Go around, NOW!!

This past Sunday, while visiting Lawrenceville, GA (KLZU Class C just under
the outer ATL Class B), traffic was landing and departing 25. The
controller was busy, coordinating with Atlanta, handling clearance delivery,
ground, and tower simultaneously. He was broadcasting on all frequencies,
while receiving GC/CD and Tower separately. We started engines and prepared
to call for taxi instructions when I heard him blurt out "Cessna 1234 go
around NOW!!! YOU ARE LINED UP WITH RUNWAY 7, YOU WERE CLEARED TO LAND
RUNWAY 25, 25 IS THE ACTIVE RUNWAY, RIGHT TURN, GO AROUND NOW!!! I HAVE
LANDING TRAFFIC 25!!" (this guy was rightfully ****ed and obviously
rattled) Then he issued a right turn and a go around to traffic landing 25
and lit into the Cessna driver again. "What were you doing? why were you
landing runway 7, I cleared you #2 on 25" The Cessna pilot must have
responded with some excuse about a mistake and the controller came back
"mistakes are what get people in airplanes killed, next time you make sure
you know where you are! Now join a left downwind for Runway 25, that's
runway 25, traffic at your 3:00 opposite direction, a Piper on an upwind leg
for runway 25, I said runway 25!"

Ouch! So... after hearing that, it made me wonder if the tower/only
controller actually ever had or was maintaining visual contact with the
Cessna before he lined up for final on the opposite runway or not.

This same controller gave another pilot a lesson in courtesy when a
different pilot had called for an IFR Clearance then the first pilot
immediately called for taxi instructions. The taxiing pilot was chastised
quite severely for not giving the IFR pilot time to copy and readback his
IFR clearance. "Piper 1234, when you hear another pilot call for an IFR
clearance on Ground Control (GC and CD are the same freq at KLZU) and I give
that pilot his clearance, it would be nice if you'd give him time to write
it down, read it back, and get confirmation before you interrupt him with
your taxi request!"

Although he sounded rude it was obvious he wasn't having a good day and at
the very least had his hands full, I'm just curious about what standard
procedures are for tower controllers maintaining visual contact with planes
once they are actually in the traffic pattern.

Jim

Just an opinion on this if I may please;

This type of outburst on an open tower frequency could lead to a disaster.
Although it happens from time to time, it's not good professional
operational practice for several reasons, the most important of these being
flight safety.
The overriding reason is that for the time span...even seconds...of the
outburst, the tower operator can easily be distracted from something ELSE
that is happening in real time. Job one is traffic separation, NOT pilot
admonishment!
The professional approach to handling a situation like this one is for the
tower operator is realize up front that the "go around NOW" call will itself
be an emergency situation for both the aircraft lined up on the wrong
runway, and any traffic conflict the go around situation could conceivably
cause as the new and sudden situation develops in real time.
In other words, it's a potential traffic conflict issue happening in real
time, and that type of situation requires a calm professional approach so
that the right thing gets done NOW...and with as little additional stress
level as possible imparted on the offending aircraft AND others who might be
affected by the changing chain of events.
A tower frequency is no place for this type of admonishment or anger. Job
one is flight safety NOW! People involved in critical aviation professions
should know better....and thank God most of them DO!
You save this kind of thing for later.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot; CFI; Retired
dhenriquestrashatearthlinktrashdotnet
(take out the trash :-)


"Jim Burns" wrote in message
...
This past Sunday, while visiting Lawrenceville, GA (KLZU Class C just
under
the outer ATL Class B), traffic was landing and departing 25. The
controller was busy, coordinating with Atlanta, handling clearance
delivery,
ground, and tower simultaneously. He was broadcasting on all frequencies,
while receiving GC/CD and Tower separately. We started engines and
prepared
to call for taxi instructions when I heard him blurt out "Cessna 1234 go
around NOW!!! YOU ARE LINED UP WITH RUNWAY 7, YOU WERE CLEARED TO LAND
RUNWAY 25, 25 IS THE ACTIVE RUNWAY, RIGHT TURN, GO AROUND NOW!!! I HAVE
LANDING TRAFFIC 25!!" (this guy was rightfully ****ed and obviously
rattled) Then he issued a right turn and a go around to traffic landing
25
and lit into the Cessna driver again. "What were you doing? why were you
landing runway 7, I cleared you #2 on 25" The Cessna pilot must have
responded with some excuse about a mistake and the controller came back
"mistakes are what get people in airplanes killed, next time you make sure
you know where you are! Now join a left downwind for Runway 25, that's
runway 25, traffic at your 3:00 opposite direction, a Piper on an upwind
leg
for runway 25, I said runway 25!"

