Avoiding ATC delays
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Massachusetts
Age: 67
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Avoiding ATC delays
I wrote a reply to that now closed thread, but I thought it might be interesting to hear peoples most creative solutions to ATC's best attempts to prevent us from getting where we need to go.
Mine isn't all that exiting, but to get the thread going:
I had a problem getting back into our Class D airspace about 5 years ago... A student and I had been a few miles outside practicing confined areas, and when it was time to get back tower was having one of those times where a bunch of airplanes suddenly showed up and they were just swamped. They told everyone on the frequency to just hold outside the airspace and not call for 10 minutes.
That would have made me late for my next student, and the airspace configuration at our airport is that it tops out at 2600 feet, and the overlying airspace for Boston doesn't start until 3000 feet, so there's a slice of airspace 400 feet vertically that neither tower owns. So we flew in until we were directly above the tower and gave them a call. Despite them having a radar, they apparently hadn't noticed us, and they asked for our position. I replied that we were directly above the control tower at 2800 feet. Cleared to land, vertical autorotation to the ramp, on time, everyone happy 😊
Mine isn't all that exiting, but to get the thread going:
I had a problem getting back into our Class D airspace about 5 years ago... A student and I had been a few miles outside practicing confined areas, and when it was time to get back tower was having one of those times where a bunch of airplanes suddenly showed up and they were just swamped. They told everyone on the frequency to just hold outside the airspace and not call for 10 minutes.
That would have made me late for my next student, and the airspace configuration at our airport is that it tops out at 2600 feet, and the overlying airspace for Boston doesn't start until 3000 feet, so there's a slice of airspace 400 feet vertically that neither tower owns. So we flew in until we were directly above the tower and gave them a call. Despite them having a radar, they apparently hadn't noticed us, and they asked for our position. I replied that we were directly above the control tower at 2800 feet. Cleared to land, vertical autorotation to the ramp, on time, everyone happy 😊
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True. Or when it's just a bit windy, or bumpy, or cloudy. Non-perfect weather really clears out the riff raff even when it is still perfectly good VFR conditions. Nothing like a low ceiling to clear out that pattern so you can do all the 180 auto's you want.
Best solution; visit the tower, get to know the crew and take them flying so they can appreciate how flexible we can be when fitting into their pattern 
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visiting the tower and take them around their control zone for good relationship is worthwhile.
There is another possibility to get a landing clearance- but you have to be careful with the wording so...
A fellow pilot, I was Copilot at that flight, said „I am low on fuel“
He got his clearance to enter and to land and a special greeting committee with fancy lights on their cars 🤪
The whole fire brigade awaited us.
Should have said „Minimum Fuel“ and everything would have been fine 😏
There is another possibility to get a landing clearance- but you have to be careful with the wording so...
A fellow pilot, I was Copilot at that flight, said „I am low on fuel“
He got his clearance to enter and to land and a special greeting committee with fancy lights on their cars 🤪
The whole fire brigade awaited us.
Should have said „Minimum Fuel“ and everything would have been fine 😏
