"Joe Johnson" wrote in message
. ..

I'm a newly minted PP-ASEL and had a disturbing experience the
other day. I've begun renting at the field where I trained, a busy
class D airport. It's usually not possible to do pattern work there
because it's so busy. Returning from a local flight, I noticed that
there was very little traffic, so I asked to do some touch & gos; I
was making left traffic using runway 16. On the 3rd or 4th go, I
noticed that a craft was cleared for takeoff on runway 11. I
knew immediately that our paths would cross. I could not see
the other plane as it was behind me; the other pilot was warned
by the tower that I was in the pattern making left traffic. The other
pilot finally saw me as I was turning crosswing to downwind
(heading 70 to 340) and he indicated he was turning right from
his takeoff heading 110. When I caught sight of him, I don't think
we were more than 100'-200' apart. At this point, I said "traffic
in sight" and tower replied "maintain visual separation." If I had it
to do again, I would have left the pattern and headed outbound
heading somewhere between 160 (my departure heading) and 110
(the other pilot's) until we had positive visual identification.

I'd be especially interested in comments from Gene Whitt, who
said ATC has been trying to kill him for 40 years, and anyone
who might recognize the airport from the runways described.


ATC does not separate VFR traffic in Class D airspace, separation is
provided only on the ground. ATC's responsibilities in this case were to
insure you and the departing aircraft did not occupy the runway intersection
at the same time, and traffic advisories. That being said, there's no point
in having aircraft cross paths if they don't need to. You only mention the
one other aircraft, assuming there was no other traffic the tower could have
had you make right traffic for at least one circuit. That way you only
cross paths at the intersection, where ATC must ensure separation. The
controller may not have thought it was necessary, but you could have
requested it.