You're number 2, behind the C130...

OkieAviator

OkieAviator

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OkieAviator
Flying into my training field is always full of fun. It's a mix between GA private part 61 training, University part 141 training and the influx of new Air Force pilots flying T6 and T1s from Vance AFB.

Today was no different and saw the usual players doing touch and goes and worked in the traffic to do my dual lesson. After about an hour of flying I took my CFI to a smaller uncontrolled airport so he could get his personal plane and meet me back at the training airport. Even though I took off a good 10 mins before him from the smaller airport I did a few maneuvers getting us back close to controlled airspace about the same time. I contacted ATC first and was about a half mile closer so they worked me in first for a typical Left Downwind for 17... I listened to the chatter but didn't really pay much attention other than knowing there were some other smaller Cessna's incoming and at least 2 other planes working Instrument approaches and of course my CFI in his plane behind me.

After reporting Left Downwind I was given clearance to land behind the C130 and asked if I had visual. Being prior service, riding and even jumping out of C130's the first thought that came to my mind was maybe there was some strange tiny Cessna they named C130... after about 5 seconds I realized that wasn't the case when I saw the behemoth of a plane on Final.

I was trying to picture what my CFI was thinking knowing I've never landed behind anything larger than a small turboprop. Everything worked out, I watched to see where it touched down, went about 500 ft past that to land, got off the runway and taxi'd back to the Hangar.

It turned out to be a big "to do" of the town though. Literally within 10 mins, about 15 cars with kids and phone cameras were filling the parking lot to watch the touch and goes. I probably should of gotten my phone out once I was on the ramp but I had logbooks to fill out!
 
Cool!

We get a lot of c130s around little rock. I've taxied past them at klit (yep, they are big compared to the c172 I was flying at the time). One time I flew over what lookd like a wagon train of them- little rock departure called them out and said waive! Earlier this year, I actually flew somewhat under one- they were 500' or so above. Never thought I would be flying below one....

May not have afterburners, but still cool...
 
It's always fun flying when you have a c130 doing touch and gos in the pattern. Didn't really enjoy touch and gos when I was riding in the back,way back when.
 
C-130's frequently visit an airport I fly to occasionally (ARG) They were there doing touch and goes when I departed once. I took off on Runway 36. As I turned right southeast bound, there was a C-130 departing RWY 4. He had all his lights on and looked real close. I made sure he saw me! :).
 
I was in a warrior with my instructor flying to BDL for my first trip to a busy charlie. About 10 miles out, approach told me to "follow the 737" Seriously?
 
Yep, I get the "caution, wake turbulence" message from ATC every time I'm taking off behind those guys doing their low approaches. I wait a minute or two after their pass and then proceed to do my thing.

Very cool to watch, and I even had a few of them divert their low pass training to Johnstown once during my PP training at KLBE when I was trying to get my three solo takeoffs/landings in before nightfall. I'll never forget that one.
 
I got to land behind a B-17 once. That was cool.

And a bunch of Dash-8's, 737s, and MD-8x's and various biz jets. Those are kinda boring.
 
As I was returning to Denton from the SW and had just been cleared into the Bravo, I got a traffic call out about a C130 on a very long straight in to Fort Worth Navy (was Carswell) slightly above my altitude.

I had already spotted a black smokey smudge in the sky before the controller advised of the traffic. So it was an easy response to say "traffic in sight". Black smoke was engine exhaust.

We passed him with about a 1.5 mile separation. But still cool to see him in flight.
 
They do make a lot of smoke, eh what?

Per my earlier CFI : "that's a function of the high quality fuel the govmint buys"
:yes:
 
MAKG1 said:
I got to land behind a B-17 once. That was cool.

And a bunch of Dash-8's, 737s, and MD-8x's and various biz jets. Those are kinda boring.
Click to expand...

I've got a picture that my wife took of a B-17 taking off from rwy 17 at KOLM while I was on short final to rwy 26. Not something you see every day.

Last summer I was climbing out of KOLM and SEA approach had to keep a C-17 down a bit until he passed ahead of us. The C-172 I was flying just didn't want to climb all that fast on that warm day. A C-17 sure looks big when it is nearby in the air. :D
 
Reminds me of one time when I was leaving KAPC, I was in a 172 and just got my PPL a couple months prior.

Ground: "Cessna, see that Bom-bard-ee-ay ahead of you? Follow him down the taxiway to 18R."

Me: "Mmm, I see some kind of jet looking thing ahead of me."

Ground: "Okay, then, Cessna, go ahead and follow that jet looking thing to 18R."
 
When I was flying to Atlantic City I was given, "Cessna 12345, cleared to land number 2 behind a KC-10 doing a touch and go, caution wake turbulence." On top of that I had a good crosswind to deal with. Otherwise an awesome approach.
 
Great. How do avoid the wake turbulence AND the jet blast from a three engine touch'n'go, one of which is right in your face right before the flare?
 
MAKG1 said:
Great. How do avoid the wake turbulence AND the jet blast from a three engine touch'n'go, one of which is right in your face right before the flare?
Click to expand...

If you are that close, go around.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
If you are that close, go around.
Click to expand...

You don't have to be that close.

