Almost crashed with oncoming aircraft on rwy.
I was well into my helicopter training on H300's and had 'lost' interest in fixed-wing, even though I had a fixed PPL. Was totally in love with rotor and could think of nothing else. But a good friend convinced me it would be cool to step up from our small C-172's and PA-28's to a retractable, constant speed fast single, so we agreed to get a new rating for the PA-32 Lancer II.
We flew from Stockholm, Sweden to a smaller airport in Västerås to do some patterns and get a thorough check by the intsructor. After having satisfied him, my best friend took off solo and flew a couple of patterns. No problems. Finally it was my turn. I jump in, line up and take off.
I remember feeling severly behind the machine during climb - everything happened so fast. Gear up, manifold pressure, climb rate, turn - all of a sudden I was screaming into a long downwind at 150kts while my brain was still on the ground.
All of a sudden another plane calls up on the intercom (no tower) and announces it's on a long final to the opposite runway I used for take-off. In effect landing downwind. I inform the other aircaft that it's just me in the pattern and that the runway in use is NOT the one he's on long final to, but the opposite and that he should divert and join the downwind leg. All the while trying to get a glimpse of him in my dead spot behind the aircraft (a kingdom for a Cessna with rear windows, I remember thinking). No response, but I do hear a click on the radio. Just to make sure, I transmit the same info again, still with no answer - just that click.
I'm so behind the aircraft now, trying to read the check list as I turn base and figuring out if I can drop any flaps at this speed and whatnot. Gear out - almost forgot - hectic, nervous, stress and agony. Before I know it I find myself having to turn into a much to short final at too high a speed. There are high hills on the left side of the rwy, which makes it hard to see any traffic on it until you're actually lined up. So when I finally come straight from my much to steep bank to line up and land, all of a sudden I see a C-172 coming straight at me on the rwy! He's doing a touch-and-go, so he's already in a slight climb. I slam the throttle and start a frantic climb to the left. Luckily he goes left, too. Maybe it wasn't as close as it felt, but in my mind I could count the rivets on his belly.
I shouted abuse over the radio to the offender, but this time not even a click. He just disappeared. I managed to land on shaky legs next time around and got a thrashing by the instructor for lining up so late and at such angle. He hadn't seen the offending C-172 (he was hid behind the hills and couldn't see the rwy), but when I explained what had happened, he said I'd done the right thing.
But actually, I hadn't. A click is not an affirmative response. Without a correct acknowledgement or readback, I should never have completed the pattern for landing. His radio was most certainly malfunctioning.