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The Pilot’s Authority

** Titan Aerospace**
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilot in Command (PIC) authority is paramount for safety: The article strongly emphasizes that pilots are the final authority for the safe operation of their aircraft, responsible for making critical decisions, even if it means overriding ATC instructions or being assertive, as outlined in FAR 91.3.
  • Do not solely rely on Air Traffic Control (ATC) for separation and safety: While ATC is a valuable resource, pilots must maintain their own situational awareness, make independent safety decisions, and cannot expect ATC to always guarantee optimal separation or perceive every potential hazard.
  • Proactive decision-making and assertiveness are crucial for pilots: The author illustrates through multiple anecdotes that pilots must be prepared to act decisively (e.g., initiating a go-around, demanding clearances, declaring emergencies) and communicate assertively when faced with unsafe situations or conflicting instructions.
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So I’m flying along, fat dumb and happy, into the Charlottesville-Albemarle (Va.) Airport (KCHO). The tower controller tells me to enter a right base for Runway 03, which I do, followed by a touch-and-go and entering left closed traffic like a good boy. I mentally pat myself on the back, and think, “Good job, flying here at a Class D airport with the big boys in your little experimental hot rod.”

The controller then says, “Experimental 12345, you are number two to follow a Cirrus on short final, do you have the traffic in sight?” I say, “Experimental 12345, tally,” and the tower clears me to do a touch-and-go behind him, number two. I roll out on final and see the Cirrus still on the runway, still on the runway—still on the runway, two-thirds of the way down it now. Absolutely hogging the runway. 

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