Pattern Entry Method

Half Fast

Half Fast

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Half Fast
We all know that the AFH depicts two methods for entering the pattern from the non-pattern side of the airport: (1) overfly the runway at TPA+500, descend in a tear-drop turn, and enter the downwind at 45 degrees or (2) overfly the runway at TPA and turn directly onto the downwind.

The latest issue of the AOPA's Flight Training magazine describes another method, though. The article on page 26 suggests one could enter the pattern by approaching the upwind leg at 45 (or crosswind or base leg, for that matter) and not overflying the runway at all.

I'm curious to know what forum members think about this method.

It seems to me that a 45 entry to the upwind, joining at mid-field but alongside (not directly over) the runway would be safer than either of the overfly methods because (1) it's done to the side of the runway that is away from traffic lapping in the pattern, (2) it affords the pilot a good view of runway as well as the rest of the entire pattern, and (3) the part of the pattern where another plane is least likely to be at TPA is over the middle of the runway.

Thoughts? Comments?
 
When the airport doesn't report weather, I often enter the downwind leg for whichever runway is closest, eyeball the windsock and compare GPS groundspeed to IAS to confirm. If I guessed right, I stay on downwind; if not, I just make it the upwind leg.

But if I know which way to land, and I'm on the wrong side, there's nothing wrong with a midfield crossover, although I'm usually between midfield and the departure end to have time / space to turn, level out a d drop the gear.
 
Hank S said:
When the airport doesn't report weather, I often enter the downwind leg for whichever runway is closest, eyeball the windsock and compare GPS groundspeed to IAS to confirm. If I guessed right, I stay on downwind; if not, I just make it the upwind leg.
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That sounds quite reasonable and practical. So there must be something wrong with it... :)
 
James331 said:
Meh, whatever's faster, mid field downwind, base, straight in, dog leg final,
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This. I don’t get into the nitty gritty. Whichever way makes sense given the current situation at hand is what I’ll do. Typically, I enter on the 45-to-downwind, but YMMV.
 
I virtually always overfly the field at about 500’ above the pattern.

I just feel comfortable looking straight down at the runway and it’s environs, including the windsock and potential traffic, and planning my pattern entry from there.

Works for me.
 
I think the procedure you outlined is good. In fact, I very often enter that way.
 
Not a doctrine, and I'm not married to it - but I tend to be at pattern altitude pretty well out. I wish the rest of you were too, so no one descends on my head on whatever entry you prefer. X-wind works for me when arriving from the side opposite the active pattern. . .got most of the picture in front of me. Else just the vanilla 45 to downwind.
 
FastEddieB said:
I virtually always overfly the field at about 500’ above the pattern.

I just feel comfortable looking straight down at the runway and it’s environs, including the windsock and potential traffic, and planning my pattern entry from there.
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I don't like spiralling down with my back turned on the airport. Being at pattern altitude a couple of miles out makes spotting traffic easier, and gives me time to lose the speed I gained on descent. Makes it easy to determine, if I'm on the wrong side, whether to continue upwind to crosswind, or just cut over early . . .
 
It all works, and it all has a place in the repertoire.
Just keep your head on a swivel, use the radio if you have one, and keep your eyes peeled for the pilot who doesn't think the rules ever apply to them.
I have been known to fly an upwind to crosswind to downwind pattern under certain conditions when I need extra time to sort things out for safety reasons.
 
The other thing to watch for is the airports that do the left pattern for one runway and right pattern for the other.

Kinda a mess sometimes, especially if someone is swimming upstream, and usually done for terrain or noise abatement, either way they are trying to keep all the airplanes on one side of the airport.
 
Hank S said:
I don't like spiralling down with my back turned on the airport. Being at pattern altitude a couple of miles out makes spotting traffic easier, and gives me time to lose the speed I gained on descent. Makes it easy to determine, if I'm on the wrong side, whether to continue upwind to crosswind, or just cut over early . . .
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One of my first instructors, back in the mid 1960's, was a WWI fighter pilot. He thought it was fun to get to the place he wanted to land at 2,500' agl, then spin the plane down to approach altitude and land. He insisted I had to learn how to do it.
When he died, in his sleep, I got a new instructor who explained that, while it was a great skill to have, if I ever did it with him in the plane, he'd beat the living crap out of me.
I don't believe I've done it since.
 
