PSA

///AMG

///AMG

Well-Known Member
Had a sweet encounter today at KNFE (NALF Fentress). Was coming into the overhead at our normal 350 KIAS to join the FCLP pattern. About a mile out I see a Cessna 172 co-altitude (at overhead break altitude) with me, and not moving on the canopy as he crosses perpendicular to the runway. Had I not seen him, we would have had a horrible midair over the numbers. VFR, not talking to anyone, not squawking, just trolling right through a nearly full traffic pattern (5 jets). I don't know what my PSA really is, aside from just not being an idiot. Maybe he was just trying to get up close to have a look, but he took absolutely no evasive action (I can't imagine him not seeing me, but he acted like he didn't) and I had to aggressively avoid him vertically while still trying to pick out everyone in the pattern and find my interval out of the break. Granted it isn't controlled airspace so I'm not sure if he was actually violating anything other than poor visual lookout/see-and-avoid, but it was potentially one of the dumber things I have seen someone do in an airplane. Anyhoo......just venting.
 
I regularly had the same thing near/at 0J4 with these pesky T34C's. ;)

They were probably to busy eating their hotdogs and burgers to look around or use their radio.
 
deadstick said:
I regularly had the same thing near/at 0J4 with these pesky T34C's. ;)

They were probably to busy eating their hotdogs and burgers to look around or use their radio.
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Well if those guys (students mind you) just blew through an active VFR traffic pattern, at pattern altitude, completely against traffic, they would have been in big trouble, professionally speaking.
 
Yup people are stupid.

I have had people going opposite direction in a traffic pattern at the pattern altitude. I have watched a flight of blackhawks cross right through the middle of an airport and almost take out a fellow instructor and his student. All this with 0 radio calls by the offending aircraft.
 
I didn't know what the hell it was either and had to google it.





Somehow I don't think it would look as impressive in a King Air. lol
 
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Maurus said:
Yup people are stupid.

I have had people going opposite direction in a traffic pattern at the pattern altitude. I have watched a flight of blackhawks cross right through the middle of an airport and almost take out a fellow instructor and his student. All this with 0 radio calls by the offending aircraft.
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yeah, and while I would say I have a lot of helo friends, they do seem to be the folks who are the worst offenders a lot of the time with this. Maybe just because they are low, hard to see, and probably aren't as used to talking to folks as a technique while low alt VFR. Oh well.....I'd honestly prefer that to them talking on the radio, as they are even worse than the old guy who has factor traffic on the "fish finder"

cue helo JC hate :)
 
As both a parent and a fighter wannabe, I thought that second video was pretty darned cool.
 
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