitude of not less than 1,500 feet AGL or 500 feet above the established pattern altitude. Which is usually not a problem when everyone is on the radio.

I'd hope the big boys aren't flying nordo. But always aware of that

Luckily the guy that landed on 29 flew straight in as 29 is right pattern to avoid the town east of the airport. But that's assuming he would have known enough to use right pattern. Seeing as the card reader on the fuel pump has him stumped, that's probably asking a lot.