Shepherd said:
One of my first instructors, back in the mid 1960's, was a WWI fighter pilot. He thought it was fun to get to the place he wanted to land at 2,500' agl, then spin the plane down to approach altitude and land. He insisted I had to learn how to do it.
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Spiralling down over the airport so you can see it, isn't the same bad thing as spiralling down with the airport environment unseen behind you right before you enter the pattern . . . .
 
Shepherd said:
One of my first instructors, back in the mid 1960's, was a WWI fighter pilot. He thought it was fun to get to the place he wanted to land at 2,500' agl, then spin the plane down to approach altitude and land. He insisted I had to learn how to do it.
When he died, in his sleep, I got a new instructor who explained that, while it was a great skill to have, if I ever did it with him in the plane, he'd beat the living crap out of me.
I don't believe I've done it since.
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Haha. I know someone who asked specifically to do that at a towered airport a looooong time ago, and was approved.

He was passing the airport overhead and saw the weather had gone to serious suckage ahead, and thought it’d be the fastest way down. So he called the airport below and asked to spin down into the pattern. Haha.

I doubt that could be done today... the seventies were interesting times.

He teaches and uses it to make the point that aircraft are three dimensional machines, and “there’s always another way” to do things. And he jokes that at least at the towered field there was nobody in the pattern on a weekday and it was a lot “safer” than doing it at an uncontrolled field.

Still funny that they let him. Tower guys probably were bored and wanted a show.
 
I've been using that technique for years. It gives you extra time to evaluate what is going on as opposed to just crossing over mid field.
 
I’ve done the 500ft flyover and circle back.

One thing I’ve never really figured is how far out is too far to be at pattern altitude before reaching the pattern. It “feels” like a couple miles out (1-2 minutes) should be plenty. I used to think I should hit patten altitude right as I enter the pattern, no sooner (and certainly no later), so when I would get to TPA before the pattern I always felt less “precise”, like I got there too early and now I’m dragging it into the pattern. But it’s nice to be established early...but how early is ridiculous-early?
 
Shepherd said:
It all works, and it all has a place in the repertoire.
Just keep your head on a swivel, use the radio if you have one, and keep your eyes peeled for the pilot who doesn't think the rules ever apply to them.
I have been known to fly an upwind to crosswind to downwind pattern under certain conditions when I need extra time to sort things out for safety reasons.
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I do the overfly and teardrop on to the 45 when I'm alone but it tends to make pax uncomfortable so I do the upwind join when they're aboard.
 
eman1200 said:
Where do you turn crosswind?
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That's the point, I'll turn crosswind wherever I've determined that I can safely fit into the flow of traffic. By flying upwind, it gives you more time to evaluate the situation than just heading towards midfield at a 90 degree angle. If it's too busy, you are in a much better position to bail out and try it again.
 
Dave Theisen said:
That's the point, I'll turn crosswind wherever I've determined that I can safely fit into the flow of traffic. By flying upwind, it gives you more time to evaluate the situation than just heading towards midfield at a 90 degree angle. If it's too busy, you are in a much better position to bail out and try it again.
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ok, so you're on the 45 Upwind and you determine no one is in or near the pattern. when/where do u turn xwind?
 
eman1200 said:
Where do you turn crosswind?
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I fly the entire length of the runway upwind. It gives me more time to sort things and to scan for other traffic.
I then turn crosswind, about the same distance I would be if I was on the downwind leg. Again, more eyeball time. Then I fly a long downwind, normal base and final.
I don't do it all the time, only if I feel I need extra time to scan, or bleed off speed, altitude, etc. I fly in an environment where there are a bunch of NORDO aircraft.
 
Shepherd said:
I fly the entire length of the runway upwind. It gives me more time to sort things and to scan for other traffic.
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Exactly. For a new pilot like me, having that bit of extra time seems like a very good idea.
 
If there's weather reporting by radio, I join either the upwind or downwind leg as standard, whichever is closer. If not and I have to look at the windsock, then I overfly the field at 500-1000' and enter the pattern.

The AFH (and the AIM) both make it pretty clear where the crosswind leg should occur: past the end of the runway, about the same distance from the departure end as the base leg is from the approach end.

