Shoestring Flyer wrote:Safetycom works fine if it is used the way it is supposed to be used. To give traffic position calls for awareness and nothing else.
The other problem is with the pilot caller not 'topping and tailing' their calls with the airstrip they are at.
Yep that happened to myself and a (lovely!) Pitts yesterday inbound to Holmbeck Farm...
Pitts joins overhead, he calls, descends, and turns onto right downwind, and I drop in behind him. Pitts calls dw 29, I call dw 29, no.2.
Someone calls final for 29, no readable airfield name, and the Pitts ahead of me had just turned base for 29, so he chucked the power on and climbed back up for a go around while looking for the inbound on final.
Eyes peeled, I decided that I'll carry on downwind, and turned base with a clear view of the final approach. No sign of Mr final 29, so I turned final and landed, cleared, and the Pitts landed less than a minute later.
Mr final 29 never did materialise. Bit of unnecessary concern for a while there.
The phantom inbound first called final 29 at 1504, and considering his signal strength, he could have been at Pitsford, Whittles or Bourne Park (all have a 29/11 only) but could well have been further afield with a good radio.
So if Mr final 29 is reading this...do learn to top AND tail with your location on safetycom please.
Ta.