INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT PLT UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT FOR CLRNC THROUGH CLASS C AIRSPACE. CTLR UPSET WHEN CONTACT FINALLY ESTABLISHED.

Date: 1995-06 · Aircraft: Amateur/Home Built/Experimental

Anomalies: other-unspecified

Synopsis

INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT PLT UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT FOR CLRNC THROUGH CLASS C AIRSPACE. CTLR UPSET WHEN CONTACT FINALLY ESTABLISHED.

Narrative

WITH STUDENT PLT WBOUND HOUSTON EYQ TO AUSTIN AIR RANCH 88R. APCHED THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AT 4700 FT INDICATED. TOP OF CLASS C IS 4600 FT. AFTER 3 ATTEMPTS; FINALLY GOT THROUGH ON APCH FREQ. IT WAS SAT AND VERY UNBUSY! AFTER GETTING THROUGH APCH CTL WAS UPSET I DID NOT TRY TO CALL EARLIER. I TOLD HIM I TRIED 3 TIMES BEFORE ON SAME RADIO WHICH WAS STILL LOUD AND CLR AND HE GAVE ME A SQUAWK AND DSCNT CLRNC THROUGH THE AIRSPACE. STILL HE SEEMED UPSET AND ASKED MY TYPE AND NUMBER EVEN THOUGH I WAS STILL OUTSIDE HIS AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR IS AN ACR PLT IN ADDITION TO HIS FLT INSTRUCTING. HE FLIES THIS RTE A COUPLE OF TIMES A WK AND KNOWS THE AREA WELL. HE FEELS THE CTLR WAS PROBABLY UPSET BECAUSE AN ACR ACFT DEPARTED RWY 13R AND MADE A L TURN TO 060 DEGS WHICH IS THE NORMAL PROC ON DEP. BY THE TIME THEY GET TO THE AREA WHERE RPTR ACFT WAS THE ACRS ARE ABOUT 4500 FT. 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME ON THIS TRIP THE RPTR STAYS LOW AND GOES UNDER THE OUTER RING OF THE CLASS C AND THERE IS NO PROB. ON THIS DAY THERE WAS TURB AND HE STAYED UP TO AVOID IT. NO FAA FOLLOW UP AT THIS TIME. RPTR HAD 2 RADIOS AND CALLED ON BOTH WITH NO RESPONSE. CTLR FINALLY RESPONDED ON THE FIRST RADIO HE HAD USED.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.