Sounds like the controller goofed for sure. But two wrongs don't necessarily make it right, and issuing ATC commands is REALLY getting into that guys shorts...I would expect ATC to be mildly annoyed, to say the least.

 

I think I would have done the same thing you did EXCEPT use slightly different phraseology "PSA I'm short final, please hold short". I have had a similar experience when coming in on min fuel (it's a learjet, what do you want??) and being told to follow a Cessna on a 10 mile final for the ILS during VMC. I promptly replied that I would prefer priority or else I will declare minimum fuel. You are always in command of your aircraft, and if you are landing, following the reg's, then you OWN the runway, according to the regs. You may not own the runway on an aircraft you are following in sequence, but you most definitely have priority over "all other aircraft" while in the landing phase. Unless they are lower LOL So many if's and but's and what's haha. I agree with your decision, just maybe the lingo could have had a little less of a veto sound to it! SAFETY was ensured, so I dont have any problem with it.

 

I'm not trying to step on any toes or anything, but all this talk of "owning the runway" bothers me. To me it doesn't matter who owns the runway at any given point. Just because you know the regs and you have the right of way doesn't mean the other guy sees it the same way. Dead is dead. Better to speak up and stay on the side of safety.

 

I agree with savage, you don't own anything. To top that off you're not a controller, you can't control anything other than what you do with your airplane in the confines of what ATC gives you unless it's not safe. Just Go-Around, it's really not a big deal, that's why you do one every PC. It is completely unsafe of you to give instructions the only safe thing for you to do is go-around. What if the controller ordered you to do something against your SOP, and wouldn't accept anything less? How would you feel? Does that regulation apply to non-towered airports and towered airports? I'm under the assumption that ATC determines priority while controlling, just a thought.

 

Would you do it on a checkride or with a Fed in the jumpseat?

 

Well, no, but that is primarily because we were having a landing contest. I would not hesitate to say it in front of an FAA guy if safety was a factor. The FAA is a completely inept organization. They don't know their hole from a hole in the ground.

I have more experience than most of them, am more current, am more knowledgeable about my jet and airline operations than any of them. The examiners I've met over the years are simply existing in their careers until they retire. They don't know jack.

Now, that said, I am always very respectful and friendly in their presence and would never do something stupid like read a newspaper in front of them. I would, however, stick to my guns about a subject I felt strongly about and if I felt like they were being unreasonable, kick them off the flight deck without hesitation.

Whew! Wow, you got me going there. Now back to whether you "own" the runway when cleared to land.

We all know you can be third in line, 10 miles out and cleared to land. (not in Europe BTW) So obviously you are not the only one who owns the runway. But remember, ATC's only job is to separate aircraft so as to avoid collisions. They exist because we fly, not the other way around. The more I think about it the more I feel justified telling PSA to hold. As a practical matter however, we can not all be "controlling" the other aircraft or there would be chaos.

Like I've said, I should have continued, assessed the situation and gone around if necessary and then called them on the ground. But, the fact that the controller did nothing about it seems to indicate that he felt in the wrong. I'm glad this happened 20 years ago.

The only other time I did something similar was when I witnessed ATC clear an aircraft for take off on 1L in SFO while another was on short final on 28. There was a clear conflict so I immediately keyed the mic and told the tower about the guy on final. The cleared aircraft had barely added TO power so it was a simple abort. I guess that's not the same kind of situation but an example of correcting ATC.

 

Speaking as someone who's done plenty of stupid stuff in an airplane, my vote goes to "you were wrong."

If you were far enough behind them for safety then you had no reason to override tower.

All this talk of who has the right-of-way is immaterial if there is no conflict, and if you were safely behind them, there was no conflict.

If you were too close, and had enough gas, the right answer would be to go around. If you didn't have enough gas then being directive to get the jet safely on the ground is within your emergency authority.

 

Well, you did say that early on in your post that it was "not too close for safety" so aren't you admitting that safety wasn't even as issue? (that is, the controller didn't make a mistake.)
and you are right - if other pilots started doing ATC's job and telling other planes what to do that wOULd be utter chaos.
I agree with all the other guys who said they'd communicate their concerns directly to ATC instead of telling the other plane what to do.. esp because this wasn't an emergency or even an urgent situation (since you said you weren't too close for safety.)

 

This is why I love this job. Always learning something new, and so many different answers and opinions for one situation. Gotta love it.

 

I think that anytime you are having a "contest" with a fellow crew member, safety and judgment are eventually going to get compromised.

I don't care it it's VFR or whatever.

Besides, if it happened so long ago, why still worry about it? Has nothing you've done in an aircraft in the last 20 or so years eclipsed this event?