Straight in landing non towered airport

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Fabio

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Fabio
hello there.
Low time pilot there.
Normal entry procedure for a non towered airport as I learned it is either on a 45 for a downwind entry or over the field for e left or right downwind entry into the pattern.
If you are 10 miles away inbound and scanning the frequency and making the appropriate calls as you get close and find out that apparently you are the only one approaching for landing (minus of course the idiot that stays off the radios and enter the pattern), my question is if it’s ok to declare a straight in landing for rwy X and proceed inbound for such approach, or should I stick to the normal entry procedure regardless if traffic is present or not?
Thanks for the help.
 
Straight-In Landings. "The FAA encourages pilots to use the standard traffic pattern when arriving or departing a non-towered airport or a part-time-towered airport when the control tower is not operating, particularly when other traffic is observed or when operating from an unfamiliar airport. However, there are occasions where a pilot can choose to execute a straight-in approach for landing when not intending to enter the traffic pattern, such as a visual approach executed as part of the termination of an instrument approach. Pilots should clearly communicate on the CTAF and coordinate maneuvering for and execution of the landing with other traffic so as not to disrupt the flow of other aircraft. Therefore, pilots operating in the traffic pattern should be alert at all times to aircraft executing straight-in landings, particularly when flying a base leg prior to turning final."

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-66B.pdf
 
Well, it depends. If you are shooting an instrument approach, it may well be a straight in. I've had to do that to airports with their towers closed before. If you can make a visual approach, then you should be entering on a 45 or an overhead, depending on the traffic pattern for the runway you're using. If an airport is untowered, I'd probably start listening to the frequency earlier - especially if you're in something reasonably fast. Something like 20 miles out. A lot of untowered airports have published preferred entries for both noise abatement and standardization purposes - you can find those on a website or even on the AF/D.
 
Do it all the time at my home field. "Podunk Traffic, Skylane 345 four mile final straight in runway 2-0, traffic permitting, Podunk".

If traffic permits is the key for me. If straight in is not seamless with other traffic in the pattern...I break off and enter on the 45 for a downwind and join the conga line.

There are a million by the book reasons why you should join the pattern, but if you can utilize common sense and obtain good situational awareness it is possible to do it safely...as long as you understand when and WHY it is appropriate and not.
 
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Fabio said:
hello there.
Low time pilot there.
Normal entry procedure for a non towered airport as I learned it is either on a 45 for a downwind entry or over the field for e left or right downwind entry into the pattern.
If you are 10 miles away inbound and scanning the frequency and making the appropriate calls as you get close and find out that apparently you are the only one approaching for landing (minus of course the idiot that stays off the radios and enter the pattern), my question is if it’s ok to declare a straight in landing for rwy X and proceed inbound for such approach, or should I stick to the normal entry procedure regardless if traffic is present or not?
Thanks for the help.
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Would that be the idiots that actually fly a plane that doesn't have a radio?
 
WannFly said:
Always straight in for me, other pilots usually works around my schedule.






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What if you come in from the north and the runway is east/west?
 
rk911 said:
:popcorn:
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I don't get this sort of nonsense. IF he is asking the question it's because he doesn't know the answer. If you have an answer, give him one. If not, ignore the thread. Just because YOU know the answer doesn't mean everyone does or should. We all learned by asking things we don't know. This type of response is just garbage.
 
Challenged said:
Pilots should clearly communicate on the CTAF and coordinate maneuvering for and execution of the landing with other traffic so as not to disrupt the flow of other aircraft."
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This is the most important part. I've posted this before. AOPA Story: Straight-In-Approaches

A jet making a straight-in approach interfered with a plane doing a practice approach. He was suspended for 20 days. The NTSB said that even if it was a valid straight-in approach, he would have been in violation because he "interfered with other aircraft in the standard left-hand traffic pattern". So this time, he was 3.1 miles out when they say he was aligned with the runway. Wouldn't this be 'final'? I think the moral of the story is, if you're doing straight-in approaches, you'd better make sure you're not interfering with someone using the standard pattern.
 
The straight-in is currently in proposed rulemaking with the FAA to be disallowed.

The new accepted replacement is the overhead pattern with appropriate "initial" and "break" reporting.

Must include your N-number, visual description of plane on initial contact, and millitary-style callsign on further calls. (Macho ones preferred)

Comments are due by or before 30-June-2019.
 
Rgbeard said:
The straight-in is currently in proposed rulemaking with the FAA to be disallowed.

The new accepted replacement is the overhead pattern with appropriate "initial" and "break" reporting.

