Hi Lissart,

The worst case scenario is if you go around late with the departing aircraft already past V1. You will not be able to see him once you've rotated, and the gap between you is closing.

If the departing aircraft does reject the take off, the minimum distance between you landing and him being below V1 should not be less than 1500m (at STN). You should be able to land and reduce your speed to below his V1 speed within 1500m, your separation will then increase.

The chance of him rejecting the take off is less that him continuing to get airborne so continuing to land is the safer option.

I tend to agree with most of Dani's posts.

As Capn Bloggs syas - should have been taught to you at the PPL stage?

Hi BOAC,
I'd be tracking the runway centreline, wings level during the initial stages of the GA and rotate to about 15 degs nose up - I would almost certainly loose sight of him initially.

How would you do your PPL GA to maintain constant visual contact?

Most of us would retain visual contact! Were you never taught? I take it you have never been in that situation. I hope that anxiety in even the dullest pilot would find a practical solution.

Gents,

The side step idea - either left or right depending on who is the pilot flying - in order to retain visual contact with the departure, is all very well until one considers that at some regional airports, you've got that helicopter circuit active to one side of the runway and you are just about to fly right through it.........!

Just a thought to make an improbable scenario even more scary. Or is it?? (Improbable I mean.....)

Lissart

Hi BOAC,
We tried.
Yes.
I have been in that situation once before & I don't intend to do it again.
There was lots of anxiety - I assure you - we were sitting in it.
We lost contact during the initial stages of the GA, side stepped to the right and had a window full of aircraft tail. Please explain how you would find a practical solution.

Unfortunately it is not of one's choosing when you might say I "don't intend to do it again".

Not quite sure how moving off the runway c/line gave you a 'window full of a/c tail"?

Hi BOAC,

We started the GA just below 50 radio and received landing clearance about 3 seconds later.

The departing Aircraft out climbed our TriStar, so looking out of the Left window the tail seemed ever so close. If I'm placed in the same situation again - I'll continue to Land.

Still standing by for your "practical solution".

Not cleared? I would not land!:= Go-around! The ATC will call you and if there's any risk with the aircraft ahead he'll give you a heading; radar vectors and make another approach. :ok:

Hi OK465,
Those were perfectly OK since we were both locked onto separate parallel Localisers. From memory - if we went around from those approaches - don't we change onto diverging headings?

When the aircraft ahead was slower to line up & take off than the controller expected, we were both on the same runway track and visibly closing.