If your radios went boobs up, where would you land?

woodchucker

woodchucker

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woodchucker
Controlled with light guns, or uncontrolled? Assuming you had the option.
 
As long as the airport that I planned on landing at isn't Class B or C, I'd go for it. Just make sure you know your light signals or have a cheat sheet if you go to a towered field. If you go for a non-towered field, fly over the field at least PA+500' and scour for traffic and then head out to enter a 45 for the downwind. Either way, head on a swivel!
 
I lost radios one time going into a towered airport. Not a total failure, I could hear but not transmit. I circled above TPA until the tower noticed me, asked if I could hear by rocking the wings.

I did, they cleared me to land, I landed and took a pizza to the tower guys.

I would have gone across town to the non-towered airport but there was Cessna hungry thunderstorms building all around and I wanted to get on the ground.
 
Zeldman said:
I lost radios one time going into a towered airport. Not a total failure, I could hear but not transmit. I circled above TPA until the tower noticed me, asked if I could hear by rocking the wings.

I did, they cleared me to land, I landed and took a pizza to the tower guys.

I would have gone across town to the non-towered airport but there was Cessna hungry thunderstorms building all around and I wanted to get on the ground.
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I had something similar happen, I could hear them but they couldn't hear me. But I had another pilot relaying my calls. Eventually when I was about 5 miles away full contact was established. This was into a "C" airport.
 
Planes were flying long before they had radios installed some still don't. My preference would be uncontrolled but that is my preference 99.9999999999999% of the time anyway.
 
Well, the one time it happened, I was in the run up area at a towered airport, so the answer was a little too annoyingly obvious.
 
Is it legal to enter Class D airspace under VFR if your radio has already failed (and if there's no emergency need to land there)? CFR 91.129(d) seems to be addressing what happens if you're already in Class D (having established two-way radio communication) when the radio fails.
 
acrophile said:
Is it legal to enter Class D airspace under VFR if your radio has already failed (and if there's no emergency need to land there)? CFR 91.129(d) seems to be addressing what happens if you're already in Class D (having established two-way radio communication) when the radio fails.
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If you're below 3000 AGL or so, you can pull out your cell phone and call them. At least, that's what I did, and after their initial surprise at the call, it worked just fine. BTW, that cell phone is a "radio" by any definition of which I am aware.
 
Why is anyone flying without a backup handheld? That is $250.00 worth of insurance. I value my and my family's life to much to not have one.
 
Ron Levy said:
If you're below 3000 AGL or so, you can pull out your cell phone and call them. At least, that's what I did, and after their initial surprise at the call, it worked just fine. BTW, that cell phone is a "radio" by any definition of which I am aware.
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Yep. We had a talk with the head controller dude at our class c airspace or airport. He said if something like this happens to call on your cell phone and he would get the light gun out. Or what ever he called it.

He also said he was open to non-radio or non transponder aircraft to fly in. He said just call in advance and let him know about what time one would be flying in and he would be watching, again with the light gun. He even told us where to fly and hold until we get the green light.

He seemed like a very nice man. I really enjoyed the talk he gave to us all.

Tony
 
Hmmm.... radio failure in the SFRA. Squawk 7600 and exit the SFRA (unless closer to the departure point within the SFRA, in which case I return and look for a light signal).
 
My FBO is at a D field. I'm a VFR guy - I'd squawk 7600 and fly around until they got the light gun. I have tower phone number programmed into my phone, and a handheld. I think I'd be OK landing back home. If all that failed, there's an untowered field nearby where I could phone tower from there.
 
wsuffa said:
Hmmm.... radio failure in the SFRA. Squawk 7600 and exit the SFRA (unless closer to the departure point within the SFRA, in which case I return and look for a light signal).
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Scarrier; failure in SFRA while IMC. I would imagine you still follow the FAR rules. You would never see the fighters anyway.
 
I don't know, if my radios went boobs up I guess I just stare at them and be very distracted.
 
1600vw said:
Yep. We had a talk with the head controller dude at our class c airspace or airport. He said if something like this happens to call on your cell phone and he would get the light gun out. Or what ever he called it.
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Never did see the light gun signal -- blue-toothed the phone to my headset, and stayed on the line until taxiing in.
 
Ron Levy said:
If you're below 3000 AGL or so, you can pull out your cell phone and call them. At least, that's what I did, and after their initial surprise at the call, it worked just fine. BTW, that cell phone is a "radio" by any definition of which I am aware.
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How did you find their number? I remember someone posted an android only app that shows towers phone numbers around the country.
 
