Comment by _s | Hacker News Reader

Comment by _s | Hacker News Reader

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This is slightly incorrect.

Only one aircraft is actually allowed to depart/land on a given runway at any one point in time.

You can have clearance to land after the aircraft in front has landed or departed, but broadly two civilian aircraft occupying the same runway is a no-no if either are taking off or landing. Seaplanes is another matter entirely, and of course there are dozens of exceptions.

You can have multiple aircraft cleared for a departure or arrival or approach - but note that this is not a clearance to take off or land.

I've been given clearances to land roughly 5 seconds before my wheel touch and my hands were just about to shove power in to go around. I've been told to go around after my wheels are on the runway too.

We usually know what ATC is doing or waiting for and we can anticipate those calls.

I don't think the US is different from the RoW in that manner - they all need to conform to the ICAO regulations - otherwise we'd have chaos with US pilots navigating China or vice versa.

Me: FAA (US) & CASA (AU) PPL w/MEA + IR.

In the US, clearance to land does not mean that other aircraft won't land, take-off, or cross your runway before you touch down.

> Landing clearance to succeeding aircraft in a landing sequence need not be withheld if you observe the positions of the aircraft and determine that prescribed runway separation will exist when the aircraft crosses the landing threshold. Issue traffic information to the succeeding aircraft if a preceding arrival has not been previously reported and when traffic will be departing prior to their arrival.

Yes - I think that's more or less what I was trying to say:

Two aircraft on the active runway at the exact same time? Usually not allowed. Two aircraft one after the other? That's okay.

Clearances are for future events that lead to the latter, not the former.

> I've been told to go around after my wheels are on the runway too.

What did you do?

That’s an incredible situation to be in, and one reason (having to make a decision in the moment like that) why I’m afraid to try flying

Full power and off we go.

My mains had just touched and ATC called for a GA, they obviously saw something I didn't and I was airborne a few seconds later. Circled and landed with no issues.

It could've been anything from metal on the runway to an aircraft not responding or reading back in time while taxing to a priority medevac helicopter.

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