Aviation is as diverse as the people who fly. The mix of traffic around one airport can include civil and military, fast and slow, fixed and rotary wing, jet and piston, even lighter-than-air and gliders. You might think one set of procedures would work in all cases, but you'd be wrong.
My home airport hosts student pilots in training airplanes every day, skydivers on weekends, agricultural aircraft on a seasonal basis, helicopters, and occasional business jets. On top of that, airplanes on instrument approaches arrive from two directions, and air ambulance medevac flights come through almost daily. No, there isn't a control tower to sort it all out. We get along because we understand each other.
The first prerequisite is to maintain separation. Adjust speed, altitude, and flight path to eliminate conflicts and mesh without merging. Separate approach and departure paths will keep different aircraft genres away from each other. Helicopters and powered parachutes are required to avoid the flow of fixed-wing traffic.
What do they need?
The typical training aircraft climbs out and approaches at 65 to 75 knots. Heavy singles, mandated to stall no faster than 61 knots, will carry an approach speed, pegged at 1.3 VSO (stall speed in the landing configuration), or around 80 knots. Light twin-engine aircraft fly down final at up to 100 knots, and small business jets will approach at 120 knots. The closer you can match the preceding traffic's speed, the less space will be taken up by your presence.
Remember, it's your southern exposure that's looming larger in the windscreen of that jet, coming up from behind. Don't insist on your right to fly a long, leisurely final approach with full flaps. Flex to fit in.
Living with skydiving
There are a lot of mistaken ideas about the relative safety of having parachutists in the air with airplanes. It would seem only logical to keep them as far apart as possible. In reality, the restrictions imposed by the adoption of Federal Aviation Regulation Part 105 almost guarantee juxtaposition. Under Part 105, parachutists may jump only at designated drop zones, not at random, unpredictable locations. To operate skydive centers efficiently, these drop zones must often be located at airports.
Fortunately, the dynamics are workable, as long as everyone understands what airspace to avoid. Airplanes need an unobstructed runway and traffic pattern legs. Skydivers need a vertical descent area above the landing target, which means that as long as the skydivers aim at a place that's far enough from the runway to allow maneuvering the chute down a tightly squared spiral, airplanes flying a half-mile or more away on downwind and base won't be affected.
There are definitely some areas to be skirted at an airport with skydiving operations. Avoid flying directly over the center of the activity at pattern altitude, which could happen when making low approaches from practice instrument approaches and during go-arounds from botched landings. The solution is to fly a slightly offset final approach leg for the instrument approach procedure, and to make the go-around climbout away from the drop zone's maneuvering area.
Helicopters do it their way
Fixed-wing pilots presume that helicopters can climb straight up or drop straight down. They can, but it's risky enough to be avoided most of the time. For safety, helicopters usually fly a steep, decelerating approach to a hover and follow a forward accelerating path while climbing out. Taxiing to and from the chosen takeoff and arrival spot is done via air taxi for skid-equipped helicopters, or a lower-power rolling taxi for helicopters with wheels.
Helicopters, in general, fly to avoid the flow of fixed-wing traffic, but that isn't always possible; fixed-wing pilots may need to fly where the helicopter is going, and the rotorcraft's course might lead it across the runway. Timing is everything; give the helicopter a minute to clear the area and there'll be no problem. Forcing the chopper pilot to sit in a hover while you make a lazy lineup is inconsiderate.
Be careful of the downdraft and outflow from the rotor wash of a helicopter that's lifted near your taxi path. Hang onto the yoke so your control surfaces don't bang to the stops, and be ready to hold your position until the gale abates. Do not fly directly under a helicopter in flight, or close behind it while in forward flight. A bit of space works wonders.
Ag planes on the move
Agricultural operations mixed in with normal traffic may not be entirely compatible. Ag pilots are under intense time pressure, and they aren't required to fly full traffic patterns. They seldom climb above 500 feet above ground level (agl). You can expect ag pilots to arrive and depart lower than regular traffic and they frequently land toward their loading trucks and take off in the opposite direction. Visibility from the crop duster's cockpit is enhanced by the pilot's seating position and large windows, a necessity for their mission.