Simple. You're low enough to use google on your smart phone. Look up the number. Heck, even post a query on POA. "Hey guys, my radio isn't working what is the number for KCOS tower? Please reply ASAP".
 
One time I left KAPC for another towered airport, and shortly after takeoff my radio started going downhill fast. The tower guy said he'd call ahead to the other tower to let them know I might be arriving without a radio.

Fortunately I didn't have to play that scenario out - it turned out to be a bad headset, and I fixed the problem by swapping it.
 
narchee said:
Heck, even post a query on POA. "Hey guys, my radio isn't working what is the number for KCOS tower? Please reply ASAP".
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Be careful about this one. Someone could give you a number, and the first question tower might ask is, " What are you wearing?"
 
Ether one, non towered is, of course, easier.

Also having blue tooth and a cell phone really can help in these situations.

I once got everything from taxi to take off to vectors all the way out of C airspace with my lightspeeds and my iPhone.
 
Zeldman said:
I lost radios one time going into a towered airport. Not a total failure, I could hear but not transmit. I circled above TPA until the tower noticed me, asked if I could hear by rocking the wings.

I did, they cleared me to land, I landed and took a pizza to the tower guys.

I would have gone across town to the non-towered airport but there was Cessna hungry thunderstorms building all around and I wanted to get on the ground.
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Rocking the wings still is the trick question on radio lost procedure on writing test :yes:
And off course is wrong :rofl:

7600 on the box will get you noticed lot faster :rolleyes2:
 
Loveair said:
Why is anyone flying without a backup handheld? That is $250.00 worth of insurance. I value my and my family's life to[o] much to not have one.
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Your life shouldn't depend on having a radio. But yes, a handheld radio (and VOR/ILS receiver) is a good idea.

I'm not sure what the transmission range of handheld radios might be. Would they necessarily suffice to arrange entry from five or ten miles away?
 
acrophile said:
Your life shouldn't depend on having a radio. But yes, a handheld radio (and VOR/ILS receiver) is a good idea.

I'm not sure what the transmission range of handheld radios might be. Would they necessarily suffice to arrange entry from five or ten miles away?
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I'm my experience a iPhone works better, for both the Comms and the nav when compared to a hand held nav comm using its own antenna.
 
Handheld is a good idea for a range of reasons, and makes a cheap backup in case of radio meltdown. Many radios ship with a headset adapter that you can just keep in the flight bag.

I've observed a few radio-out situations at Class D airports and it was mostly a non-event... most recently watched it all unfold while holding short for takeoff.

Tower shuts down all other movement to make way and breaks out the light gun. Usually they have a vehicle ready to drive up the the plane after it lands and meet the pilot, then guide the plane to wherever it needs to go.
 
Matthew said:
Be careful about this one. Someone could give you a number, and the first question tower might ask is, " What are you wearing?"
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GASP! You mean I can't believe everything I find on the internet? :eek:
 
I lost xmit in IMC once. Squawked 7600, ATC called my call sign and said if I could hear them, ident. All further instruction were "ident" to acknowledge. No big deal.

Btw, handhelds don't transmit very far, and unless you have a headset jack, are impossible to hear. Very handy for getting another ship in the area to relay your situation to ATC though. BTDT.
 
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Mike5250 said:
How did you find their number? I remember someone posted an android only app that shows towers phone numbers around the country.
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I've got Salisbury Tower in my cell phone -- I was returning to my home airport. But I also have the numbers for every TRACON for about 300 miles around in there, and there' always 800-WX-BRIEF and the IFR Clearance number, which should get me someone who can get the number of any Tower in the country.
 
When it happened to me, I landed at the non-towered airport nearest my planned destination.

I was alone on my first solo XC. So I landed and kept the engine running (was an alternator failure). Used the cell phone to call FSS, got the tower number, called the tower and we made the plan that I would cross midfield at the top of their airspace and look for the light gun.
 
Comanche flyer said:
Rocking the wings still is the trick question on radio lost procedure on writing test :yes:
And off course is wrong :rofl:

7600 on the box will get you noticed lot faster :rolleyes2:
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Correct..... if there was radar in the tower, which there wasn't back then.
 
It's happened to me twice - both times in rental aircraft. Both times I landed at an uncontrolled field close to my intended destination. No muss, no fuss. Somebody else's headache at that point.
 
If my radios had boobs, I'd do a lot more flying.
 
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