Check your NOTAMs!
To accommodate increasing numbers of flights to Whitianga airfield, in 2022, Mercury Bay Aero Club embarked on a major three-year works programme.
Each stage was notified by NOTAM.
It soon became obvious, however, that some pilots weren’t bothering to check NOTAMs and the results of that had local pilots shaking their heads in disbelief.
The aero club’s safety officer Steve Chilcott says that, in the last couple of years, there’s been a marked increase in the number of GA recreational flights – particularly microlight operations – landing at Whitianga.
“Barrier Air has also begun commercial flights here, and there’s been an increasing number of student pilots from the Auckland training schools using the airfield for practice.
“So we ploughed the runway level and re-seeded it in two sections lengthwise.
“One section remained in use while the other was closed and marked with white crosses.
“Despite having a NOTAM issued, we had numerous aircraft landing over the white crosses on the closed section.
“One chap even carried out a series of circuits on the closed section, leaving large ruts in the newly sown grass.”
Check NOTAMs and AIP Supplements
Steve says this pilot’s further mistake was to stop for a coffee. He was approached by an irate club member who offered him a choice – pay for the damage or “take this rake and sort it out”.
The pilot was out in the burning sun for four hours.
“I suspect he’s now aware of what the white crosses are for,” says Steve.
Another unprepared pilot landed in knee-high grass in an open drain.
“He relied only on advice from his mate, who’d told him that because of the works at the airfield, he should land to the south of the runway.
“That was good enough for him.”
Steve, who lives at the airfield and happened to be outside, said he could see the pilot was far off the correct runway on approach, and tried to wave him away.
“But he continued, and carried out the shortest landing roll I’ve ever seen – straight into this grass.
It took five people to pull the aircraft out of the drain and on to a taxiway.
But in another startling display of ‘don’t care’, the pilot then jumped into his aircraft, fired it up, and taxied off to the airfield café.
“Without checking for any damage!” says Steve, incredulously.
On yet another occasion, the aero club had shortened the runway so the council could lay a drainpipe. Again, a NOTAM was issued.
“Despite the NOTAM, we had a pilot touch down in the usual spot and barrel through a line of cones and tape marking off the work in progress.
“Fortunately, no damage was done to the aircraft. But we were pretty disbelieving.
“Another chap, after landing, parked bang in the middle of one of our new taxiways. He ‘didn’t know it was a taxiway’, despite it being well signalled on our plate, and parking right next to a taxiway sign!” says Steve.
It’s now easy to do
Since January 2023, the CAA has had 23 reported cases where a GA recreational pilot has either not checked, or not complied with, a published NOTAM.
CAA Investigator Peter Stevenson-Wright says this is despite the Airways IFIS app having been available for many years, and the ‘PreFlight’ flight planning website being available since 2022 (gopreflight.co.nz).
“Both these products are free, and are easy to use. So checking for NOTAMs is a pretty straightforward exercise before departing,” says Peter.
“Checking during flight is also a great idea. Anything can happen after you depart.”
Steve says it appears there are “those few pilots who think they’re driving a car and who just leap in and go.
“The majority of pilots, though, do check NOTAMs – but that makes those who don’t and who cause all the damage and stress, all the more obvious.”
Footnote
Photo supplied via Steve Chilcott