Wake Turbulence In IMC

From my base in Santa Barbara, Calif., I often fly north to San Jose (KSJC). At San Jose, GA aircraft operate from Runway 29, parallel and to the west of the two main runways, 30L and 30R for jets. All the runways have straight-out IFR missed-approach procedures.One night, while I was waiting for release on 29, Southwest 376 (a 737) reported on final and asked, How close is 376 to the killer bee ahead? He was referring to a 757 and its reputation for leaving a brutal wake.

Key Takeaways:

• Air Traffic Control (ATC) prioritizes operational efficiency over providing extra wake turbulence separation for general aviation (GA) aircraft, stating that avoidance is the pilot's responsibility.
• The author experienced situations where standard ATC instructions for missed approaches would have put his light aircraft directly into hazardous wake turbulence or jet blast from heavy aircraft.
• ATC's suggested wake avoidance procedures (e.g., specific headings or small offsets) were deemed insufficient or dangerous by the pilot, who found a lack of practical, safe guidance from controllers for wake avoidance.
• Pilots operating light aircraft must be proactive and take personal responsibility for wake turbulence avoidance, including developing their own safe missed approach plans and adjusting flight times to avoid high-traffic periods.

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