Page 24 - July21T

From the Flight Deck
by Kevin R. Dingman
Full Circle
Returning to AirVenture Oshkosh
Was it a Freudian, motherly voice thing? Was there something in her tone, or was it simply the words and their profound significance at this point in the pilot’s flying career? It’s easy to recognize the admonishment, appreciation or admiration in the tone of someone’s voice, the tone when you did something really good, bad or special. The tower controller’s voice sounded as if she knew that the Duke pilot had long been absent from the unique challenges of this ATA (Airport Traffic Area) and that he would appreciate the words. And now, clear as a bell on a jam-packed frequency during the landing roll, she took the time to direct her special words at my Duke – at me. What did she say? Let’s back up a bit first.
Aviation became a part of my life early on. My dad played trumpet in a dance band and the drummer was a pilot. I know that I was exactly five when I went for my first airplane ride because my mom told my younger brother that dad was taking me to school. And when he took me for a ride on that September day in 1961, school was a brand- new word. I continued on to get a private and commercial license as a civilian, instrument and multi-engine in the military and then an ATP and 737 type just before I left active duty. I flew the F-16 for 10 years and then performed as a USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer, and most of that
22 • TWIN & TURBINE / July 2021
time I was out of GA. After selling my straight-tail C-150 early in my Air Force career and when I started to make some money at the airline, I decided to get another airplane. I looked at a Cherokee Six, 310R and a 414 but ultimately found and fell in love with a Duke in Flagstaff, Arizona. And now, returning to this iconic airport with the world’s busiest tower, I was living the dream of that 5-year-old boy. Through the windscreen of the Duke, I see a strangely narrow runway laid out in front of me.
Land on a Taxiway
After years of landing the F-16 on mostly long, wide runways, I didn’t recognize until short final that I was lined up on the parallel taxiway (e.g., Captain Han Solo, KSNA, February 2017). Should I try to slide over and line up with the runway? The winds are light and I’m lined up perfectly. In that split second, I remembered the NOTAM that addressed this procedure and felt embarrassed to have forgotten. I pulled back on the yolk of the 6,500-pound Duke to begin the flare and landed on the parallel taxiway, temporarily designated as 36R for this special occasion. The birds 2,000 feet in front of me become airborne making the landing surface all mine. I lowered the nose and let it roll. This is definitely narrow. It feels like going the wrong way on a one-way street with everyone watching and pointing.
Blurred Vision
Despite its unique challenges, I’ve always loved coming here. I have been to this airport many times in the distant past – but had never landed on a taxiway. I’d driven multiple times by car and motorcycle, arrived in a Seneca,