Sometimes perspective is everything.
Several years ago I was flying into OSH in the late afternoon, second in line for runway 27 behind a warbird on straight in. As everyone who flies into OSH during convention knows, there are three colored dots on the runway that help separate aircraft so the controller can land three on the same runway at the same time. The conversation went something like this:
Tower: Warbird, cleared to land, runway 27 on the “Green” dot.
Warbird: Ahhh … which one’s the “Green” dot.
Tower: Well, it’s not the “Red” one and it’s not the “Orange” one.
Warbird: With the glare, they all look the same.
Tower: Oops, sorry, it’s the first one. Cleared to land, runway 27, on the first dot.
Short Final…
Key Takeaways:
- During Oshkosh (OSH) landings, colored runway dots are used for aircraft separation, but glare can make these visual cues indistinguishable for pilots.
- A warbird pilot's difficulty in identifying the "Green" dot due to glare highlighted the limitations of standard color-based instructions.
- The air traffic controller effectively adapted their communication by changing from a color-based cue ("Green" dot) to a position-based cue ("first dot"), ensuring clear instruction and safety.
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