When ATC makes you in charge of safety

Our short flight to Milwaukee and back punctuated three times when Air Traffic Control shifts the responsibility for safety from them to you.
Flying under visual flight rules (VFR), pilots “see and avoid” other airplanes. When not getting advisories from ATC, it is the aviators job not to crash into another airplane. When getting VFR advisories from a radar air traffic controller, approach control will (workload permitting) warn us if it looks like another airplane is aiming at us on a collision course.
However, there are times when big brother shifts some of that responsibility from the control room to the cockpit. Here are three times on March 2 when we were out in charge of saving our own skins:
1. As Captain Jody was flying the awesome Piper Archer into the right downwind leg for Runway 19R at Mitchell, the controller restricted us to remain above 3,500 feet on the downwind. There was a United A320 departing Runway 19R and turning Westbound. United was limited to 3,000 feet to avoid scraping paint with us.
Once we told the controller that we saw United passing well in front of us, ATC said, “Maintain Visual Separation from the Airbus 320, caution -wake turbulence”
For a small aircraft to passing closely behind an A320, the swirling vortices of the Airbus’ jet engines could result in powerful turbulence which could upset our control of the Piper. As we were only six miles from the runway and still very high, we desperately needed to descend to make a smooth landing. However, diving into the air immediately behind the jet could get us into trouble.
Therefore, the decision to go to a lower altitude after United had passed was based on our visual perception of the place where the jet’s wake would not create any dangerous wake. ATC knows that we can see the United’s path better than they can, so they put the responsibility for protecting our planes directly on our shoulders.
It all worked out fine as we descended well past the spot where United had passed.
So we stop in Milwaukee and grab a bite to eat.
2. On departure back toward Chicago, we experience two more scenarios where ATC shifts responsibility to us. Doing so improves efficiency and reduces delays.
South-southwest bound at 4,500 feet, the departure controller directs us to maneuver 10 degrees to the right to avoid a northbound KingAir. When we advise ATC that we now have the KingAir in sight, he says, “Maintain Visual Separation with the King Air, and resume own navigation.”
Obviously, we are not going to crank our nose southeastbound and collide with the Beechcraft. Yet telling us to resume own navigation is a way of stating that we can go back toward Chicago at a time that makes us comfortable with the safety of the space between us and the twin-engine aircraft. “A comfortable distance” is a very subjective thing.
In VFR flying, some pilots are not comfortable with flying over or under another aircraft at a distance of 500 feet. Although this standard has existed for dozens of years, some pilots just don’t like to see another flying machine that close.
3. Here is my favorite one for the flight: We are south-south westbound cruising at 4500 feet. After handing us off to Chicago Approach control (which we appreciated), the Milwaukee Air Traffic Controller states”Altitude at your discretion, contact Chicago Approach on 125.0.”
I got to thinking about this, it dawns on me why he said that. Because we are only 20 miles from violating the Chicago Class Bravo airspace at 4000 feet, it would be very DISCREET of us not to stay at 4500 feet.
In other words, if we were to bumble into the Class Bravo, we can’t blame Milwaukee for not knowing that it was there. There is nothing wrong with what he said. It is just a gentle reminder that violating Chicago is something that a thoughtful pilot does not do. So…be thoughtful. Think about what you are doing. Be discreet. ;)

[@OptimusSubPr1me]

Sounds like a normal set of instructions to me...VFR with flight following

[@louisallen5727]

Hardcore!

[@rederstreet]

What the hack has this to do with safety?

[@tryste_mx]

It's in the description.

[@rederstreet]

@@tryste_mx Well this is standard flying and ATC instructions, nothing special to my opinion.