What would you do in absence of a clearance ?

Patrick wrote:

In my understanding, a clearance such as “enter traffic pattern”

Does such a clearance exist? I have never heard that other than as in a clearance for a flight plan, or as part of take off clearance (essentially also a flight plan i a “legal” sense). You must have clearance to enter base, final and to land, not necessarily all three in order, you can often be cleared base or landing immediately.

Aveling wrote:

Approaching a field with ATC, you will often be ‘cleared to land’ on initial contact or at some point before you are anywhere near final.

That is not necessarily the same thing. When coming to a Norwegian field, ENVA for instance (my homebase, C) with no written flight plan, you will on first contact be cleared inbound for full stop landing via this or that VFR waypoint on the boarder of the CTR. As far as I understand that is the clearance for the shortened FP. Then, at the boarder of the CTR, you must contact again, and will – depending on traffic, be cleared whatever is practical. It could be downwind, base, final, landing, another holding point or whatever. In essence you are “cleared to land” 10 miles away, but it’s only your FP that is cleared. You still need explicit clearances inside the CTR.

If on a downwind for landing, without further clearence, and unable to contact TWR, then I would in effect be having COM failure and would probably act accordingly: squawk 7600, turn base and final and land.

Of course I could make a go-around, but would that solve anything? it would rather complicate things, compared to being on the ground and out of everyone’s way, unless the airport is unfamiliar and big and busy. COM failure is an emergency and the PIC has to do what he finds is the safest action. I tend to believe that the safest thing to do in a controlled environment is generally to be predictable. Cleared into the circuit for landing, I am expected to land unless told of a reason not to.
I would not expect landing VMC without a clearence with a COM failure to be big deal unless you are a Turkish minister approaching Shiphol.

The issue is valid for my home airport, as the routine is to clear aircraft to enter CTR for i.e. left hand downwind to rwy 29, rarely being cleared to land before reaching the circuit.

I have done it at least once, although I do not know if that one counts, as I was already established in the circuit at my local airport. Someone had a stuck mike, and I just landed and left the runway, did not even squawk 7600. No comment from TWR, except I think they said “do you want to go to run-up to continue your circuits?” when the line was open again.

huv wrote:

…and unable to contact TWR, then I would in effect be having COM failure and would probably act accordingly: squawk 7600, turn base and final and land.

In my book, in this case one is supposed to follow light signals from the tower instead of landing on one’s own. Unless a landing clearance has already been issued.

If I am cleared to approach I would fly the pattern until established on final, and callout the tower then to signal them I’m there (and explicitely ask for a clearance to land on short final if needed).
If I am only cleared to the downwind I would ask for a clearance to turn final. I don’t have a lot of experience but I have never heard such very short clearances to one specific leg of the pattern.
I have received shortcuts like joining directly on base. I have had to exit the downwind towards a holding point while doing touch and go’s to allow a commercial plane to land. Biggest oddity I guess was to do a 360 on base to make time for a delayed departure of the already aligned aircraft (effectively a 270° turn to final).

As said above, as long as the radio works it should be a non-issue. Don’t assume, ask.

jfw wrote:

If you are cleared to land…you can go all the way till landing.

How is that strange? Whenever you start your engine on the ground, you cannot do anything before you have requested (and received) a clearance. If you have filed a FP, then the tower will know what the clearence is, if not, you have to tell them what you want, for instance VFR to ENOP. Then you receive a clearance to leave the control zone, via whatever and runway YYY and squak and bla bla. Then you have to request taxi, then you cannot enter the runway, and cannot take off until you have received explicit clearances. It is exactly the same when entering the field, only opposite. Your “FP” must be cleared first (as I understand it), then you need explicit clearances, it’s controlled airspace.

OK, maybe it is a bit strange, but that is how it is. It is not that many years ago we started with these clearances (of the FP.) around her. I don’t remember, maybe 5-7-10? years ago. I’m sure it is an EASA thing though …

LeSving wrote:

In essence you are “cleared to land” 10 miles away, but it’s only your FP that is cleared. You still need explicit clearances inside the CTR.

This doesn’t sound right to me. I guess my theory exams are more recent than those of any of you, and what I was taught is that “cleared to land” means exactly that, i.e. that you can proceed to land on the assigned runway unless your clearance is revoked on the way. In fact I was taught that if you are “cleared to land” you don’t even have to adhere to the traffic pattern at all (at a controlled airport), you can go straight to the runway and land:
I landed at a controlled airport only once so far (at Bremen – EDDW) and I was “cleared to land” right when entering the CTR. We then disregarded the usual VFR patterns for EDDW and went straight to the runway and landed.

LeSving wrote:

In essence you are “cleared to land” 10 miles away, but it’s only your FP that is cleared.

I don’t understand what you mean by “only your FP that is cleared”. Do you mean that you are cleared to final but not cleared to land?

I could see “cleared inbound for full stop landing” (would be interesting to see exact phraseology) being similar to a “clear for the procedure” when doing an approach and not imply a landing clearance (but that wording in english is poor as can lead to confusion – If people are confused at their desk, you can imagine how worse in the air)

At “Downwind” call, night “VFR”, in rain, i was told “Report Final”. I’d heard no other traffic. When I called “Final”, i got no reply. I continued, after several calls adding “Transmitting blind”. I then realised the landing light was a dim glow in the rain. I switched it off, landed, taxied to hangar, updating with my position, and “Transmitting blind”.
On phoning the tower, they approved what I had done. They had heard all my transmissions, and had given me a green light, but I had not been looking at the tower at that time. I had a handheld, but didn’t take it out of my flight-bag in that situation.
If cleared to final, after a radio failure at that point a landing, and clear runway, looks to me the safest and least trouble causing action.
When I put on the landing light, the charging system had been unable to keep up with drain. The Edo-Aire radio had a solenoid which returned to receive after transmission. With the low battery, this did not happen.