Ouch! So... after hearing that, it made me wonder if the tower/only
controller actually ever had or was maintaining visual contact with the
Cessna before he lined up for final on the opposite runway or not.

This same controller gave another pilot a lesson in courtesy when a
different pilot had called for an IFR Clearance then the first pilot
immediately called for taxi instructions. The taxiing pilot was chastised
quite severely for not giving the IFR pilot time to copy and readback his
IFR clearance. "Piper 1234, when you hear another pilot call for an IFR
clearance on Ground Control (GC and CD are the same freq at KLZU) and I
give
that pilot his clearance, it would be nice if you'd give him time to write
it down, read it back, and get confirmation before you interrupt him with
your taxi request!"

Although he sounded rude it was obvious he wasn't having a good day and at
the very least had his hands full, I'm just curious about what standard
procedures are for tower controllers maintaining visual contact with
planes
once they are actually in the traffic pattern.

Jim

In article . net,
Dudley Henriques wrote:

A tower frequency is no place for this type of admonishment or anger. Job
one is flight safety NOW! People involved in critical aviation professions
should know better....and thank God most of them DO!
You save this kind of thing for later.

Indeed, the usual way for a controller to yell at a pilot starts with that
dreaded radio call, "Cessna 1234, copy down this telephone number and call
me when you get on the ground."

People involved in critical aviation professions
should know better....and thank God most of them DO!
You save this kind of thing for later.
Dudley Henriques

Agreed. While I was surprised that I did not here "Cessna 1234, call the
tower on the telephone after parking", I was slightly relieved, because this
controller was busy enough at the time. I wouldn't have wanted him
distracted even further. I think it could have been handled more
professionally, perhaps "Cessna 1234, please report to or call the tower on
the telephone at 14:00Z" or when ever he had assistance available or his
shift changed.

There was a third lecture to a pilot directly behind me during taxi for not
reading back taxi and hold short instructions. Understandably another
dangerous situation, but rather than reading the guy the riot act, he could
have simply said "Piper1234, Readback of all taxi and hold short
instructions is mandatory" But he went on and on about how you just can't
say "Roger".

Before anybody jumps on me, I'll correct my position report in the original
post to "traffic 9:00" not 3:00.

Jim

On 3/24/2005 12:38, Dudley Henriques wrote:

Just an opinion on this if I may please;

This type of outburst on an open tower frequency could lead to a disaster.
Although it happens from time to time, it's not good professional
operational practice for several reasons, the most important of these being
flight safety.
The overriding reason is that for the time span...even seconds...of the
outburst, the tower operator can easily be distracted from something ELSE
that is happening in real time. Job one is traffic separation, NOT pilot
admonishment!
The professional approach to handling a situation like this one is for the
tower operator is realize up front that the "go around NOW" call will itself
be an emergency situation for both the aircraft lined up on the wrong
runway, and any traffic conflict the go around situation could conceivably
cause as the new and sudden situation develops in real time.
In other words, it's a potential traffic conflict issue happening in real
time, and that type of situation requires a calm professional approach so
that the right thing gets done NOW...and with as little additional stress
level as possible imparted on the offending aircraft AND others who might be
affected by the changing chain of events.
A tower frequency is no place for this type of admonishment or anger. Job
one is flight safety NOW! People involved in critical aviation professions
should know better....and thank God most of them DO!
You save this kind of thing for later.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot; CFI; Retired
dhenriquestrashatearthlinktrashdotnet
(take out the trash :-)

Well put, Dudley. I was thinking the same thing. It seems to me
that there is no place in an aviation frequency for any type of
anger-based response.

The other problem is that the controller was taking up a lot of
frequency time with his admonishments - time which the frequency
really couldn't afford.

Of course, I can only imagine what the controllers have to go
through day after day; especially in a busy area like the one
mentioned in the original post. However, if this controller's
reaction is *normal* for him, then perhaps he's in the wrong
job (or at the wrong tower).


--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL
Sacramento, CA

The best one I heard was on the scanner at Oshkosh. The controller
announced:

All aircraft on final, we are using runway 27. Please look at your magnetic
compass. If it reads 9, please break off your approach. That was the last he
said about it.