We use 300 feet behind a jet engine at full power, to keep from getting killed on foot. It will be a lot worse on very short final in an aircraft. Stuff that might knock you on your butt but not kill you on foot could do quite a bit worse 20 feet off the runway. The wake can persist several minutes, and the jet blast fills in the place you might have landed to avoid the wake turbulence.

So I guess you're right. Go around. Offset to avoid the takeoff wake; a KC-10 can almost certainly climb faster than a spam can.
 
MAKG1 said:
Great. How do avoid the wake turbulence AND the jet blast from a three engine touch'n'go, one of which is right in your face right before the flare?
Click to expand...
Luckily I wasn't that close. I think I was still getting vectored for a visual approach
 
I used to operate out of several airports with heavy C-130 traffic: ILG, APG, MRB.
MRB went to C-5's for a while, not sure what they're using up there now.

My one C-130 story is that when I was in the APG flying club we had a plane based up at ILG. One day the pilot was taxiing around behind one of the Delaware Air Guard C-130's and had confirmed with the pilots through ground that they weren't going to run up the engines but for some reason it happened anyhow. Our plane was rather gently picked up and dropped on it's wing. Our pilot said he was uninjured until, hanging upside from the belts, released the seat belt and fell on his head.

I guess I told that story in the presence of my kids, because one day they were in a roll over accident (in a car) which came to rest on the side. My stepson said he remembered the C-130 story and made sure to brace himself before releasing his seat belt. I guess telling old plane crash war stories actually does have some benefit.
 
They do (did?) 130s in Pueblo CO and I had an opportunity to take a transient newly-minted private pilot on a flight there. When leaving, ATC cleared us for takeoff very shortly after a C130 touch down on the perpendicular runway - its "flare" was right over the departure end of our runway. As the pilot began to add power, I looked at my watch, figured we'd hit the wake but enough time had passed that it would be controllable.

Sure enough. After recovering, the pilot turned to me and asked, "Was that wake turbulence?" Good practical lesson.
 
The biggest problem at MRB was they sometimes had arresting gear on the runway (just ahead of the "real" thershold). They also had a rather short "assualt" strip between the main runway and the taxiway. We got permission to do ops there (not that it's anywhere near as impressive in the Navion as it is watching the 130's do it).
 
MAKG1 said:
I got to land behind a B-17 once. That was cool.

And a bunch of Dash-8's, 737s, and MD-8x's and various biz jets. Those are kinda boring.
Click to expand...
Aye matey that be a right thing to be holdin'

I got a clearance coming into Mid-America once that was 'you're number 4 following a B17, B25 and B26 on final.' That was a cool sight to see! Then as I was on the roll out they taxied past going the other way.
 
Reminds me of my night XC During training. We went to KONT, and showed up right in the middle of the UPS nightly arrivals. "You're number 4, traffic is a 767, an A320 and an MD-80, caution wake turbulence" On our first landing we were politely asked to exit the runway ASAP, when I turned off I looked out the window to find a 747 right behind us.:hairraise: We ended up doing 5 or 6 laps of the pattern, and each time got to watch the big cargo jets landing while taxiing back. We were the only thing running smaller than a 737 that night :lol:
 
I've had to hold short for a Curtiss Jenny before. That was pretty cool.

Some F-15's, too.
 
ScottM said:
Aye matey that be a right thing to be holdin'

I got a clearance coming into Mid-America once that was 'you're number 4 following a B17, B25 and B26 on final.' That was a cool sight to see! Then as I was on the roll out they taxied past going the other way.
Click to expand...

And no camera? :D
 
I trained out of St. Pete/Clearwater (KPIE), which doubles as the busiest coast guard base in existence. It's really neat to be in the pattern with all those guys.
 
Just in my short time training I've held short for P-8s, F-22s, T-6s, and U-28s. Biggest we've ever been number 2, too was a 737. Biggest jet that routinely operates from my airport.
 
I recall a flight in my previous airplane, a '66 C172G that would maybe hit 115 MPH with the wings knocked off, I had to land ahead of a KC135 (I forget where - it was 18 yrs ago).

I was told to land and exit the first taxiway (uhhh yeah!) I just remember checking my back window and seeing that 4-engine monster and it sure seemed CLOSE!

I think I fishtailed my Skyhawk around the turnoff :D
 
During my private training I was flying with my father who was PIC for that day and they had a C5 Galaxy out doing exercises. Either the wind shifted or they wanted to practice instrument approaches, can't remember. The end result was they we're on a 5 mile final or so, headed right at us going the other way when we turned base. ATC didn't even bother with a "no delay" call when we turned off onto the taxiway, it wasn't needed :rolleyes:. Even over 5 miles away those things look huge.
 
I was based at IAD so I got to follow and have things held for me from turboprops to 747's. One of the great advantages to a sliding canopy on warm days is watching the pilots staring down on you as you taxi under their nose.
 
Got a chuckle at Oshkosh this year while over the gravel pit on the FISK arrival. We were number two behind a Cessna on runway 27. Then the Cessna continued down wind missed base and headed out over the water after tower tried without success to get a hold of the Cessna the next ATC contact was something like this.

"RV following Cessna (we were in a AA5 but we forgive him) your choice continue being number two and land in michigan or turn base now for number one on 27 green dot":rofl:
 
Have to report,while flying into SRQ Sarasota was cleared on the approach number 2 behind the coast guard c130 doing practice approaches. Seems their where a couple of c130s doing approaches in the Tampa area..
 
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