When at an uncontrolled field

[Dav8or]

Except that happened at a towered field, both aircraft had working radios and were following explicit instructions from ATC. Other than that, just like what happens at non-towered fields, an event that I've never seen at any of the 80 non-towered fields I've visited, or the ones I've been based at.

Keep visiting. I have definitely seen go arounds due to runway incursions at non towered fields. Now that I think about it, that is a big advantage of going NORDO. You can roll out on the runway, take off and be blissfully happy the rest of the day instead of listening to some guy cuss out you, your plane, your mother and likely your very existence on the radio as he goes around.

 

[Dav8or]

So if it is a drone in the pattern and he is announcing position via a handheld it's all good right?

That would be helpful IMO, yes.

 

[Dav8or]

Last week, I took off NORDO, flew around over the city, returned to the airport, and landed. There were gliders, students, transient planes, and a helicopter operating at and around the airport. Not even a near miss.

Great. Last week thousands of totally drunk drivers made it home alive. Not even a near miss.

 

[JHW]

Do you guys that have these fantastic Wonder Woman glass airplanes and 30/30 vision, ever use your radios outside of controlled airspace, or do you just switch them off to save power? I your opinion, other than for IFR ops, do com radios actually serve much of a purpose? It seems that the vast majority of pilots seem to find value in them for some reason. Are they wrong?

what radio are you talking about, exactly ? I have only a CB radio in the pawnee for coms, but it's almost always on.

 

[petrolero]

Do you guys that have these fantastic Wonder Woman glass airplanes and 30/30 vision, ever use your radios outside of controlled airspace, or do you just switch them off to save power? I your opinion, other than for IFR ops, do com radios actually serve much of a purpose? It seems that the vast majority of pilots seem to find value in them for some reason. Are they wrong?

At my field, all the gliders and ultralights use them as do the jets, the helicopters, the jump plane and well, everybody. Have we all been had by the radio manufacturers? Was it all just a plot to sell radios? Why is so much time wasted on coms procedures during training and why did they ever bother putting suggestions in the AIM? Was it all just a huge waste of energy when it sounds like all we need is the window?

I'm with you. Let's use the radio to the extent appropriate for aircraft and situation. Simple.

This board has a nexus of pilots, an opinionated lot to begin, doing the macho d*** thing combined with the internet tough guy thing. There's very useful info here, but a lot of crap too.

 

[JHW]

I'm with you. Let's use the radio to the extent appropriate for aircraft and situation. Simple.

This board has a nexus of pilots, an opinionated lot to begin, doing the macho d*** thing combined with the internet tough guy thing. There's very useful info here, but a lot of crap too.

i agree. Chief among the macho-hide-behind-a-keyboard contingent is someone saying "i don't care how many 10's of thousands of $$ it takes you to certify new magnetos for a 70 year old plane, you have to do that because i want to talk to you on a radio"

 

[flytime]

I have a question that I was thinking of asking in a new thread, but I will just throw it out here first...

When transitioning over a non-towered airport, I usually make a radio call on the CTAF to announce my intentions. A couple weeks ago I was transitioning over an airport at about 3,500 AGL, and I wasn't going to bother making the call because I was so far above the pattern that I figured it didn't really matter. But then I heard another pilot reporting a 5 mile straight-in approach from the opposite direction and figured I might as well let him know I was there. Appropriate? Or just a waste of radio waves?

 

[James331]

I have a question that I was thinking of asking in a new thread, but I will just throw it out here first...

When transitioning over a non-towered airport, I usually make a radio call on the CTAF to announce my intentions. A couple weeks ago I was transitioning over an airport at about 3,500 AGL, and I wasn't going to bother making the call because I was so far above the pattern that I figured it didn't really matter. But then I heard another pilot reporting a 5 mile straight-in approach from the opposite direction and figured I might as well let him know I was there. Appropriate? Or just a waste of radio waves?

Meh, ain't going to hurt especially if there isn't much going on on the freq.

Now if your neck of the woods I would for sure listen/talk before overflying Harvey or Sanderson.

 

[Henning]

Personally I'd just as soon have the plane behind me leave enough space that he won't run me over if I have a problem with the T&G that turns it into a longer touch without any go. In addition, if I announce what I plan to do on the runway as I'm making the turn from base to final I don't expect that the plane behind me is already on base and that plane should be able to adjust the spacing by changing the point he turns base. If he's on base when I'm turning final I think he's already too close.

Yeah, I don't turn base until whomever in front of me is on final, and depending on speed disparity potential a while later. That's why I like hearing traffic announce their type, so I know how fast to expect them to be. I usually stay at Vr or above until the runway is clear.

 

[flytime]

Meh, ain't going to hurt especially if there isn't much going on on the freq.

Now if your neck of the woods I would for sure listen/talk before overflying Harvey or Sanderson.

Those are fields that I generally avoid overflying period. Skydivers away!

 

[Hank S]

Yeah, I don't turn base until whomever in front of me is on final, and depending on speed disparity potential a while later. That's why I like hearing traffic announce their type, so I know how fast to expect them to be. I usually stay at Vr or above until the runway is clear.

I've found a good time to turn base is when the plane in front of me on final passes me going the other way. THEN turn base, and he'll usually be clear of the runway as I'm about halfway down final.

 

[petrolero]

i agree. Chief among the macho-hide-behind-a-keyboard contingent is someone saying "i don't care how many 10's of thousands of $$ it takes you to certify new magnetos for a 70 year old plane, you have to do that because i want to talk to you on a radio"

No idea what you're referring to.

I said "...appropriate to the aircraft and situation."

People are finding the small minority of exceptions to the rule and getting all internet****ed. Point is... If you can use a radio, why wouldn't you? "Because I don't technically have to" is a circular argument.

 

[JHW]

No idea what you're referring to.

I said "...appropriate to the aircraft and situation."

People are finding the small minority of exceptions to the rule and getting all internet****ed. Point is... If you can use a radio, why wouldn't you? "Because I don't technically have to" is a circular argument.

of course I use the radios in my planes that have them, where dod you get a silly idea like that ? But there are people here who think planes fly on radio waves and want to ban planes without them. NORDO traffic is safe, legal, and common so it's best to get used to the idea.