Elkhart Tower

T

turbojet28

Well-Known Member
Hello Everyone,

Just returned from a solo cross country to KEKM (Elkhart, IN) and just have a rant to share. I am a 32 hour student pilot, so still learning. I was tracking the Keeler VOR to Elkhart and given to the tower about 10 miles out. Tower tells me to make right base for runway 27. I enter the pattern on right base for 27, turn final, and then get this mouthful from the nice tower controller:

Tower: "CessnaXXX I assume that is you on short final with no base report."

Me: "Elkhart tower, Cessna XXX, sorry, I didn't hear a 'report base'".

Tower: "Well, you were supposed to, and you still aren't cleared to land."

(at this point the only traffic in the area is a Cessna taxiing to 27)

So I don't really know what to do or say and I am about 100 feet off the runway. He says nothing. I keep the plane about 50feet off. Still nothing. I say "Do you want Cessna XXX to go-around?"

He says: "No, you were cleared to land!"

So, I land, politley say that I will be taxiing back to rwy 27 for north departure, shamefaced, as I am feeling I did something horribly wrong. I didn't know how to feel as I have never been yelled at by ATC before and all I want to do is be professional and do the right things. So I just try not to burden the tower again as I depart, as he is obviously busy with the 2 aircraft in his airspace.

Maybe I just need to get over it. I guess I can learn a few things from this. First, always make sure that communication is solid between my aircraft and whomever I am communicating. Second, always report my traffic pattern while entering a class D airport. Any further advice? Anyone else have a similar experience?

Have a great night,
turbojet28
 
Dorky controller.

Some of those people have to remember that "controller" is just a title, not a job description!
 
Plss on him. There are controllers out there that will cop the 'tude so don't worry too much about it. It happens. Once, I was cleared to taxi across the parallel rw's back to the fbo, but there was a plane leaving the fbo so I stopped. After calling the tower there was another a/c coming from the left down the taxiway. I questioned them again and the response was, "Well you were cleared, Just wait." If I would have followed his instructions, there would have been a rw incursion. I savedhis a$$ as well as mine.
 
Hmm. Well I've never had an issue with a controller quite like that before. It looks like you've learned from the situation though, and that's what counts. I think that it is recommended that pilots report entering abeam the tower on the downwind, although you were told to enter and report a base. He probably just expected you to report the base, and since you didn't he got all upset.

I tell all of my students to tell the tower on the initial call up that they are a student pilot, this seems to alleviate some issues. Also, its possible that the controller had a faulty mic button or something and didn't realize that he wasn't actually transmitting a "rwy 27 cleared to land."
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies so far! JayB, you could be right and I should at least give the controller the benefit of the doubt.

John, I am training out of Tulip City (KBIV) in Holland (viiii ahmm a dutch boy!).

--turbojet28
 
Cool man, I'm down in Kalamazoo if you ever want to get together for lunch or something. PM me if you're interested.

Cheers


John Herreshoff
 
I agree with everyone here, just never mind him! I've had a rude controller before at Bolton Field in CMH, (I've heard that he's an ex-navy controller). Anyway, this guy yelled at me because I asked for conformation if I was cleared to land after his first two tranmissions DID NOT COME IN CLEARLY. (I'm not sure why, there was no rain, and I was only 8nm away). I told him again that he was not coming through and that's why I had to ask him a third time for a clear response.

Must of been a bad day for him I guess.
tongue.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I tell all of my students to tell the tower on the initial call up that they are a student pilot, this seems to alleviate some issues. Also, its possible that the controller had a faulty mic button or something and didn't realize that he wasn't actually transmitting a "rwy 27 cleared to land."

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahhh... the Student Pilot Card... I never left home on a x-country with out it! It is amazing how nice and accomodating ATC can be when they know you are just a rookie! Sometimes I wish I could keep using it! :-)

Don't sweat the controller. It won't be the last to cop the 'tude...

J.
 
Steve,

Cool! I didn't know you were at Tulip City! What a/c do you fly? And yes, John is my CFI. I also work line at the "big brown hangar" (they probably don't want their name all over the Internet) with the Falcons, Galaxy, and Dornier 328JET.

--turbojet28
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ahhh... the Student Pilot Card... I never left home on a x-country with out it! It is amazing how nice and accomodating ATC can be when they know you are just a rookie! Sometimes I wish I could keep using it! :-)


[/ QUOTE ]

I wish that I had played the student pilot card when I had it in my hand...now I've got no excuses
blush.gif


If I were in your situation, I probably would have reported turning base or final if I weren't cleared to land at that point. And I'd just blow the controller off--maybe he was just having a bad day. Also, he could just be a jerk, but I've found most of them are pretty cool guys.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Steve,

Cool! I didn't know you were at Tulip City! What a/c do you fly? And yes, John is my CFI. I also work line at the "big brown hangar" (they probably don't want their name all over the Internet) with the Falcons, Galaxy, and Dornier 328JET.

--turbojet28

[/ QUOTE ]

So far I'm flying the 310 and 401. Hoping things will pick up some more so I can get more flying in.

Have to try and hook up sometime. I live in GR, so I don't get out there too often unless I'm flying, though...
 
Bad day for the controller ... still, you should have been conscious of the fact that you hadn't been cleared to land when on final at a towered airport. You can get in major trouble if you touch down on the runway - even if in contact with the tower in the pattern - without being cleared to land.
 
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