Ok!This is beginning to really irritate me.I have laid before you a story,and these are the FACTS;
Aircraft A-Club PA38 on "Finals to land" at 500Ft in 2 way with ATC
Aircraft B Warbird Harvard T6G at Holding Point for 24 in two way with ATC
Profile:PA38-Club Aircraft usually low time PPL -Inexpereienced usually but not in this case!
Profile:Harvard-Expensive Warbird Either Very Experienced PPL or Commercial Pilot and exceedingly experienced.
At the 500Ft point on PA38 Approach, Harvard calls for line up and departure.Taxis on to Runway and lines up.As a T6G he has no hydraulic power lever issue,so all he has to do is taxi forward a few feet and with the stick back,which locks the Tail Wheel.OR there may be a handle that locks the Tailwheel ,as earlier marks .
We descend 400ft to 100ft @300Ft per min so this takes over 60secs.The Harvard is still on the end of the runway,and says nothing.At 100Ft my pilot calls going around.
I assume the Harvard Pilot is not Deaf Dumb Or Blind!!!Therefore with Mk1 Eyeball vision he has seen us.He has 2 way with Air Traffic as we do,so SPATIAL AWARENESS should kick in,that the Aircraft on Finals must be close!!!Absolutely nothing happens in the Harvard Cockpit,to alleviate the matter.
If any of you out there think that is acceptable,I am disgusted.This is the 21st Century.It has already been made plain this sort of event is not uncommon,and we should have bitten our lip and got on with it.Well FLYING MACHINES are very well equipped to kill you,without human interference.If you all dont get a grip on reality you will end up as a statistic.The Standard of Operating Procedures at Duxford seem to be sadly lacking,as other very experienced Pilots have commented on.
so far all that has been achieved is a "Monty Python" muttering among the crowd that" Oh he is a very good chap who could not possibly be responsible,no no rhubarb rhubarb"!Well it did happen ,I assure you and I suspect a very experienced pilot did it!!!It is a serious Flight Safety issue,which should arouse pilot's self preservation instinct if nothing else.This sort of thing should NOT happen,Not at Duxford,NOT ANYWHERE!
I would point out it is only the advices of my colleague who was doing the flying that persuaded me not to take a trip to the "Belgrano".If you dont want the likes of legends,Draper, LLewellyn Jones,etc banging on your door,or to be put in a box,then sharpen up and get a grip.
Last edited by FAStoat; 14th Sep 2012 at 08:01.