The ag pilots' loading area is a busy, bustling place, so don't park to restrict access to it. If it looks like a war zone, that's exactly what it is; planting seeds, eradicating crop pests, or applying yield-boosting compounds is very time-specific, and as much has to be done as possible in the time available. Tomorrow can be too late.
Gliding for home
Gliders have right of way over powered aircraft for good reason--they can't go around for another landing attempt. If you and a glider pilot are approaching to land at the same time, give that pilot room, because theirs is a one-way trip. Since most gliders are launched by a tow plane, keep an eye out for a descending tug with a line trailing behind and below. The line will be dropped before landing, so you can expect the tow plane to go around or land long after disconnecting the rope.
Gliders and towline drops frequently land in the grass beside a runway or on a turf runway nearby. This minimizes disruption for powered aircraft and speeds up the glider retrieval and launch. Gliders approach somewhat slower than powered airplanes, usually at 60 knots or less, and the landing roll is very short, perhaps 200 feet. Taxiing, of course, is impossible without pedestrian intervention.
Give way to tow planes with gliders on tow. This tethered formation is sluggish to maneuver, so expect the climbout speed to be 60 to 70 knots and turns to be shallow. Release is typically done upwind of the airport at 2,000 to 3,000 feet agl, upon which the tow plane will dive down and left while the glider pulls up and right. Other favorite glider releases will be over ridge lift sites or strong thermal generators.
FAR 91.113Right-of-way rules
Converging head-on: Both aircraft give way to the right.
Overtaking: The aircraft being overtaken has the right of way, and the pilot of the overtaking aircraft shall alter course to the right and pass well clear.
Landing: Aircraft, while on final approach to land, have the right of way over other aircraft in flight...When two or more aircraft are approaching an airport for the purpose of landing, the aircraft with the lower altitude has the right of way, but shall not take advantage of the rule to cut in front of another which is on final approach to land or to overtake that aircraft. |
Fast movers
Military traffic shares the same airspace as civilian aircraft and generally follows the same regulations, but they have some unique requirements. The fast jets fly traffic patterns that typically involve an overhead "break," which means an upwind pass over the runway at pattern altitude followed by a 360-degree descending oval that concludes with a short, steep final. Wait until it's over, because it won't take long.
Airliners and business jets fly a lengthy straight-in stabilized final from three to five miles out. There's no point in interfering with these arrivals or causing an expensive go-around. Your airplane can execute a couple of 360s for relatively little fuel, while the jet needs lots more space, fuel, and time to go around. Wake turbulence is a factor to be considered; fly your final approach steeply and plan to land beyond the 1,000-foot fixed-distance markers on the runway, which should keep you above the jet's glidepath and turbulence. Better, note its touchdown point yourself and land beyond it.
IFR into VFR
Aircraft on instrument flight plans arriving in visual meteorological conditions are supposed to blend into the same traffic pattern flow as the VFR aircraft. This means the pilots have no right to drop in on a rogue right-hand base leg just because they're operating under instrument flight rules; upon breaking out into visual conditions, they're expected to join a standard pattern and take their turn.
VFR pilots should familiarize themselves with the arrival paths for instrument approaches and keep an eye out for approaching lights from those directions. AOPA's Airport Directory Online offers instrument approach procedure charts that you can download for your airport, if applicable.
Airplanes arriving under IFR may not be on the local common traffic advisory frequency until close in to the airport, because they are obliged to stay in contact with the air traffic control facility handling their flight. This change of frequencies during approach and departure is an important consideration you should be aware of.
Always be prepared for the unexpected when you're sharing the airspace with other users. We can accommodate various types of aircraft with an attitude of tolerance, as long as we understand each others' needs and cooperate.
LeRoy Cook has been an active flight instructor since 1965 and has had more than 1,350 articles published. He is also the author of 101 Things to Do With Your Private License and Flying the Light Retractables.
Want to know more?
Links to additional resources about the topics discussed in this article are available at AOPA Flight Training Online.
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