A Student Pilot on his first solo cross country is assigned an aircraft with an unfamiliar radio comm panel which adds to the stress level of landing at a busy Class C airport. The option is requested but a clearance to land is received; confusing the reporter. Tower clears another aircraft into position on the opposite runway as the reporter adds power and over flies the aircraft in position.
Synopsis
A Student Pilot on his first solo cross country is assigned an aircraft with an unfamiliar radio comm panel which adds to the stress level of landing at a busy Class C airport. The option is requested but a clearance to land is received; confusing the reporter. Tower clears another aircraft into position on the opposite runway as the reporter adds power and over flies the aircraft in position.
Narrative
The aircraft that I normally fly was unavailable. I had been taught to use the navaids and had demonstrated my use of the navaids with my instructor in that aircraft. The aircraft that I normally fly had a Garmin 430 GPS and the radios work through the Garmin. The aircraft that I flew this day had different control heads for the radios. I struggled with them during the flight. This greatly increased my stress level for my first solo cross country. The cross countries that I had done with my instructor were mainly to uncontrolled fields and a few to controlled fields and they were on the weekends when traffic was light. I landed at MVC without incident and then proceeded to BFM. Enroute I was informed by ATC that they were not receiving my transponder and I was informed to stay clear of the Class C airspace which I did. I worked my transponder issue and then was cleared into the airspace at 2;000 and was waiting for clearance to descend. I flew as a flight engineer in the military; with 4;000 hours and mixed up that a VFR aircraft is not cleared to descend by ATC. This delayed my descent which added to the stress because I was high when Tower cleared me for the approach. I had requested the option with approach and Tower cleared me to land added confusion for me and I queried Tower while I was on short final but did not get a response. When I released the mic switch I heard Tower talking to another aircraft and clear them into position and hold for Runway 36. Because of the confusion and the stress I was under I elected to takeoff and at the same time I heard Tower tell the aircraft that taxied to Runway 36 to hold position. I realized at that point that I had made a mistake electing to takeoff but was committed so I took off. What I could have done to prevent this action was not use an unfamiliar aircraft for my first cross country solo. Going to a controlled field during the week when it was busy should have been avoided. The stress level for a cross country solo was very high already and by taking an unfamiliar aircraft and for going to a busy field for a solo first time compounded my stress and affected my decision making. I will be flying with my instructor for a few flights when the Class C airspace is busy and this will get me more proficient with busy airspace.
Second reporter narrative
My student was flying his solo cross country and I was waiting at our home base after checking his flight plan; weather; NOTAMs; TOLD and W&B. We normally fly a C-172 with a Garmin 430 and my student is quite good with it but also is comfortable with Nav Aids. There was some discussion on the ground about how to work the radios in this different aircraft but the issue was resolved. My student took off; flew to a nearby airport; did a stop and go then continued on to another nearby airport. He was held out of Class C airspace for a transponder that was intermittent but eventually worked so he requested a visual approach to Runway 18. He was cleared to land by Tower and on landing roll he asked Tower for an option but got no response; in hindsight because he stepped on the aircraft that Tower had cleared onto Runway 36 after thinking my Student was at taxi speed. My Student elected to do the touch and go and overflew the aircraft Tower had cleared onto the runway. Lessons learned for instructors: 1. My student scheduled a different aircraft then we normally fly; so I assumed he was comfortable with it after we talked about it on the ground but his unfamiliarity added a level of stress that was unnecessary on his solo cross country. 2. I should have done more towered field work with him when the traffic pattern was busy; prior to his cross country. He is very comfortable on the radios and in Class C airspace but had done most of his training at uncontrolled fields or at controlled fields on the weekends when traffic was low. This flight was a weekday with high traffic at the airport. 3. I had flown to this last airport with my Student the week prior and we talked about requesting the option but doing what Tower directs but I should have followed up that discussion with discussion about landing clearances again prior to the solo.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.