If youre reading this article, chances are you are not the kind of pilot who would intentionally cut off someone off on final. You probably wouldnt attempt to verbally bully a nervous solo student into rushing her pre-takeoff checklist because your IFR clearance void time is ticking away. But what can you do if you find yourself wingtip to wingtip with such a self-absorbed and potentially dangerous individual? I thought about this after a recent flight with a pre-solo student, when the Very Important Pilot of a high-performance, single-engine Experimental aircraft-lets call him Pusher-nearly turned our productive hour of pattern work into an NTSB report. Hurry Up And Wait It was a sunny and unseasonably mild Saturday afternoon in February, and my student and I had stopped at Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK) in nearby Frederick, Md., for brunch after a morning of slow flight and stalls in the local practice area. 288
Ramp Rage
If youre reading this article, chances are you are not the kind of pilot who would intentionally cut off someone off on final. You probably wouldnt attempt to verbally bully a nervous solo student into rushing her pre-takeoff checklist because your IFR clearance void time is ticking away. But what can you do if you find yourself wingtip to wingtip with such a self-absorbed and potentially dangerous individual?
Key Takeaways:
- Ramp rage, an aviation equivalent of road rage, involves impatient and potentially dangerous pilot behavior, often stemming from personal stress or hazardous attitudes, particularly at busy non-towered airports.
- Pilots must prioritize safety over external pressure, maintain self-awareness regarding their fitness to fly (e.g., using the IMSAFE checklist), and never be coerced into unsafe actions by others.
- To mitigate ramp rage, pilots should engage in professional and non-threatening communication, de-escalate situations with politeness, and be vigilant for unsafe behavior in both themselves and others.
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