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Bottlenecks In The Sky

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • While on final approach at a non-towered airport, a pilot and instructor encountered another aircraft announcing final for the same runway, despite their diligent use of ADS-B and CTAF.
  • Unable to visually locate the other, uncommunicative aircraft, they safely initiated a go-around, later discovering the intruder had been in a blind spot directly under or behind them.
  • The incident highlighted the critical importance of defensive flying, clear communication, and courtesy to prevent potential conflicts, especially at congested points like final approaches.
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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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