Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 14

PREFLIGHT FLIGHT LESSON

BY CHRISTOPHER L. FREEZE

CHASED DOWN FINAL
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

WHAT HAPPENED

" You're sure he sees me? " I said to the tower
controller. " The scope shows him halfway up my
tailpipe. "

THE TRAFFIC PATTERN OF A GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT, ESPE-

FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

TRAFFIC
AWARENESS
Use your eyes, ears,
and technology

Pilots of aircraft
equipped with
Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In can
enjoy significantly
enhanced situational awareness
by viewing-on the
instrument panel or
an iPad-other aircraft
flying in the vicinity
of their airplane. With
traffic displayed in the
cockpit, pilots and air
traffic controllers are
able to communicate
with shared awareness of potentially
conflicting air traffic.
Learn more
about ADS-B
In and TIS-B
faa.gov/next
gen/programs/
adsb/pilot

Christopher L. Freeze is a CFI from Virginia.

LEFT: SARAH HANSON; ABOVE: STEVE KARP

cially on a sunny weekend, can be a symphony of beauty. It can
also be a madhouse!
On a recent Sunday afternoon, I was working with a presolo
client on his first flight where he felt confident enough to make
radio calls. Staying in the traffic pattern of Leesburg Executive
Airport (JYO) in Virginia, the communications were expected to
be repetitive: receive clearance from the control tower and repeat
what was issued. At least that was the plan.
After an uneventful takeoff into the pattern, it was quickly
apparent that instructors and students from every local flight
school had a similar idea, as the G1000's multifunction display
(MFD) in the Cessna 172 my student and I were flying showed a
full pattern of five aircraft-plus our own. Airplanes practicing
instrument approach were interrupting the choreographed routine, as were departing aircraft on IFR plans.
My student did his best with the radio, rehearsing proper
phrasing before pressing the push-to-talk button on the airplane's
control yoke. But every needed readback resulted in his face
becoming awash in befuddlement, leaving me to bail him out. The
rapid-fire instructions of the tower meant no time for a newbie's
learning curve to catch up.
Overall, my student's traffic work and landings were above
average for his experience level. But I did have to intercede on
one of the last circuits of the day.
For most of the flight, we were behind a Piper Cherokee and
cleared as " number two " for the option onto Leesburg's Runway 17. On this pattern, however, a Cirrus reported a five-mile
approach to the runway. As we turned onto the base leg, the
controller cleared us as number two to the runway between the

Cherokee and the incoming Cirrus. We
read back the clearance and continued our
downward flow to the runway.
On the MFD, the once sizable gap
between the Cherokee and the Cirrus for
us to wedge between was rapidly closing,
because the Cirrus was not slowing down.
I saw it as we began the turn onto final, as
the controller inquired to the Cirrus if he
had the traffic in sight.
" In sight, " its pilot claimed, in a hurried
voice. But I wondered, he is not slowing. Is
he referring to me or the Cherokee ahead?
On the MFD screen, the Cirrus was
depicted to be 300 feet above and behind
us, with the gap closed to a point where
its vector line (which depicts the direction
the target is moving) bisected us. As we
were in a high-wing airplane, we couldn't
look up and behind to confirm its position.
" You sure he sees me? " I said to the
tower controller. " The scope shows him
halfway up my tailpipe! "
" Looks fine from here.... " the controller
replied. The pilot in the Cirrus was silent.
Given what the MFD showed and since
we were already zooming over the runway
numbers at 100 knots to keep some space
between us, I elected for a go-around.
Seconds later, the Cirrus landed, seemingly unaware and carefree.
As the traffic over the field subsided
to where only we remained, I asked the
tower what he saw when we executed our
go-around and-according to him-there
was at least a half-mile between the Cirrus
and us.
The controller reminded me that the
traffic system on aircraft could have a few
seconds of lag, and have other inaccuracies as well. And while I know and
understand this, the MFD screen told me
I was in a potentially dangerous situation.
And the fact is, I will do what I can to
determine my fate in the air, not hope on
someone else.

http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/programs/adsb/pilot http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/programs/adsb/pilot http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/programs/adsb/pilot

Flight Training - January/February 2021

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