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3 Answers

Go around?

Asked by: 1613 views
General Aviation, Light Sport Aircraft

Today I was doing a fun little flight. We got a lot of bad weather that just cleared up do I went for a flight. I was finishing the flight and was coming in to land behind a Cessna 172. I was a good 4 miles behind and I heard the 172 announce a go around. I was trying to decide if I wanted to go around too and follow the 172 back in since I didn't know the cause but I decided to land and that was uneventful. Now after I am curious if I should have gone around. I didn't know the cause of the 172 go around. Should I just asked the 172 why they went around? We were is class E airspace so no tower asked why. Should I have went around just to see the 172 land safely before I land? Did I make the right decision on landing because I didn't see a reason for go around? What's your opinion?

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3 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Jan 24, 2022

    I don’t understand why you would go around just because someone else did. There are so many reasons why a pilot might go around. Might have been told to by an instructor. Might have been practicing. Might have felt their approach was too unstable. Maybe too high or too fast.

    Sure, maybe a Mack truck just pulled on to the runway, but I hope in that case, you would have gone around even without another airplane in front of you doing it first.

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  2. Skycatcher06 on Jan 24, 2022

    @Mark I was only thinking about it because if there flying a 172 they are privates, they have more knowledge about aviation. I checked the weather, runway was clear, nothing on the frequency to tell me something was wrong. This airport doesn’t often get students. Sometimes but not often. I was just wondering, thank you for your reply.

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  3. Best Answer


    Mark Kolber on Jan 25, 2022

    I just noticed you tagged your post as referring to an LSA. Since you mentioned the other pilot was in a 172 so probably a private pilot, I’m guessing you are a sport pilot. Don’t sell yourself short. Sport pilots need to and generally have at least as much knowledge about takeoffs, landings, and the runway environment as private pilots at similar experience levels. Maybe even more since as a group I think the typical LSA requires more skill to land than a 172 or heavier single.

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