What would you do?

Tom-D

Tom-D

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Tom-D
you are 5 miles east of the airport, the runways are 07/25, jump/landing zone is 1 half mile south of the airfield, published traffic pattern is right to 07, left to 25. @ 1150. Class C 1 mile to the north.

Jump plane just announced jumpers away at 10,000'
 
Tom-D said:
you are 5 miles east of the airport, the runways are 07/25, jump/landing zone is 1 half mile south of the airfield, published traffic pattern is right to 07, left to 25. @ 1150. Class C 1 mile to the north.

Jump plane just announced jumpers away at 10,000'
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Straight in on 25.

We have that here, but your pattern is seriously flawed there placing the jumpers and the pattern on the same side. We have all traffic north for runway 10-28 and jumpers to the south (LT traffic 10 and RT traffic 28). We also have an acro box just west of the jumpers area to the south as well. Often there are 5 in the pattern, 2 jump planes and a couple of acro planes simultaneous with zero problems.
 
I'm always on flight following, which means I would have heard the jump plane before I got 5 miles away. I would have slowed down to give them time to jump before arriving.
 
Tom-D said:
you are 5 miles east of the airport, the runways are 07/25, jump/landing zone is 1 half mile south of the airfield, published traffic pattern is right to 07, left to 25. @ 1150. Class C 1 mile to the north.

Jump plane just announced jumpers away at 10,000'
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At the speed of two miles a minute, nothing; at Mach1 something else.:D
 
Mistake Not... said:
I'm always on flight following, which means I would have heard the jump plane before I got 5 miles away. I would have slowed down to give them time to jump before arriving.
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Don't be too sure.

I was IFR a few months ago and the controller told the jump plane to delay until I passed and they kicked them out anyway and then informed ATC that jumpers were away. I got to watch the meatbombs leave the airplane in front of me....that was fun.
 
Arm the guns of course.
 
Jokingly -- full throttle to chop them up finely.

In reality -- I'd go back the other way and go practice some maneuvers for a few minutes.
 
You're on flight following. Class C doesn't matter.

You have three options if wind favors rwy 7:

1. Transition Class C at 2000 AGL and set yourself up to enter the pattern on a straight in or right base.

2. Skirt south and west of the DZ and set yourself up for a right base entry.

3. Cross the airport at 500 above the highest TPA (at least), then teardrop into a straight-in or right base.

After landing, go have a talk with the airport manager about just how stupid that pattern/DZ is. Then file an ASRS because it's seriously unsafe.

The DZ is right at the 45, so no standard entries are possible without waiting out the jumpers.
 
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Depends on the wind, like the others said, where the pilot gives them the cut is based on winds, from there you will have a area where they hang out under canopy and then their landing pattern.


As far as waiting for the jumpers, that depends on the DZ, you get a turbine DZ with two jumpships on a weekend, they'll nearly rain skydivers non stop all day.


Best bet would be to hit the button on your yoke and ask the DZ pilot what he recommends.
 
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MAKG1 said:
You're on flight following. Class C doesn't matter.

You have three options if wind favors rwy 7:

1. Transition Class C at 2000 AGL and set yourself up to enter the pattern on a straight in or right base.

2. Skirt south and west of the DZ and set yourself up for a right base entry.

3. Cross the airport at 500 above the highest TPA (at least), then teardrop into a straight-in or right base.

After landing, go have a talk with the airport manager about just how stupid that pattern/DZ is. Then file an ASRS because it's seriously unsafe.

The DZ is right at the 45, so no standard entries are possible without waiting out the jumpers.
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This is a reality at OKH.
 
Turn away and go look at something for a few minutes then line up for a straight in.
 
Isn't this the time to announce your intentions, followed by "ATITAPA", then turn the volume down?
 
Henning said:
Turn away and go look at something for a few minutes then line up for a straight in.
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And then you are on 1/2 mile final, and the second pilot announces "jumpers away at 5000'"
 
Tom-D said:
And then you are on 1/2 mile final, and the second pilot announces "jumpers away at 5000'"
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I'll be on the ground before them. I've been based at, as well as flown for, DZs, it's not that difficult to stay safe.
 
Geico266 said:
Land the plane.
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07? because from 5 miles east of the airport you'd be 7 from touch down. and arriving at about the same time as the jumpers in a 20 mile wind blowing them into you.

25? land with a20 mile left quartering tail wind.

half mile final 07, yep just land.
 
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Expedite to traffic pattern altitude and enter right traffic for 7, tight pattern and short approach, after verifying with the jump pilot that it would be compatible with the release point.
 
Had a jump pilot announce ,all aircraft stay clear of the pattern for five minutes for jumpers. Had to extend my flight before entering pattern,as I needed gas.
 
Tom-D said:
And then you are on 1/2 mile final, and the second pilot announces "jumpers away at 5000'"
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In that case you should have communicated with the DZ pilot.


Luckily, despite poor ADM, you'll be hard pressed to find a DZ where jumpers will be directly in the flight path of the approach end of the active runway.
 
James331 said:
In that case you should have communicated with the DZ pilot.


Luckily, despite poor ADM, you'll be hard pressed to find a DZ where jumpers will be directly in the flight path of the approach end of the active runway.
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That's pretty much what my 182 customer at OKH thought, but he's the one who had two jumpers collecting their chutes on the runway as he landed and jumpers still in the air.
The jump plane pilot was talking to Whidbey Approach, and never said any thing on the OKH CTAF.
 
Tom-D said:
That's pretty much what my 182 customer at OKH thought, but he's the one who had two jumpers collecting their chutes on the runway as he landed and jumpers still in the air.
The jump plane pilot was talking to Whidbey Approach, and never said any thing on the OKH CTAF.
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Well shame on the DZ pilot, bad communications and maybe a bad spot, ether way the jumpers should have been able to avoid landing on the runway.
 
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