smokyray
Well Known Member
"Snake One, Bandit nose ten miles tracking West, 1000 Knots closure! "Snake One flight, Hud, power flares, Tally one...engaged! Right to right pass, get ready for G's, Pull, arrrrgggg (9 G sound) "Fox 2 kill, Snake one flight Snap West. "One Terminate"
Well. that's one generic sample of the comm involved in a Head-On, fighter to fighter (or anything else) engagement in close to head on aerial combat. 1000 knots closure equates to roughly 18 miles a minute or 30 seconds at 10 miles. Roughly the time it takes to read.
Why did I bring all this up?
This morning early, I decided to fly to my nearby uncontrolled public airport (I live on my own strip out in the sticks)to get some recently reduced price 100LL to augment the unleaded Non-ethanol Mogas in my tanks. Takeoff from home, 5 minutes of acro and 3 minutes enroute were uneventful.
As I approached the airport I made the standard calls in the blind. Normally the drop zone jump plane and some traffic are almost always the case. Today was the exception, crickets chirping notwithstanding. 45, downwind and base still eerily quiet, sun just reaching the trees, Alaskan civil twilight in FL!
As I rolled out on final I practiced my usual touch on "brick one" and 1000' turnoff. Just as I feel the chirp of the wheels landing I notice just descending out of the haze at the departure end, a twin on short final.
My fighter mind immediately told me: 5000 foot runway, 180 knots closure, 3 miles a minute, 20 seconds to impact. I keyed the mike: "twin on final to XXX, go around, aircraft on runway!". No reaction. 5 seconds gone by. I lower the tail and the twin touches down on the opposite end rolling towards me. 500 feet to the turnoff. "twin on runway zero four at XXX, aircraft on runway!" 10 seconds to impact, looks like this buffoon is a touch and go. 5 seconds to turn off. Slight right rudder and I'm clear.
I turn onto the paralel and the Apache zips by opposite direction. No reaction, silent. I hear a Delta wing trike pipe in on the CTAF, yes, my radio works. I warn him of the wayward Apache and taxi to the pumps.
Was it dangerous, sure. Perilous, well, maybe, depending on what you've experienced. For me enough high speed adventures and stuff thrown in the air at me has maybe numbed me a bit, but still an attention getter. What can we learn?
First, the NTSB statistics show more Mid-Air collisions at uncontrolled airports than not. Even with all the traffic clearing, radio calls and procedures, it happens. Why?
I think it is a number of reasons not the least of which is discipline. Sure, radios are optional at uncontrolled fields and see and avoid is the rule. Is it smart? Clearing the pattern, avoiding straight-in's and turning on lights in low light conditions helps. Mainly, it's vigilance.
For the Apache pilot, it was clearly indifference, or inexperience or both. For us, the lesson learned is reaction. What would you have done? For me, hip pocket numbers for closure and mid air avoidance are always there.
Maybe now for you too...
Smokey
Well. that's one generic sample of the comm involved in a Head-On, fighter to fighter (or anything else) engagement in close to head on aerial combat. 1000 knots closure equates to roughly 18 miles a minute or 30 seconds at 10 miles. Roughly the time it takes to read.
Why did I bring all this up?
This morning early, I decided to fly to my nearby uncontrolled public airport (I live on my own strip out in the sticks)to get some recently reduced price 100LL to augment the unleaded Non-ethanol Mogas in my tanks. Takeoff from home, 5 minutes of acro and 3 minutes enroute were uneventful.
As I approached the airport I made the standard calls in the blind. Normally the drop zone jump plane and some traffic are almost always the case. Today was the exception, crickets chirping notwithstanding. 45, downwind and base still eerily quiet, sun just reaching the trees, Alaskan civil twilight in FL!
As I rolled out on final I practiced my usual touch on "brick one" and 1000' turnoff. Just as I feel the chirp of the wheels landing I notice just descending out of the haze at the departure end, a twin on short final.
My fighter mind immediately told me: 5000 foot runway, 180 knots closure, 3 miles a minute, 20 seconds to impact. I keyed the mike: "twin on final to XXX, go around, aircraft on runway!". No reaction. 5 seconds gone by. I lower the tail and the twin touches down on the opposite end rolling towards me. 500 feet to the turnoff. "twin on runway zero four at XXX, aircraft on runway!" 10 seconds to impact, looks like this buffoon is a touch and go. 5 seconds to turn off. Slight right rudder and I'm clear.
I turn onto the paralel and the Apache zips by opposite direction. No reaction, silent. I hear a Delta wing trike pipe in on the CTAF, yes, my radio works. I warn him of the wayward Apache and taxi to the pumps.
Was it dangerous, sure. Perilous, well, maybe, depending on what you've experienced. For me enough high speed adventures and stuff thrown in the air at me has maybe numbed me a bit, but still an attention getter. What can we learn?
First, the NTSB statistics show more Mid-Air collisions at uncontrolled airports than not. Even with all the traffic clearing, radio calls and procedures, it happens. Why?
I think it is a number of reasons not the least of which is discipline. Sure, radios are optional at uncontrolled fields and see and avoid is the rule. Is it smart? Clearing the pattern, avoiding straight-in's and turning on lights in low light conditions helps. Mainly, it's vigilance.
For the Apache pilot, it was clearly indifference, or inexperience or both. For us, the lesson learned is reaction. What would you have done? For me, hip pocket numbers for closure and mid air avoidance are always there.
Maybe now for you too...
Smokey
Last edited:
