[Anon]

this is just an observation on what can happen if things do not go according to plan but for not fault of your own and what effect it can have on you.

I was flying with a non pilot friend at the weekend and was on final at an ATC airport. Everything was stable and I was not at but very close to the threshold, height was good, speed was good. There was some increased chat on the tower frequency and all of a sudden I was instructed to go around
. The ATCO said words to the effect "this Is getting to much, gXxxx go around." I immediately initiated a go around but when I was only at about 400 feet (200 agl) the controller told me to turn left now. I did so but was Not happy. I have no idea what was going on but there were ranger trucks flying across the runway immediately after being told to go around.

I moved off to the start of base leg and climbed to circuit height and orbited. Eventually the controller gave me No.1 for runway xx but no other aircraft had landed. The upshot was that I was put right off and made a complete mess of my landing. with hindsight, I should have gone around again but I think I was put off my game by the preceding events. I know I shouldn't have been but I was. I feel pretty awful that I let unforeseen events put me off. I have been thinking about what I did wrong and, apart from the less than elegant landing, I think I was just not on song. If I was analysing someone else's post I would probably say that I should have realised and gone and flown around a bit until I settled my self down. I hope I will be able to do that next time. Certainly a wake up call for me and I will go around next time as well.

[T67M]

It can be very distracting - indeed it was a similar situation which sadly resulted in a fatal accident that led to the introduction of the Student callsign.

I vividly remember my first solo night flight when at about 300'agl I got "G-XX go around, I say again go-around. Immediate right turn. Do not overfly the village. 737 about to enter and backtrack the runway. Acknowledge." I coped, but it was tough, and I still wonder whether if I had reported that incident the student callsign might have been instigated without someone else having to lose their life.

[johnm]

There is a certain kind of ATCO who thinks jets have priority and that it is OK just to DEMAND that light aircraft get out of the way. I think this is both rude and dangerous. If asked politely I'll invariably co-operate but we should all resent being treated this way, we should all be equal in the air!

[malcolmfrost]

Is there a clue in the fact you had a non pilot flying with you? Maybe you were explaining/reassuring them?

[townleyc]

It can be very distracting - indeed it was a similar situation which sadly resulted in a fatal accident that led to the introduction of the Student callsign.

I vividly remember my first solo night flight when at about 300'agl I got "G-XX go around, I say again go-around. Immediate right turn. Do not overfly the village. 737 about to enter and backtrack the runway. Acknowledge." I coped, but it was tough, and I still wonder whether if I had reported that incident the student callsign might have been instigated without someone else having to lose their life.

I remember that incident well. I was just a bit pre-solo for me at the time. It made me think hard.

At least I benefited from the Student prefix in my solo navexs.

Poor chap, and ISTR only a youngster. What a waste

KE

[avtur3]

Unexpected events can upset our concentration in many ways, probably most notably when driving, a far more frequent activity than flying.

I don't mind admitting that the thoughtless and inconsiderate actions of other drivers sometimes upset me, to the point where on odd occasions I loose my focus. When I'm aware that something upsets me I try hard to 'not let it influence me', even to the point of pulling over and taking a breather. I appreciate that is perhaps not an option when flying.

One aspect of my working life involves driver training, specifically fuel tanker drivers, we advocate our friendly hound 'FIDO' be applied whenever possible. FIDO is ... Forget It and Drive On. It is all about trying to think about the bigger picture, which is not always easy.

If you are involved in an incident/situation that upsets or concerns you then the best thing is to put time and distance behind you before re-entering the situation. However the most important thing is recognising such an event in the first place, that can be difficult.

The male sense of bravado can sometimes work to mask such situations, which is probably not the best way to deal with it. Far better to recognise it and ... FIDO or if in the air FIFO.