I have done the exit at Golf and switch thing several times (the last being
only a few days ago). Clearly, you need to get off the runway if there's
someone landing and the tower has forgotten about you. I might wait somewhat
longer at an unfamiliar airport before switching (or use COM2, like other
people have said), but we all know the drill at BED, I don't see it as a
safety issue at all, and have never had a controller bat an eyelash.

Jeremy

"David Rind" wrote in message
...
I landed at BED a couple of days ago, and as I was rolling out
the controllers switched, so I never got the usual instruction
to "turn off at Golf, ground .7". Since Golf was the first
taxiway to turn off on anyway, I made the turn off.

Tower was now so busy (common at BED) that I could not get a word
in on the frequency. With the controller switch, I had clearly
been forgotten -- the new controller told someone else to turn off
on Golf before noticing that I was there, not moving. After
probably 60-90 seconds the frequency was clear enough for me to
ask whether she wanted me over on Ground.

At the time, and in retrospect, I think my choice to stay on
Tower frequency was correct under the regs, but silly -- that
I should have just contacted Ground and told them I was switching
over since I was sure Tower really wanted me on Ground but had
forgotten me.

I'm wondering if anyone disagrees and thinks the right thing to
do was what I actually did -- stay with the Tower until I could
get permission to change to Ground.

--
David Rind