Narrative:

On may/thu/06 I flew my mooney VFR at 7500 ft MSL from to shd airport. The total flight time was between 1.5 and 2.0 hours. I believe that I arrived in the vicinity of shd between XA00-XB00. I began my descent to shd approximately 30 mi out at a speed of about 160 tias. When approaching shd from the west; one must wait until about this point to descend because of mountainous terrain. As is my normal practice; I began monitoring unicom (123.00) approximately 75 mi out. The only reporting traffic was a symphony doing circuits of the pattern and performing lndgs and takeoffs (touch-and-goes). The prevailing winds were light and favored runway 23 which was the active. When I reached a point approximately 10 mi northwest of the field (according to my garmin 430 GPS) a C130 transport announced that it was inbound on the ILS to runway 5 and that it was going to break off for the downwind and do a series of touch-and-goes. At this time I made my first callout of my position and announced that I would be crossing midfield for the downwind for runway 23. At about 5 mi out I picked up a visual on the C130 (they are hard to miss) and again announced my intention. During this entire time the symphony was flying the pattern and properly announcing its position in the pattern. It was my intention to enter the pattern behind the C130 and I calculated that I would be in front of the symphony which is significantly slower than my mooney. As I arrived at a point approximately 2 mi northwest of the field; I confirmed my calculations as the C130 was turning base so he was no factor. The symphony was on his takeoff roll and I could see that I would enter the downwind in front of him. I was traveling at about 130 tias with my gear up. I called out my position and proceeded with my entry. By the time I reached my midfield turn point the symphony was beginning his downwind (which he called out). I had a visual on both him and the C130 during this entire sequence. As I began my turn downwind; I told the symphony that I was at his 11 O'clock position and about 1 mi (my 1 O'clock position). After I completed my downwind turn; one of the pilots in the symphony (I assume an instructor) shouted out 'hey buddy; learn how to enter the pattern.' a second voice (a student?) added 'yeah; you almost hit us.' hardly. I had a visual the entire time. I entered in front of a much slower plane. I suspect that they may not have been paying attention to my callouts and taken a bit by surprise and; as such; I may have appeared to be more of a danger than I was. They broke off their pattern; which was unnecessary as the differential in speed of the planes would have had me off the runway long before they would have landed. At worst they may have had to extend their downwind. I don't make it a practice to debate with people over the unicom so I didn't acknowledge their statements but if I had; it would have probably been something like 'didn't you hear my callouts?' I didn't give a lot of thought to this series of events until one of the pilots started calling my house with threatening messages. I felt it was in my best interest to file this report. I have been flying for 10 yrs and have over 3800 hours. Shd has a lot of flight training activity. Over the yrs I have seen it all with respect to people entering the pattern in the wrong direction; 'positioning and holding' at an uncontrolled field; pulling out on the runway as I was about to land or entering the pattern with no communication whatsoever. This occurrence didn't even come close. I suspect that it is a young instructor playing 'tough guy' in front of a student. I know that when I first started flying; every plane in the pattern appeared 'close.' I don't think that they considered the difference in speeds of the planes. What could I have done differently? My concern was with the C130 as he was so big. Once I idented that he wasn't a factor; I didn't really consider the symphony as a problem as he was so much slower and I had him in sight. With the C130 and symphony being at opposite ends of the pattern; I was going to have to enter in 'front' of one of them so I picked the slower one. I thought that my callouts were clear. I suppose that I could have overflown the field and come back and entered on the 45; but it wouldn't have changed much. I still would have chosen to enter in front of the symphony. The symphony was always behind me and slower so I don't feel that I compromised his or my safety. I felt that it would have been less safe to enter behind him as I would have been down near stall speed and would have had to drag it in. I also suppose that I could have entered the pattern slower as I was at the end of a long descent but; again; I had all traffic in sight and was easily able to maintain visual separation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DISPLEASURE TOWARDS A PLT'S UNCTLED TFC PATTERN ENTRY PROC LEADS TO THREATENING PHONE CALLS.

