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Bottlenecks In The Sky

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A flight instructor and safety pilot conducting practice approaches at a non-towered airport had to initiate a go-around due to an un-spotted aircraft announcing final for the same runway.
  • Despite diligent ADS-B monitoring and CTAF calls, the other aircraft remained invisible until it was on the ground and failed to communicate or acknowledge.
  • The incident underscores the critical importance of extra vigilance, clear communication, and courtesy in congested areas like final approach legs, even when other pilots do not reciprocate, emphasizing the need for defensive flying.
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It was a beautiful day over South Florida, perfect for my flight instructor’s mission of racking up some practice approaches. I was in the right seat, acting as her safety pilot. We had chosen some non-towered airports for this practice, and were acutely aware we weren’t the only people out flying this fine day.

In addition to the electronic flight bag apps running on our respective tablets, the panel-mounted multi-function display was showing us ADS-B In traffic in the vicinity. We were clearly announcing our position and intent throughout, listening closely to the CTAFs at the airports we were using and then coordinating our plans with other pilots in the area, as needed. All was going well.

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