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Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations, AC 90-66B

wrong runway

"How about final runway 17 when they meant 35?"
I did that once not too long ago - was 05/23 - and boy was I embarrassed. :eek: It did teach me a lesson - never fully trust what someone says, always check it out for yourself. We all make mistakes.
 
We have a local airport where some "locals" are prone to calling out their position by referencing local landmarks.

I'm sorry, but somebody calling "Cessna NXXXX over the cedar mill" or "over the fish ponds" is completely useless for pilots not based at that airport in
addition to not being acceptable procedure per AC or the AIM. Kinda makes the pilot sound like a local yokel.... ;)
 
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Mark I eyeballs are originals. The MK II eyeballs come about when you have cataract surgery and get intra-ocular lens implants, and get 20/15 vision! :D

Yep, my Crystalens (MK II) were installed November of 2012.
Still working great. Wore glasses for almost 60 years. Not now!
 
I'm sure that's right but I'll continue to defer to someone on an approach since I'd appreciate the same thing for me.
 
I completely get why the AIM is written the way it is. I fly NORDO at uncontrolled fields often (non-electrical aircraft) and haven't ever had a real problem as long as everyone flies the preferred pattern per the AIM. It's the 10 mile straight in guy that is trying to kill us both.

Jim
 
I like this part in addition to the statement in the prior posts:

10.3.1 Self-announce transmissions may include aircraft type to aid in identification and detection, but should not use paint schemes or color descriptions to replace the use of the aircraft call sign. For example, ?MIDWEST TRAFFIC, TWIN COMMANDER FIVE ONE ROMEO FOXTROT TEN MILES NORTHEAST? or ?MIDWEST TRAFFIC, FIVE ONE ROMEO FOXTROT TWIN COMMANDER TEN MILES NORTHEAST,? not ?MIDWEST TRAFFIC, BLUE AND WHITE TWIN COMMANDER TEN MILES NORTHEAST.?

Using aircraft colors instead of call signs is something that I increasingly hear in some northeastern states including PA, MD, NJ and NY.

I routinely announce my aircraft by color. I see absolutely no value in identifying myself by a n number that is barely readable at 10 feet. Around here there are often multiple planes in the air. I have often associated the wrong plane visually with the one that was announcing.
 
That is definitely one of my pet peeves and I call people out on it all the time. You're in VMC you have to do your calls like you're under VFR flight rules, not IFR. It's not that I'm trying to be difficult, but I fly VFR into lots of different airports all over and don't have the plates open on my screen to know where the approaches and waypoints are.

The other one that bugs me is something that happened last year. Someone called "downwind Runway XX" and I'm a mile away and can't see them anywhere. I ask them for their location and they repeat downwind Runway XX. I say "abeam approach end or what?" and got a lot of grief about it. I told him "I don't see you and unless you want me to inadvertently fly into you please tell me more precisely where you are! I never got a reply. I turned back away from the airport until the guy had landed and cleared the runway before landing.

I had a guy call a 4 mile downwind. I entered ahaead of him and almost broke my neck trying to find him but never did. As i turn base he calls out that he is on a half mile final and we are on a collision couse. The guy was on a four mile final , but said downwind, so i never paid much attention to that direction. Major lesson learned. People are idiots and must not pay too much attention to what they say.
 
Off topic, but regarding MKII eyeballs....

Do you still need reading glasses? Or glasses of any kind?

May need something done this year, considering all options....
 
I'm probably not the best one to offer advice since I was highly myopic all my life, so not all of the lens options were available to me. Because of this I was not a candidate for Multifocal lens implants, so I went with Single-Focus lens implants set for far distance in both eyes.

I now have 20/20 distant vision. I do need reading glasses for close up work, but I find that it's not an issue. For flying I have a pair of those stick-on readers on my sunglasses set perfectly for the RV-8's panel.

The website below (from the company who did my surgery) has a lot of good info on the whole process and the lens implant options offered.

http://www.pcli.com/treatment_for_cataracts/cataract_surgery

Note that the FAA has different waiting periods before flying again after surgery: for Single-focus lenses (~ 3 weeks for proper healing) and Multifocal lenses (minimum of 3 months to allow for accommodation to the multi-focal lenses). My Ophthalmologist had no problem filling out the FAA form "Report of Eye Evaluation" attesting to my successful surgery, healing, and resulting vision. He cleared me for flying about 2.5 weeks after I had each eye done. At my next FAA physical, my AME accepted the FAA form "Report of Eye Evaluation" as completed by my Ophthalmologist.

See this AOPA article:

https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/medical.../intraocular-lens-implants-cataracts-contacts

Not sure exactly how this would work with BasicMed.

Hope this helps.

Good description, Carl. My logic and results were the same as your experience. After wearing glasses for nearsightedness since age 12, I now have 20/20 distant vision and wear reading glasses when I need them. My optometrist surprisingly didn't try to sell me readers; he just told me to pick up a pair of $9.95 readers at the local big store. Clear vision after surgery is one benefit of getting old. :)
 
Off topic, but regarding MKII eyeballs....

Do you still need reading glasses? Or glasses of any kind?

May need something done this year, considering all options....

If you are just now getting to the age where you need help with reading/close vision but don't otherwise need distance vision correction--and if you are flying under BasicMed--you might consider a "monovision" solution where one eye is used for distance and the other eye is used for reading. Although this is not acceptable for first-, second-, and third-class medicals, I was pleasantly surprised to see it approved (per primary care physician's concurrence) on the BasicMed application. I hate to wear regular glasses, and since my distance vision is good, I just use a contact for reading in one eye. LASIK on just one eye for reading is commonly done as well and would potentially be an even better solution. Google "monovision" and you'll see what it's all about.

Good luck.
 
Pet Peeve

Bottom line here is that most won't read the entire thing.

My pet peeve is the popular, "any other traffic please advise." Don't know where or how this started. It is annoying!!! Highlighted in this Circular.
 
Use All the Tools

You can quote rules all day, argue procedures and right-of-way situations until you turn blue (i.e. No one is listening anymore). You really HAVE to be heads up, situationally aware and courteous. Slow down in the pattern and just try to enjoy the pollen in your eyes while your burning that expensive Avgas or Jet A.

This says it all, and don?t think your ADSB is going to give you the full picture because that NORDO dosen?t have a transponder. Head up and on a swivel. Provide your reports clear and concise.
 
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