Landing at Home - No TCAS

  • I took some friends up flying recently and they both were a bit memorized at the fact that our airplane's shadow got larger and closer as we approached to land. On our way back home both passengers were looking out the window to find the shadow as we approached to land.
  • I was focused in on the landing ahead and was cleared to land while the passengers were still trying to find the cool shadow of the aircraft.
  • Me: Rocking wings side to side to scan my surroundings and see everything is clear.
  • Pax: Is it on our left of right? I can't find it.
  • Me: Thinking to myself, "It's so weird there isn't more traffic right now." "I wonder where all the other planes are?"
  • Pax: It's definitely not on the right. I can't see it.
  • Me: Seeing a plane's shadow appear on my left getting closer and bigger as we descend to land. I'm thinking, "Wait a second! That's not our plane's shadow."
  • Pax: Found it, it's on our left, look! Thinking that's our aircraft's shadow.
  • Me: Rocking wings again only to see a Piper coming in for the parallel making a huge turn from base to final.
  • ATC: Quiet as a mouse.

Source: djnaamnaam

2 Notes/ Hide

  1. calaggieflyer said: When I did my night XC, we flew right by 3 or 4 other aircraft that we didn’t see until they were just passing us. Oakland Center didn’t even bother with a call out.
  2. djnaamnaam posted this