It happens.

My one and only trip to KJFK many years ago, I'm taxiing out and told to follow an ATR42 to runway 4 left, and also not to transmit. I dutifully follow the ATR42 on taxiway bravo but I also check the charts and see that you have to take taxiway kilo to go to 4 left. There's no other way. Sure enough the ATR42 sails past the intersection. I stop short and call ground, breaking requested radio silence, asking if I should follow the ATR42 or stop.

The brakes go on hard on the ATR42, lurches to a stop. Radio silence for about 5 seconds. Then the ATR42 pilot comes on and says they went past the turn off. Radio silence for another 5 seconds. Then I say I stopped short of kilo so there is enough room for the ATR42 to turn around make make the turn. Instantly ground is back and instructs the ATR42 to turn around, and continue on kilo to 4 left. Ground thanks me for noticing and instructs me to follow them again.

As the ATR42 does a 180 and turns towards me, they turn left onto kilo and I saw the copilot holding up his hand gesturing to the captain. I had a good laugh.

Then I sat at the runway for 45 minutes watching a 747 land from what seemed like every country in the world. Eventually, there was a big enough gap and I got out.

This was about 20 years ago when they still flew some turboprops and lots of 747s into KJFK. Now its more RJs and twin wide bodies.

Mike C.

It happens.

My one and only trip to KJFK many years ago, I'm taxiing out and told to follow an ATR42 to runway 4 left, and also not to transmit. I dutifully follow the ATR42 on taxiway bravo but I also check the charts and see that you have to take taxiway kilo to go to 4 left. There's no other way. Sure enough the ATR42 sails past the intersection. I stop short and call ground, breaking requested radio silence, asking if I should follow the ATR42 or stop.

The brakes go on hard on the ATR42, lurches to a stop. Radio silence for about 5 seconds. Then the ATR42 pilot comes on and says they went past the turn off. Radio silence for another 5 seconds. Then I say I stopped short of kilo so there is enough room for the ATR42 to turn around make make the turn. Instantly ground is back and instructs the ATR42 to turn around, and continue on kilo to 4 left. Ground thanks me for noticing and instructs me to follow them again.

As the ATR42 does a 180 and turns towards me, they turn left onto kilo and I saw the copilot holding up his hand gesturing to the captain. I had a good laugh.

Then I sat at the runway for 45 minutes watching a 747 land from what seemed like every country in the world. Eventually, there was a big enough gap and I got out.

This was about 20 years ago when they still flew some turboprops and lots of 747s into KJFK. Now its more RJs and twin wide bodies.

Mike C.

Taxiing out by far the hardest part of flying out of Ohare.
It threw me the first time, not expecting all the frequency changes on the ground.
Peace of cake second time around. I was ready for it.

Mark wrong thread but here goes,

Chuck was wrong at MDW his first time departing. Ground says follow the SW jet to Rwy 22L. Later tells me to stop at Papa, late he was. Now he tells me turn left on Papa, I can’t make the left onto papa without doing a right 360 in front of another SW. Ground not in his happy place and making my crack squeeze my seats. Crossed Rwy 22L hold short Rwy 22R. Now a line of SW’s taking off behind me rocking the boat.

I’m in a Mooney, nervous as he11, and ground hands me to tower. Cross 22r Nov to 22R. Understand ground has Only assigned me Rwy 22L this whole time. I’m confused and pull across 22R but can’t see any signs, turn left and line up for departure. Has to be 150’ wide and a mile long. Tower keys up and says “check your Compass” laughing in background. Heading is 270. I’m lined up on taxiway November!

“Request” turn by turn to Rwy 22r please...... I’ll admit I was totally flustered by then. When ready on 22r tower called with clearance and I repeated it and said glad I could make towers day! never soo happy to be on the radio with departure...

MDW always easier flying in the air than taxiing on the ground, many years and mucho experience later it’s easy to laugh!

See? That wasn’t hard. I can relate to it too. I post my mistakes for all to see. It’s educational. And freeing! Bravo Chuck.

I had 5 frequencies to deal with. Pretaxi from ramp to Mike. Ground to 27L hold short at Charlie. 27L Twr to cross. After crossing, ground to A10. Monitor Tower 28R.

The toughest sequence was after crossing 27L I switched to ground and got “Taxi 28R via Alpha..Alpha10...Tango...November...Hold short 28R at November 5”.

So you have to write this...understand it...and read it back...all while taxiing SP. And if you don’t read it back promptly there will be a bunch of radio traffic.

Not impossible but you have to be sharp.

Is there such a thing as declaring an emergency on the ground from confusion? lol

Places like ORD assume you are 2 crew. If they give me a complex taxi route change while moving I say I am SP and they can give me a progressive taxi or let me stop and review the new route.

Copying a complex taxi route and reviewing the chart and route while on the move at someplace like ORD is fraught with risks.

This is what happens at the home drome. It’s been low viz since we landed. The geniuses at American launch an RJ from KORD as soon as it reports 200 & 1/2. They arrive just as it drops to 1/4. Meanwhile ORD drops to 1/8th. We have two suitable airports within 60 miles that are good VFR. But American doesn’t serve them. Only Delta. So off they go to KMSP. Our weather will be below minimums for the next 48 hours. American doesn’t fly to ksaw from KMSP. Basically these people are hosed.

This is why we have a jet. “ Elite “ gots nuttin’ to do with it. It’s common sense. Just sayin.

121 question. This aircraft diverted to KMSP. The airline does not service Marquette from MSP. As far as returning to Marquette...can a 121 carrier legally fly city pairs with pax they don't service? If they do what flight number do they use? Not something you see every day.

Yeah they can still finish that flight they took off from. Will use the same flight number they started out with.

I had to divert to New Orleans last week on my way to Houston. Used the same flight number. Just stopped got fuel waited for the weather to clear and away we went.

Then same flight number a few hours later once the mirco bursts cleared out from Houston.

I actually found some footage from one of the airport cams.

https://imgur.com/a/au5JP

You Jet Elite® are all the same.

Ask for progressive taxi instructions. Use a PS Engineering recording audio panel, and have that do the read back.

As an alternative, fly with a co-pilot; the airlines do.