Thread: How often do you have to go around?
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Old October 15th 06, 12:38 AM posted to rec.aviation.student,rec.aviation.piloting
Marty Shapiro
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Posts: 287
Default How often do you have to go around?
wrote in
ups.com:


Mxsmanic wrote:
How often does this happen in real life? I should think and hope that
real controllers can space aircraft better so that it's rarely
necessary to abort a landing.

In a few hundred hours flying out of Hanscom (primary GA field for
Boston) I've had to go around maybe a half-dozen times, mostly for
runway-lingering by the plane in front. Once the controller sequenced
me a little too tightly. It is a very busy field on the weekends with a
lot of training to keep things messy- 5th in line to take off or land
is not unusual.

In about a half-million airline miles, mostly continental US, I've had
one go-around, on the Delta Shuttle into Boston, because the plane
ahead had not cleared the runway in time. It was a CAVU day and I'd
guess we were well inside the middle marker when they threw in the
towel.


Go-around is not only due to runway obstruction. Sometimes weather
can cause it. If you can, see the the FAA safety film "The Day All Hell
Broke Loose" using audio recorded at Denver's old airport, Stapleton. It
was CAVU with a wind shear measured at over 100 knots. About 9 or 11 (I
forget the exact number) airliners in a row went missed.

Also, I once saw thunder showers as McCarran in Las Vegas cause go-
arounds on CAVU days. I remember one where the thunder shower was less
than 1/2 mile thick. You could see the sun on the runway both in front of
and behind what looked like a sheer see-through black veil and rain
bouncing off the runway where the veil was touching it. I saw several
airliners go-around, but one landed and briefly fish-tailed while rolling
through the shower during roll out.

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Marty Shapiro
Silicon Rallye Inc.

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