Close Call on the Runway

It was a perfect day for flying yesterday. A little bumpy, but relatively perfect. I went out to the practice area and began reviewing for my test, and then took a little detour over my friend's place in the country to wave hello. I left myself enough time to come in for a few circuits before making my full stop as I was determined to get this landing thing figured out.

I radioed the tower as to my position and my intended runway. Keeping contact with the radio and doing the proper calls, I crossed midfield, joined downwind, then eventually called in on Final to make my landed on runway 06. I was focusing on my glidepoint (the numbers) and working hard to make sure I did everything right. Then I glanced down the runway to make sure I was coming in on a good angle. And yes, my angle was correct. The problem was, another plane was taking off on runway 24, where I was planning on landing.

I put in my full power and veered to the left, seeing that the other plane had rotated and was taking off to their left. We met about 100 FT off the runway, although the other plane was hightailing it as far from the airport as he could. Fortunately, I guess, I did happen to notice his call sign and a little bit of the plane, but it didn't make sense to me. I knew that plane. It was the plane I used to fly at my old flight school, so I questioned the numbers, it didn't really make sense that a plane used for flight training would screw up like that, unless the instructor was an idiot or there was only a student in the plane.

As it was, I radioed the tower and told them I was overshooting due to the other plane taking off on the opposite runway. They did not sound very happy. The other plane had not radioed or given any information as to its intentions, and there was another plane waiting on the apron to load passengers. How exactly did this other plane, this 172 we shall say, think it could just come in and out of the airport without any calls or reports.

After a discussion with someone on the ground when the plane took off, and some thinking on my own, I was pretty sure the plane that just about collided with me was the plane from my old flight school (a school that hates me, also, because I chose to buy my own plane and hire an instructor and fly everyday instead of driving 133 KM to fly once a week, then for complaining when they sent out a sexist comment about women pilots) and I figured the head instructor would like to know that his plane was endangering the lives of other pilots trying to go about their business the proper way. My suspicions were further confirmed when the secretary stated that yes, indeed that plane was in "my neck of the woods" earlier that morning, but when I told her why I wanted to know, she passed me off to the head instructor who wouldn't say more than yes or no to me.

Honestly, I wasn't calling him to give him trouble, I was informing him of the incident, so he could deal with it. All I can say is I'm very happy not to be learning from a school that allows their pilots to come in and out of airports without the slightest thought to the rules of the airways around them. I mean, yes, I'm a student and not up on everything myself, but even I know to take a look around and call in for clearance before taking off at an airport. And then after the way that instructor treated me on the phone, I wished I'd just gone ahead and reported his plane to the tower and the authorities instead of giving him the chance to deal with it "in house". Maybe I still will, we'll see what happens on Monday...