Narrative: ON MAY/THU/06 I FLEW MY MOONEY VFR AT 7500 FT MSL FROM TO SHD ARPT. THE TOTAL FLT TIME WAS BTWN 1.5 AND 2.0 HRS. I BELIEVE THAT I ARRIVED IN THE VICINITY OF SHD BTWN XA00-XB00. I BEGAN MY DSCNT TO SHD APPROX 30 MI OUT AT A SPD OF ABOUT 160 TIAS. WHEN APCHING SHD FROM THE W; ONE MUST WAIT UNTIL ABOUT THIS POINT TO DSND BECAUSE OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. AS IS MY NORMAL PRACTICE; I BEGAN MONITORING UNICOM (123.00) APPROX 75 MI OUT. THE ONLY RPTING TFC WAS A SYMPHONY DOING CIRCUITS OF THE PATTERN AND PERFORMING LNDGS AND TKOFS (TOUCH-AND-GOES). THE PREVAILING WINDS WERE LIGHT AND FAVORED RWY 23 WHICH WAS THE ACTIVE. WHEN I REACHED A POINT APPROX 10 MI NW OF THE FIELD (ACCORDING TO MY GARMIN 430 GPS) A C130 TRANSPORT ANNOUNCED THAT IT WAS INBOUND ON THE ILS TO RWY 5 AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO BREAK OFF FOR THE DOWNWIND AND DO A SERIES OF TOUCH-AND-GOES. AT THIS TIME I MADE MY FIRST CALLOUT OF MY POS AND ANNOUNCED THAT I WOULD BE XING MIDFIELD FOR THE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 23. AT ABOUT 5 MI OUT I PICKED UP A VISUAL ON THE C130 (THEY ARE HARD TO MISS) AND AGAIN ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION. DURING THIS ENTIRE TIME THE SYMPHONY WAS FLYING THE PATTERN AND PROPERLY ANNOUNCING ITS POS IN THE PATTERN. IT WAS MY INTENTION TO ENTER THE PATTERN BEHIND THE C130 AND I CALCULATED THAT I WOULD BE IN FRONT OF THE SYMPHONY WHICH IS SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER THAN MY MOONEY. AS I ARRIVED AT A POINT APPROX 2 MI NW OF THE FIELD; I CONFIRMED MY CALCULATIONS AS THE C130 WAS TURNING BASE SO HE WAS NO FACTOR. THE SYMPHONY WAS ON HIS TKOF ROLL AND I COULD SEE THAT I WOULD ENTER THE DOWNWIND IN FRONT OF HIM. I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 130 TIAS WITH MY GEAR UP. I CALLED OUT MY POS AND PROCEEDED WITH MY ENTRY. BY THE TIME I REACHED MY MIDFIELD TURN POINT THE SYMPHONY WAS BEGINNING HIS DOWNWIND (WHICH HE CALLED OUT). I HAD A VISUAL ON BOTH HIM AND THE C130 DURING THIS ENTIRE SEQUENCE. AS I BEGAN MY TURN DOWNWIND; I TOLD THE SYMPHONY THAT I WAS AT HIS 11 O'CLOCK POS AND ABOUT 1 MI (MY 1 O'CLOCK POS). AFTER I COMPLETED MY DOWNWIND TURN; ONE OF THE PLTS IN THE SYMPHONY (I ASSUME AN INSTRUCTOR) SHOUTED OUT 'HEY BUDDY; LEARN HOW TO ENTER THE PATTERN.' A SECOND VOICE (A STUDENT?) ADDED 'YEAH; YOU ALMOST HIT US.' HARDLY. I HAD A VISUAL THE ENTIRE TIME. I ENTERED IN FRONT OF A MUCH SLOWER PLANE. I SUSPECT THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PAYING ATTN TO MY CALLOUTS AND TAKEN A BIT BY SURPRISE AND; AS SUCH; I MAY HAVE APPEARED TO BE MORE OF A DANGER THAN I WAS. THEY BROKE OFF THEIR PATTERN; WHICH WAS UNNECESSARY AS THE DIFFERENTIAL IN SPD OF THE PLANES WOULD HAVE HAD ME OFF THE RWY LONG BEFORE THEY WOULD HAVE LANDED. AT WORST THEY MAY HAVE HAD TO EXTEND THEIR DOWNWIND. I DON'T MAKE IT A PRACTICE TO DEBATE WITH PEOPLE OVER THE UNICOM SO I DIDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR STATEMENTS BUT IF I HAD; IT WOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN SOMETHING LIKE 'DIDN'T YOU HEAR MY CALLOUTS?' I DIDN'T GIVE A LOT OF THOUGHT TO THIS SERIES OF EVENTS UNTIL ONE OF THE PLTS STARTED CALLING MY HOUSE WITH THREATENING MESSAGES. I FELT IT WAS IN MY BEST INTEREST TO FILE THIS RPT. I HAVE BEEN FLYING FOR 10 YRS AND HAVE OVER 3800 HRS. SHD HAS A LOT OF FLT TRAINING ACTIVITY. OVER THE YRS I HAVE SEEN IT ALL WITH RESPECT TO PEOPLE ENTERING THE PATTERN IN THE WRONG DIRECTION; 'POSITIONING AND HOLDING' AT AN UNCTLED FIELD; PULLING OUT ON THE RWY AS I WAS ABOUT TO LAND OR ENTERING THE PATTERN WITH NO COM WHATSOEVER. THIS OCCURRENCE DIDN'T EVEN COME CLOSE. I SUSPECT THAT IT IS A YOUNG INSTRUCTOR PLAYING 'TOUGH GUY' IN FRONT OF A STUDENT. I KNOW THAT WHEN I FIRST STARTED FLYING; EVERY PLANE IN THE PATTERN APPEARED 'CLOSE.' I DON'T THINK THAT THEY CONSIDERED THE DIFFERENCE IN SPDS OF THE PLANES. WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? MY CONCERN WAS WITH THE C130 AS HE WAS SO BIG. ONCE I IDENTED THAT HE WASN'T A FACTOR; I DIDN'T REALLY CONSIDER THE SYMPHONY AS A PROB AS HE WAS SO MUCH SLOWER AND I HAD HIM IN SIGHT. WITH THE C130 AND SYMPHONY BEING AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE PATTERN; I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO ENTER IN 'FRONT' OF ONE OF THEM SO I PICKED THE SLOWER ONE. I THOUGHT THAT MY CALLOUTS WERE CLR. I SUPPOSE THAT I COULD HAVE OVERFLOWN THE FIELD AND COME BACK AND ENTERED ON THE 45; BUT IT WOULDN'T HAVE CHANGED MUCH. I STILL WOULD HAVE CHOSEN TO ENTER IN FRONT OF THE SYMPHONY. THE SYMPHONY WAS ALWAYS BEHIND ME AND SLOWER SO I DON'T FEEL THAT I COMPROMISED HIS OR MY SAFETY. I FELT THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LESS SAFE TO ENTER BEHIND HIM AS I WOULD HAVE BEEN DOWN NEAR STALL SPD AND WOULD HAVE HAD TO DRAG IT IN. I ALSO SUPPOSE THAT I COULD HAVE ENTERED THE PATTERN SLOWER AS I WAS AT THE END OF A LONG DSCNT BUT; AGAIN; I HAD ALL TFC IN SIGHT AND WAS EASILY ABLE TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.