Small Aircraft
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 10; Flight Crew Total 16068; Flight Crew Type 218
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airport; Airspace Structure; Procedure
I have flown commercially and privately at VGT for [many] years. Recently the calm runways changed from the standard 7 and 12 L/R to using 30 L/R which renders 7/25 useless for traffic. Practice IFR approaches are on 12 which is a conflict with aircraft departing 30 and doing pattern work. Even with a tailwind 30 L/R is still being used. Having worked in airline management and training pilots I cannot understand the reason for this. I am writing a safety report for the third time in my entire career because I believe there will be a fatal crash at VGT in the future if there are no changes. In addition; controllers are being trained which is understandable but their supervisors are not taking over early enough when there is a problem developing.Recently I intended to do touch and goes. The tower told me to fly runway heading then called my crosswind. I was at pattern altitude of 3000 MSL. A cessna approaching the airport from the west over the departure end of 30L was also at 3000 feet and closing. The TCAS warned me and I dove 400 feet to avoid a direct collision then saw him fly overhead at 3000 feet. I told the Tower who by then had taken over for the trainee controller and told me to fly to the [local landmark] then called my base turn. On a base descent for landing a helicopter flew directly in front of me who I also had to avoid. I again told the tower what had just happened then said I would just land instead of a touch and go.A week before; another pilot who was flying with me and observing traffic had a similar situation and instead of doing touch and goes decided it was too dangerous at that point and landed. We are both really concerned because we fly out of VGT; practice there and agree there is a real safety problem.
Small aircraft pilot believes that the recent change at VGT from using runways 7 and 12L/R as the calm wind runways to using runways 30L/R is dangerous due to opposite direction instrument approaches and Controller training. A recent NMAC is cited as an example.