Poor guy...

[48dodge]

For some reason I don't think mentioning being a student pilot would have calmed this controller down. Maybe would have sent him over the edge even more

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

For some reason I don't think mentioning being a student pilot would have calmed this controller down. Maybe would have sent him over the edge even more

Yeah, the controller seemed hell bent on scolding this kid.

I remember how nervous I was the first time I talked to a controller.
I was horrible.

 

[Matthew]

Yeah, the controller seemed hell bent on scolding this kid.

I remember how nervous I was the first time I talked to a controller.
I was horrible.

Me too - and that was my first time in an airplane. I learned at a D airport, so radio work started on day one.

 

[Pinstriper]

Man I'd hate to think that when this pilot gets in a real jamb he won't want to declare when he needs it most because of this incident

 

[MAKG1]

Probably first controlled field landing.
Entering a 45 degree downwind leg at a towered airport...

I seldom do base entries at Class D airports. I try to position myself for one of the 45s or a straight in, at initial contact. Tower sometimes has other ideas, and I comply. For Class C airports, I may have vectors to deal with, and I won't do straight ins (that gets in the way of much faster jets), so that's different.

 

[KA550]

Man I'd hate to think that when this pilot gets in a real jamb he won't want to declare when he needs it most because of this incident

Let me fix it for you: Man I'd hate to think that when this pilot gets in a real jamb he won't have a clue of what to do.

This is not an isolated event. This type of incompetence is displayed daily throughout the country.

I hope the controller provided a summary to the FSDO at the end of this event.

 

[MAKG1]

If the pilot gets into a jamb, it's really obvious what to do. Call some guy with a crowbar. And maybe gain a little weight….

 

[Timmer]

This is not an isolated event. This type of incompetence is displayed daily throughout the country. .

Yes, we should all be born knowing exactly how to handle every situation perfectly, and not doing so is indication of the failure of an entire society.

(Am I doing this Internet thing right?)

 

[Skywalker]

I really feel sorry for the guy - even though I also understand the controller. Yes, he didn't act very supportive to the pilot, but then the pilot didn't comply to his instructions. And we don't know what happened during the controller's shift before. Probably this guy was the tenth pilot who didn't comply to instructions and the nine pilots before experienced a very supportive controller.

During my flight training, I returned from my solo XC to my towered 'home' airport. Before I took off at the previous airport, I had checked the wind conditions at my final destination and expected runway X in use. Therefore I expected certain instructions from the controller and prepared myself for this runway. Surprise - a different runway was in use and even though my radio communication skills were good, I was so confused and overwhelmed because everything was different to what I expected. I learnt a lot from that experience and ever since I prepare myself differently when it comes to approaching airports, but to be honest: in that situation I just didn't got the idea to ask for vectors...

By the way: I learnt to fly at an towered airport in Florida and English is not my first language...

 

[RyanShort1]

Maybe. Maybe he was prepared, but he just froze and then got all screwed up when the controller pressured him.

I've seen that happen. Sometimes, thankfully not too often, a student that seems very calm and comfortable with the instructor on board gets nervous and does unexpected things when solo. It's hard to completely prevent that and is a serious matter for a judgment call by instructors.

 

[danhagan]

Fly long enough and you'll get "that" controller a few times. Fortunately, the majority are very good. OTOH, the pilot should've been better prepared ... not being so, turned into a cascading shower of $%&* during the ground operations.

 

[EdFred]

I seldom do base entries at Class D airports. I try to position myself for one of the 45s or a straight in, at initial contact. Tower sometimes has other ideas, and I comply. For Class C airports, I may have vectors to deal with, and I won't do straight ins (that gets in the way of much faster jets), so that's different.

Man, we are like total opposites in the air. I almost always set up for and get base and straight in entries at towered fields. Of course most of the fields I go to the chances of getting something not base or straight in is about 16-20%.

Most of the controlled fields I hit have (near) 90° intersecting runways sometimes with parallel, and you know how it's rare to ever have a tailwind so it's always base or straight in.

 

[MAKG1]

Man, we are like total opposites in the air. I almost always set up for and get base and straight in entries at towered fields. Of course most of the fields I go to the chances of getting something not base or straight in is about 16-20%.

Most of the controlled fields I hit have (near) 90° intersecting runways sometimes with parallel, and you know how it's rare to ever have a tailwind so it's always base or straight in.

There aren't a whole lot of cross-runways around here.

Wind is almost always from the northwest, and most of the runways are aligned that way -- between 270 and 310.

And there is a big Class B and terrain that constrains everything.

You can get base entries, but it's a bit contrived. It happens sometimes with arrivals from the east, but more often the VFR flyways put you pretty close to the 45s.

Oakland wants base or midfield entries most of the time, but that's to get your butt over the conga line while the jets are very low (generally, right over the 30 numbers to one of the 28s).

 

[greddawn]

This reminds me of the first time I went solo in to one of the busiest class d airports in the country. I was a 35 hour pilot that only had worked within class g and a sleepy class d up north. I flight planned, studied, and had all my tools in front of me when I enterred the airspace. I almost landed on the wrong runway, when I hear yelling over the air asking why I'm turning base on the northbound runway instead of crossing over for a downwind turn on the southbound. I apologized profusely and since my tail number was familiar from the local school, just got a laugh. Either way, lets not assume he was unprepared. Mental mistakes happen frequently in high pressure situations. I always check my dg now and confirm with my notes before I make any turns to land, making sure I have eyes on my runway. Great learning experience.