"Jim Burns" wrote in message
...
to call for taxi instructions when I heard him blurt out "Cessna 1234 go
around NOW!!! YOU ARE LINED UP WITH RUNWAY 7, YOU WERE CLEARED TO LAND
RUNWAY 25, 25 IS THE ACTIVE RUNWAY, RIGHT TURN, GO AROUND NOW!!! I HAVE
LANDING TRAFFIC 25!!" (this guy was rightfully ****ed and obviously
rattled) Then he issued a right turn and a go around to traffic landing
25
and lit into the Cessna driver again. "What were you doing? why were you
landing runway 7, I cleared you #2 on 25" The Cessna pilot must have

No doubt that this kind of calm, low key, yet informative approach was
exactly why that controller was chosen to work at OSH.
Jim

"Steve Foley" wrote in message
news:i6G0e.15958$aS5.13642@trndny05...
The best one I heard was on the scanner at Oshkosh. The controller
announced:

All aircraft on final, we are using runway 27. Please look at your
magnetic
compass. If it reads 9, please break off your approach. That was the last
he
said about it.

Jim Burns wrote:
Although he sounded rude it was obvious he wasn't having a good day
and at
the very least had his hands full, I'm just curious about what
standard
procedures are for tower controllers maintaining visual contact with
planes
once they are actually in the traffic pattern.

Standard procedure is to know where everyone is to the extent necessary
to ensure that separation on the runway is provided. It is actually
acceptable to clear an aircraft to land when not in sight, provided the
traffic situation is such that loss of separation on the runway will
not occur.

In a situation where there are lots of planes in the pattern, the
normal procedure is to use visual sequencing and that does mean
maintaining visual contact - but this is not always possible. Bright
sun and obstacles around the tower can interfere with this. This does
not relieve the controller of his responsibility for correct sequencing
and ensuring separation on the runway.

I believe it was the creator of Dilbert who pointed out that aviation
was an industry that had made no progress in decades, and that he
believed flight control RADAR still involved having interns on towers
with binoculars screaming "Turn right, turn right." Spookily accurate
for someone without aviation knowledge. My point is basically that
both pilot and controller made mistakes, but the system is such that
mistakes like this are guaranteed to happen.

I have also noticed that when pilots screw up in a situation where the
controller is ahead of the game and not screwing up, there is very
little chewing out on the radio. The pilot is, at worst, told to call
the tower - calmly and professionally. Every time a controller is
chewing out someone on the frequency, he is screwing up - and usually
it's not his first screwup either. He's mad because he knows he didn't
do a good job with the situation, and he's taking it out on the pilot.
Basically, it's unprofessional.

Michael

Jim Burns wrote:

This past Sunday, while visiting Lawrenceville, GA (KLZU Class C just under
the outer ATL Class B), traffic was landing and departing 25. The
controller was busy, coordinating with Atlanta, handling clearance delivery,
ground, and tower simultaneously. He was broadcasting on all frequencies,
while receiving GC/CD and Tower separately. We started engines and prepared
to call for taxi instructions when I heard him blurt out "Cessna 1234 go
around NOW!!! YOU ARE LINED UP WITH RUNWAY 7, YOU WERE CLEARED TO LAND
RUNWAY 25, 25 IS THE ACTIVE RUNWAY, RIGHT TURN, GO AROUND NOW!!! I HAVE
LANDING TRAFFIC 25!!" (this guy was rightfully ****ed and obviously
rattled) Then he issued a right turn and a go around to traffic landing 25
and lit into the Cessna driver again. "What were you doing? why were you
landing runway 7, I cleared you #2 on 25" The Cessna pilot must have
responded with some excuse about a mistake and the controller came back
"mistakes are what get people in airplanes killed, next time you make sure
you know where you are! Now join a left downwind for Runway 25, that's
runway 25, traffic at your 3:00 opposite direction, a Piper on an upwind leg
for runway 25, I said runway 25!"


And if the pilot would have landed and caused a loss of separation the
FAA would have hammered that facility for only having one controller
working. After that reaming if it would have been me I would have had
my passenger say "kiss my ass".

Steve Foley wrote:

The best one I heard was on the scanner at Oshkosh. The controller
announced:

All aircraft on final, we are using runway 27. Please look at your magnetic
compass. If it reads 9, please break off your approach. That was the last he
said about it.

I understand that only the best controllers get selected for OSH duty
and this is clear evidence of that.


Matt