Narrative:

I was flying from clt to phx. It was VFR and we were cleared the visual to runway 26L. On about a 1 1/2 mi final, tower clears aircraft for takeoff. He is behind the hold line, does an average taxi and takeoff and we are eating him up on short final. I don't feel comfortable and take it around. No big deal, right? The only problem is that I see this happen in phx a whole bunch. When I am flying or jumpseating home to phx, I constantly see phx tower cutting the spacing between arrs and departures to minimums and either making crews real uncomfortable or making them go around. I called the tower supervisor and voiced my concerns. He was calm and polite and basically defended his operation. He said that phx did not have an arrival and departure runway and had to do both on runway 26L&right. He also said the legal spacing for arrs and departures was 6000 ft spacing between aircraft with only 1 aircraft on the runway at a time. This means that I can be in a 1 ft flair floating down the runway with an aircraft on the runway rotating! This would have been the situation for us on jan/fri/95. The tower supervisor said if they didn't keep it 'tight' that they wouldn't be able to move as much traffic as they do. My response in not so many words was that this may be legal but it was not safe and the last thing I was to be doing in the flair was watching an aircraft 6000 ft in front of me wondering if he is going to get off the runway before I touch down. I feel this is a safety issue that should be monitored.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN MLG WENT AROUND AFTER BEING CLRED TO LAND IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE CLOSE PROX TO ANOTHER DEPARTING ACFT.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING FROM CLT TO PHX. IT WAS VFR AND WE WERE CLRED THE VISUAL TO RWY 26L. ON ABOUT A 1 1/2 MI FINAL, TWR CLRS ACFT FOR TKOF. HE IS BEHIND THE HOLD LINE, DOES AN AVERAGE TAXI AND TKOF AND WE ARE EATING HIM UP ON SHORT FINAL. I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE AND TAKE IT AROUND. NO BIG DEAL, RIGHT? THE ONLY PROB IS THAT I SEE THIS HAPPEN IN PHX A WHOLE BUNCH. WHEN I AM FLYING OR JUMPSEATING HOME TO PHX, I CONSTANTLY SEE PHX TWR CUTTING THE SPACING BTWN ARRS AND DEPS TO MINIMUMS AND EITHER MAKING CREWS REAL UNCOMFORTABLE OR MAKING THEM GAR. I CALLED THE TWR SUPVR AND VOICED MY CONCERNS. HE WAS CALM AND POLITE AND BASICALLY DEFENDED HIS OP. HE SAID THAT PHX DID NOT HAVE AN ARR AND DEP RWY AND HAD TO DO BOTH ON RWY 26L&R. HE ALSO SAID THE LEGAL SPACING FOR ARRS AND DEPS WAS 6000 FT SPACING BTWN ACFT WITH ONLY 1 ACFT ON THE RWY AT A TIME. THIS MEANS THAT I CAN BE IN A 1 FT FLAIR FLOATING DOWN THE RWY WITH AN ACFT ON THE RWY ROTATING! THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SIT FOR US ON JAN/FRI/95. THE TWR SUPVR SAID IF THEY DIDN'T KEEP IT 'TIGHT' THAT THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MOVE AS MUCH TFC AS THEY DO. MY RESPONSE IN NOT SO MANY WORDS WAS THAT THIS MAY BE LEGAL BUT IT WAS NOT SAFE AND THE LAST THING I WAS TO BE DOING IN THE FLAIR WAS WATCHING AN ACFT 6000 FT IN FRONT OF ME WONDERING IF HE IS GOING TO GET OFF THE RWY BEFORE I TOUCH DOWN. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE MONITORED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.