It kind of boggles my mind that folks are taught anything other than the standard traffic pattern. We have two books that tell us the same thing about traffic pattern procedures, so I don't get why folks think they should be making up their own procedure. I get it if you just don't feel like following the rules, but at least recognize that you're making up your own procedure and that it makes you less predictable to other aircraft.
 
Eric Gleason said:
We have two books that tell us the same thing about traffic pattern procedures, so I don't get why folks think they should be making up their own procedure.
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True, but I don't understand why the AFH doesn't discuss the upwind pattern entry. To me, it seems safer than crossing at TPA and turning directly onto the downwind.
 
Eric Gleason said:
The AFH (and the AIM) both make it pretty clear where the crosswind leg should occur: past the end of the runway, about the same distance from the departure end as the base leg is from the approach end.
.
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Think about this though. If a plane is taking off, would it be better to cross midfield or past the departure end? I'll choose misfield to turn crosswind. Yes I train students to fly the recommended TP that is recommended in the AIM and AC, but also have them fly other entries, like straight in, entering on base, etc. Most importantly than how one enters the TP is scanning, communicating, courtesy, and entering the pattern safely. I also teach to be at TP altitude 2-4 miles or so.
 
I read this article in the EAA magazine a few weeks ago and began doing more mid field crossings because of the article. I think it is very good advice. I have a low wing airplane, and non towered airports I think are a bigger problem for those airplanes than the high wingers. Another thing the article did mention was the FAA recommendation for a 45 degree downwind entry for any VFR approach into a non towered airfield. This was always my practice, regardless if I did an over the field pass or not. It does add flight time, but it is important because there are still airplanes out there without radios and/or pilots who just randomly enter a pattern without a call.

The "long" final is very unnecessary in my opinion, especially in the summer in Texas when there might be someone on the taxi way waiting for departure, but is not sure what "long" is.

The EAA article (and the FAA recommendations on which the article is based) would be an ideal way to self manage a pattern at a non towered airport.

35 years ago when I first got my PPL, I did all of my training at a large, towered airport. It used to scare the crap out of me to fly out into the "hinterlands" to the non towered airfields. It was comforting to have a controller watching you and dictating every move. I still like that level of control sometimes! Some of the small airports I fly into now have 2-3 airplanes in the pattern on any given time and they all seem to be flying their own pattern!

One more thing - if you ARE communicating over CTAF as you approach and enter a pattern, make sure and speak clearly and concisely your position and intentions. The unfortunate "muttering" and "speed talking" that is so common among some pilots is really not good in a CTAF frequency environment. You have a wide variety of airplanes in the pattern, some with good radios / headsets and some with just handhelds or just speakers and a hand held microphone. Clarity of intentions is even more important in this environment. Slow down and have a different approach than what you would have at a Class Bravo airport.
 
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mscard88 said:
Think about this though. If a plane is taking off, would it be better to cross midfield or past the departure end?
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Midfield, obviously. But it might be even better to be approaching the runway at a 45, then turning to fly parallel to it at a quarter mile or so where the runway is easily seen. If a plane is taking off, turn away and circle back around.
 
Half Fast said:
Midfield, obviously. But it might be even better to be approaching the runway at a 45, then turning to fly parallel to it at a quarter mile or so where the runway is easily seen. If a plane is taking off, turn away and circle back around.
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I can live with that too.
 
There's no single method that will work for all situations. Part of being a good pilot is having lots of tools in the bag to use when the situation warrants it.

I've entered the pattern on the 45 to the downwind, 45 to the upwind, on the extended upwind or downwind, on the crosswind, on the midfield crosswind, base leg, or even straight in to final. It's driven by terrain, weather, where I'm coming from, and what I perceive everyone else to be doing.

However, in each of these situations, I (try to) announce my intentions clearly, listen carefully, and keep a watchful eye out for NORDO/idiots/other traffic.
 
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denverpilot said:
Haha. I know someone who asked specifically to do that at a towered airport a looooong time ago, and was approved.

He was passing the airport overhead and saw the weather had gone to serious suckage ahead, and thought it’d be the fastest way down. So he called the airport below and asked to spin down into the pattern. Haha.

I doubt that could be done today... the seventies were interesting times.

