n5lp
fugio ergo sum
I got scared today but I don't have much of a lesson except to expect anything.
As I arrived at my hangar I noticed a turbine Air Tractor on a right base for runway 14L which is a left traffic runway. That seems par for the course and I don't understand how these guys get away with it continually.
The wind was very light but I taxied to runway 14L and radioed my intentions (I know, you guys in the big population centers don't believe in that). As I finished my runup on the narrow taxiway just off 14L I saw another Air Tractor taxiing toward me on runway 32R. Now I was very alert. Did this guy just back taxi for a 14L takeoff of what? It turns out he had landed on 32R with no radio calls and was now heading right for me. Now I am very very alert, having seen photos of what a big propeller can do to an RV.
At this point I figured he would would wait for me, on the runway, to get by him because the taxiway was way too small for the two of us. Nope, he turns on to the narrow taxiway while I am sitting at the hold line. At this point we are about two seconds from one of us charging out into the weeds or there is going to be a collision, and I am the one who is going to get hurt. I am yelling on the radio "Air Tractor, do you see the RV" repeatedly. Just as I was going for the throttle, he went for the weeds. I figured he noticed me at the last possible second before chewing me up.
Upon completion of my flight and refueling I went down to visit with the gentleman. I didn't have to get very close before he was saying, "Oh, are you the one with the cute little airplane?" Yep, that would be me. He apologized profusely, but said he had me in sight the whole time. He never did explain why he turned in to me then turned out off the pavement. I asked if "you guys have a radio in this thing?" "Yes, what is the frequency, 122.8?" Well no, it isn't but it doesn't matter if you are aren't using the radio anyway. He also said he was afraid he had cut me off in the air. I can understand why he thought he might have done that.
I was pretty stunned by the nonchalance.
As I arrived at my hangar I noticed a turbine Air Tractor on a right base for runway 14L which is a left traffic runway. That seems par for the course and I don't understand how these guys get away with it continually.
The wind was very light but I taxied to runway 14L and radioed my intentions (I know, you guys in the big population centers don't believe in that). As I finished my runup on the narrow taxiway just off 14L I saw another Air Tractor taxiing toward me on runway 32R. Now I was very alert. Did this guy just back taxi for a 14L takeoff of what? It turns out he had landed on 32R with no radio calls and was now heading right for me. Now I am very very alert, having seen photos of what a big propeller can do to an RV.
At this point I figured he would would wait for me, on the runway, to get by him because the taxiway was way too small for the two of us. Nope, he turns on to the narrow taxiway while I am sitting at the hold line. At this point we are about two seconds from one of us charging out into the weeds or there is going to be a collision, and I am the one who is going to get hurt. I am yelling on the radio "Air Tractor, do you see the RV" repeatedly. Just as I was going for the throttle, he went for the weeds. I figured he noticed me at the last possible second before chewing me up.
Upon completion of my flight and refueling I went down to visit with the gentleman. I didn't have to get very close before he was saying, "Oh, are you the one with the cute little airplane?" Yep, that would be me. He apologized profusely, but said he had me in sight the whole time. He never did explain why he turned in to me then turned out off the pavement. I asked if "you guys have a radio in this thing?" "Yes, what is the frequency, 122.8?" Well no, it isn't but it doesn't matter if you are aren't using the radio anyway. He also said he was afraid he had cut me off in the air. I can understand why he thought he might have done that.
I was pretty stunned by the nonchalance.