Is a "Go Around" an unfamiliar manoeuvre to a student pilot?

Snowbird,

- Landing clearance simply omitted. (should result in go-around)

Actually, that should result in "xxx tower, please verify N12345 is cleared
to land/option/t&g" in due time in the pattern. And the deeper learning point
in this is: "You are the pilot in command, assert yourself and your needs on
the radio. Don't wait for them to hand down the manna (aka clearance) from
the heavens, ask for clarification before things become a problem."

- Low fly-by to enable tower to inspect a/c (with binoculars) for possible
landing gear defect.

I have never understood the usefulness of that particular maneuver (sp?).
First, what's the likelyhood of the tower people knowing the slightest thing
about landing gear and the specifics of the plane flying by? And second, how
would they see from a flyby whether the gear is locked down or just looks
locked down?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

"Thomas Borchert" wrote

- Landing clearance simply omitted. (should result in go-around)

Actually, that should result in "xxx tower, please verify N12345 is
cleared
to land/option/t&g" in due time in the pattern.

Agreed. However, in this case, as far as I remember, the tower frequency was
so busy that the landing a/c simply did not get a chance to transmit.
Normally, a "N12345 on short final" also usually works.


- Low fly-by to enable tower to inspect a/c (with binoculars) for
possible
landing gear defect.

I have never understood the usefulness of that particular maneuver (sp?).
First, what's the likelyhood of the tower people knowing the slightest
thing
about landing gear and the specifics of the plane flying by?

We had a situation at the local airport where one main wheel fell off on
take-off and remained dangling from the brake line. I'd guess the tower was
able to brief the pilot about the airplane's condition better than the pilot
himself was able to. Whether it made any difference or not, I'm not sure.
(The landing went without any major damage.)

On Jul 12, 6:56 am, "David Wright"
wrote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/6294778.stm

Interesting that a "Go Around" is considered here as an "unfamiliar
manoeuvre" - and that the pilot was "put in a situation beyond his
experience" - okay he only had 15 hours of flying time and it was only his
second solo, but I was doing touch and go's and going around from about my
third hour onwards.

D.

A student pilot I know (no, not me. I haven't even been up in the left
seat yet) was at the controls for a prop strike because they didn't
know how to "go around." The instructor had neglected to teach the
procedure and when the pilot-in-training realized they were short they
just pushed the throttle back in to normal cruise setting instead of
full power. Since the instructor thought the pilot was going to full
power when he realized the pilot didn't it was too late and the plane
hit 100' short of the runway.