He teaches and uses it to make the point that aircraft are three dimensional machines, and “there’s always another way” to do things. And he jokes that at least at the towered field there was nobody in the pattern on a weekday and it was a lot “safer” than doing it at an uncontrolled field.

Still funny that they let him. Tower guys probably were bored and wanted a show.
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My private instructor used to do that. With the towers blessing of course. That was in 1993. And he was a type instructor that went by the book, then showed me that there is more than one safe way to do things in a plane. I never forgot that lesson when I started flying in Alaska.
 
Eric Gleason said:
The AFH (and the AIM) both make it pretty clear where the crosswind leg should occur: past the end of the runway, about the same distance from the departure end as the base leg is from the approach end.

It kind of boggles my mind that folks are taught anything other than the standard traffic pattern. We have two books that tell us the same thing about traffic pattern procedures, so I don't get why folks think they should be making up their own procedure. I get it if you just don't feel like following the rules, but at least recognize that you're making up your own procedure and that it makes you less predictable to other aircraft.
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The books tell us to turn crosswind 300 feet below TPA, a procedure that is appropriate to taking off and flying the pattern but is not applicable to entering the pattern on arrival. Additionally, the AFH depicts a midfield crosswind entry as acceptable. You should know what your sources actually say before trying to use them to back up your argument.
 
I never know how to approach an airport when my route/wind take me straight-in. While I prefer landing straight-in, It makes me feel like a bad citizen of the non-towered club. A straight-in to the upwind and around-the-horn could be a nice substitution.
Thoughts?
 
By the way, I notice that Figure 7-4 of the AFH says that airplanes making a midfield crosswind entry should "Yield to the preferred 45° and downwind traffic..."
 
Palmpilot said:
By the way, I notice that Figure 7-4 of the AFH says that airplanes making a midfield crosswind entry should "Yield to the preferred 45° and downwind traffic..."
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I don't recall every noticing a yield sign in the pattern....
upload_2018-2-8_12-25-15.png
 
For the TPA +500 guys, when you do that be sure to look for the turbine planes coming in at TPA +500.

AC 90-66A 8 (c). RECOMMENDED STANDARD TRAFFIC PATTERN.

8(c). It is recommended that airplanes observe a 1000 foot above ground level (AGL) traffic pattern altitude. Large and turbine powered airplanes should enter the traffic pattern at an altitude of 1,500 feet AGL or 500 feet above the established pattern altitude. A pilot may vary the size of the traffic pattern depending on the aircraft's performance characteristics.

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC90-66A.pdf

Again, Recommended, not set in stone. For example, If a very strong wind will give me a super tail wind on left base, I may do a right base instead, but I will be saying right base on the radio. Or if I am looking for another plane in the pattern, I will stay at a different altitude until I am sure of the position of the other airplane. Safety first.
 
AndrewX said:
I never know how to approach an airport when my route/wind take me straight-in. While I prefer landing straight-in, It makes me feel like a bad citizen of the non-towered club. A straight-in to the upwind and around-the-horn could be a nice substitution.
Thoughts?
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Here's the only rule I am aware of. It's from a 1985 certificate action against a pilot an referred to a number of times in others: "straight-in approaches were acceptable if the approach did not interfere with aircraft executing a normal left-hand pattern." FAA v Dibble EA-2171. That also jibes with @Palmpilot's observation about the AFH.

It's pretty much an enforceable rule of etiquette: If you are entering the pattern in other than a traditional standard manner, don't interfere with others who are. I regularly land straight in at my base nontowered airport. It's the rule I follow.
 
Zeldman said:
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC90-66A.pdf

Again, Recommended, not set in stone. For example, If a very strong wind will give me a super tail wind on left base, I may do a right base instead...
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What is recommended is that you fly a pattern.

But if you do decide to fly a pattern, by law all turns must be made in the proper direction.

“Sec. 91.126

Operating on or in the vicinity of an airport in Class G airspace.

(a) General. Unless otherwise authorized or required, each person operating an aircraft on or in the vicinity of an airport in a Class G airspace area must comply with the requirements of this section.
(b) Direction of turns. When approaching to land at an airport without an operating control tower in Class G airspace--
(1) Each pilot of an airplane must make all turns of that airplane to the left unless the airport displays approved light signals or visual markings indicating that turns should be made to the right, in which case the pilot must make all turns to the right...”
 
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