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Final Checks

As these pilots discovered, a takeoff clearance at a busy towered airport doesn’t always mean there isn’t a potential conflict.

Photo: Bart Everett / iStock
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A pilot, cleared for takeoff at a Class B airport, prevented a potential runway collision by spotting an incoming landing aircraft on the final approach path despite ATC clearance.
  • The incident highlights the critical importance of pilot vigilance and adhering to "see and avoid" principles, even in controlled airspace.
  • The pilot reflected that a more professional radio call, simply stating they were holding for landing traffic, would have been preferable to expressing annoyance at the controller's error.
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The day’s mission was to relocate a friend’s new-to-him Bonanza from Class B International to its new forever home at an outlying field. The ferry pilot who flew it in the night before and the friend were aboard. I was in the left seat because I knew the airspace better and had more Bonanza time than either of them.

During a detailed pre-flight inspection, I pointed out to the new owner several normal items he would want to pay attention to during future operations and, finding nothing that would prevent us from flying the airplane, we saddled up and taxied out.

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