How should you coordinate with traffic at non-towered airports?

Question

I am a fairly new pilot. I recently flew to a non-towered airport in Quebec, Canada (Lachute, CSE4). There is a significant displaced threshold on each end of the runway. The airport has one taxiway which goes up to about half the length of the runway. Because the taxiway doesn't extend all the way, back taxi is required on one of the runways.

When I attempted to depart I noticed that all CTAF announcements were being made in French. Before I got to my holding point I had to cross the runway and I spoke in English before I did so. I do not speak or understand French. Once I got to the holding point I noticed two aircrafts which were performing touch and goes. There was really no time for an aircraft to takeoff before one of them would be on the base leg or the final. I waited for several minutes. I noticed another plane also waiting at another holding point. A third aircraft was taxiing and about to queue up behind me.

My question is:

1. What is the correct procedure in this situation? Do we continue to wait until the other aircraft finish their touch and goes?
2. If there is no procedure defined (I'm not aware of any), what is the correct etiquette in this situation?

After waiting for a while I waited for one of the aircrafts to take off. Then I immediately stated my intentions to back taxi on the active runway and started the back taxi. I saw the second aircraft turning from base to final and I accelerated towards the end of the runway and positioned myself towards the beginning of the runway/displacement threshold. There was no way I could have attempted a takeoff.

However, what I did made a number of people very unhappy and they berated me and told me that I should brush up my procedures (in English this time). I haven't come across this situation in my training. Can someone please help clarify the correct/accepted process?

Answer 1

The problem with uncontrolled airports is that sometimes the procedures and "etiquette" can be informal. The pilots based at the airport have established their own informal procedures which are not published anywhere or are part of any rule book. In cases like this I would consult the FBO for the local procedures (which you did do) but that doesn't mean that all the pilots at the airport abide by them. In your situation this is what I would have done:

1. I would have announced on the CTAF that I cannot speak French and would request that all pilots announce their intentions in English. By international convention pilots are required to communicate to ATC via English unless there is an emergency. However CTAF communications tend to be more informal and the pilots at the local airport may prefer to speak in the language they are the most comfortable. Still the intent of CTAF is to communicate with everyone at the airport to announce their intentions. It would have been entirely proper to request the pilots to speak in English.

2. I would have requested the pilots performing the touch and goes to give you a window in which to back taxi and takeoff. I find it rather rude for pilots to monopolize the pattern and runway performing touch and goes. If they see that there is a line of planes wanting to takeoff they should leave the pattern for a while and let folks takeoff before resuming their touch and goes. Asking politely on the radio for these pilots to do this for you is reasonable.

3. If they were giving you grief for not using the grass to taxi to the runway they had no right to do that. Taxing on grass can be dangerous especially in tricycle gear aircraft where the potential for a prop hit with the ground is a real possibility. In my case I am bound by the club rules not to taxi on any surface that is not paved. Back taxing would be the appropriate thing to do.

Answer 2

With the airport markings, the displaced threshold beyond the runway is available for takeoff.

So I see the two possible intersection departures as: 2,682 feet and 3,607 (measured by google maps:)

.

You should've done an intersection depature.

Failing that, you can simply announce:
"N567 requires full length departure: Request that airplanes in the pattern extend their downwind while I back-taxi and depart"

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Unless you are actually saying you were at the intersection right in the middle of the field, which is a poor choice, because it is clearly connected to the intersection near the departure end of 28. You should've taxi'd over there on the taxiway, with no back-taxi on the runway.