PLT OF AN AA-1 ACFT DID NOT FOLLOW SBA TWR INSTRUCTIONS TO FLY HDG 150 DEGS.
Synopsis
PLT OF AN AA-1 ACFT DID NOT FOLLOW SBA TWR INSTRUCTIONS TO FLY HDG 150 DEGS.
Narrative
I ARRIVED AT SANTA BARBARA ARPT FROM THE E WITH A REQUEST FOR A TOUCH-AND-GO FOLLOWED BY A DEP TO THE E. SBA TWR STATED 'CLRED TOUCH-AND-GO...EXPECT GAR.' I ASSUMED THE 'EXPECT GAR' WAS DUE TO TFC CONFLICTS AND I ASKED TWR IF THEY WOULD LIKE ME TO DO AN OVERHEAD APCH. THE REPLY WAS TO OVERFLY THE RWY. I WAS THEN GIVEN DEP INSTRUCTIONS TO FLY RWY HDG (150 DEGS) AND TO MAINTAIN AT OR UNDER 2500 FT. I FLEW RWY HDG AND AT THE END OF THE RWY; I TURNED XWIND; THEN RPTED TURNING DOWNWIND. TWR TOLD ME TO TURN TO HDG 150 DEGS; THEN I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW THE FREEWAY E. I TOLD TWR THAT I WAS CONFUSED. 'WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?' I SAID. TWR SAID 'FOLLOW THE FREEWAY BACK THE WAY YOU CAME.' I REPLIED 'I'D LIKE TO GET THAT TOUCH-AND-GO.' I WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO DO A TOUCH-AND-GO AND I DEPARTED AS I WAS INSTRUCTED TO. THERE WERE 2 AREAS OF CONFUSION: 1) WHY WOULD I BE GIVEN A CLRNC TO LAND AND BE TOLD TO EXPECT A GAR? THERE WAS NO URGENCY TO LAND; WHY NOT SIMPLY RE-SEQUENCE ME BY USING AN OVERHEAD APCH; A 360 DEG IN THE PATTERN; OR AN ENTRY TO THE TFC PATTERN AFTER OVERFLYING THE RWY. ANY OF THESE WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO WAITING UNTIL 2 AIRPLANES BECAME TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. 2) I WAS TOLD AFTER DEP TO FLY RWY HDG (150 DEGS). THE CONFUSION HERE IS WHEN WAS I EXPECTED TO DEPART? AFTER THE OVERFLT OF THE RWY; OR AFTER THE TOUCH-AND-GO I HAD REQUESTED? CTLRS NEED TO SLOW DOWN AND LISTEN TO THE PLT'S REQUEST. PLTS AND CTLRS ARE A TEAM. PLTS WILL DO EXACTLY WHAT CTLRS EXPECT IF THE CTLR IS CLR ON THEIR REQUESTS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.