The third directive for Air Traffic Controllers is to expedite and maintain a safe, orderly and efficient flow of air traffic. The first two are something about preventing collisions.
We are going to know you are on the way, and of course, a high percentage of the time the runway will be solely available to you, comms or no comms, by the time you get to short final. That's what an orderly flow is all about.
A very small percentage of the time something unexpected will occur, like previous vacating aircraft having a steering or brake problem, or previous departing aircraft aborting from close to V1. Or rescue vehicles having to cross the runway at short notice. Or the tower misjudging the space available, cutting it a bit fine.
This sort of thing maybe requires a go round from an aircraft on short final, heck, I don't know, maybe 0.05% of the time? 0.01? Say 1 in three thousand. Seems to happen about once or twice a week. In the case of rescue vehicles making a short notice emergency cross, probably less than once a month. (I chose that case last, because that is the one you are least likely to perceive until it's too late; the one that is most likely to kill you. An aircraft slow to vacate, you should see and take appropriate action. An aircraft aborting...hard to discern what's happening straight away, but you should still see what is happening in time.)
Would you spend, say, $200 for a one in nine thousand chance of winning enough money in a lottery to keep you and loved ones in a state of luxury till the end of your days? I would. I bet you would, too.
Take those odds-admittedly arbitrary- and apply them to the reverse circumstance, where if that one in nine thousand number comes up, you die.
You can argue the AIP contents and interpretation from both sides, successfully, I reckon. Not even going to go there. If you want to, to prove a point, go for it. We need more regulation to plug any perceived loopholes or grey areas, and that is probably what will happen, in the absence of good airmanship.
Last edited by Tarq57; 13th Dec 2009 at 21:52.