Must include your N-number, visual description of plane on initial contact, and millitary-style callsign on further calls. (Macho ones preferred)

Comments are due by or before 30-June-2019.
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When coming straight in from the downwind side, will a split-s be allowed for the break?
 
mryan75 said:
I don't get this sort of nonsense. IF he is asking the question it's because he doesn't know the answer. If you have an answer, give him one. If not, ignore the thread. Just because YOU know the answer doesn't mean everyone does or should. We all learned by asking things we don't know. This type of response is just garbage.
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It means that the person posting the response has two things simultaneously happening.

1. He/she has a sense of humor
2. He/she has seen how POA deals with these, relatively straight-forward, information requests in the past.

Amusement typically follows.
 
EppyGA said:
Would that be the idiots that actually fly a plane that doesn't have a radio?
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Ive flown planes without an electrical system and therefore no radios. Plenty of them out there. Yeah it weird not to be on the radio and I personally dont like it so I try to avoid it but that’s not always possible. To me the bigger idiot though is the one who has a radio but isnt using it.
 
Although I rarely make a straight in to an uncontrolled field, I don't think its a big deal. Just announce your intentions, listen for other traffic. Two things will happen, either you break off and enter the downwind or the other traffic will make an attempt to follow you. It's all part of being a pilot, semper gumby and all.
 
texasclouds said:
Cessna 150 on 15 mile straight in final, please advise traffic.
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We had one do 12 mile final this weekend to the runway supporting skydiving and glider ops. We told her the other runway was better for this reason - Awhile later she called a 10 mile final for the other runway, even though it would have been shorter to do a standard pattern entry to that runway. Sigh.
 
texasclouds said:
Cessna 150 on 15 mile straight in final, please advise traffic.
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I got the understanding that last part isn’t advised. Actually, I can’t tell from reading if it is a request for advise traffic, or a warning “hey let everyone know”.

But I got the idea that isn’t good because if there is a lot of traffic they would step on each other, if not you don’t know if it fell on deaf ears?
 
LongRoadBob said:
I got the understanding that last part isn’t advised. Actually, I can’t tell from reading if it is a request for advise traffic, or a warning “hey let everyone know”.

But I got the idea that isn’t good because if there is a lot of traffic they would step on each other, if not you don’t know if it fell on deaf ears?
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Bob, the key to that post is that it takes a 150 a LONG time to fly 15 miles. The call is way premature
 
LongRoadBob said:
I got the understanding that last part isn’t advised. Actually, I can’t tell from reading if it is a request for advise traffic, or a warning “hey let everyone know”.

But I got the idea that isn’t good because if there is a lot of traffic they would step on each other, if not you don’t know if it fell on deaf ears?
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It was a joke! Clear out the pattern, because this 150 will be there in 30 minutes or less!
 
Just use your best judgement. I do as the OP stated and will call position and state something like 'plan straight in if no other traffic'. If there's traffic or if it's a new airport for me I'll fly the full pattern. I do giggle when I hear something like 172 10 mile final.
 
Fabio said:
hello there.
Low time pilot there.
Normal entry procedure for a non towered airport as I learned it is either on a 45 for a downwind entry or over the field for e left or right downwind entry into the pattern.
If you are 10 miles away inbound and scanning the frequency and making the appropriate calls as you get close and find out that apparently you are the only one approaching for landing (minus of course the idiot that stays off the radios and enter the pattern), my question is if it’s ok to declare a straight in landing for rwy X and proceed inbound for such approach, or should I stick to the normal entry procedure regardless if traffic is present or not?
Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

The real answer is that you should enter the pattern like you were taught. Maybe later you can have enough experience to make non-standard procedure decisions. Unless you have a Bonanza, then of course you have the right of way for a straight in final, unless off course there is a glider engulfed in flames converging on a hot air balloon. In that case, enter the pattern as trained (or reduce altitude to gain right of way).
 
benyflyguy said:
As long as you announce a half a dozen time “any traffic in the pattern please advise” you should be good :D
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Or do like I did last Friday on a night flight and call turning into the downwind 3 times because you think you're closer to the airport than you really are. LOL

There wasn't another airplane anywhere nearby or I'd have felt really stupid.
 
texasclouds said:
It was a joke! Clear out the pattern, because this 150 will be there in 30 minutes or less!
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Ok, got it :)

That whooshing sound was the joke going right over my head.

Oh well, what’s done is done.

At my home airport we have almost always flown straight in landings because of the direction we come in from, the terrain, and the prevailing winds. There isn’t much chatter either, just announce it. So far we only do pattern when the winds shift to the other runway.

Edit to add... now that I thought about it, I think most probably we fly back from maneuvers with straight in because the way the airport is situated, flying to a point to join downwind would take us directly over the are of homes that are the reason we have noise abatement at our airport.
 
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mryan75 said:
I don't get this sort of nonsense. IF he is asking the question it's because he doesn't know the answer. If you have an answer, give him one. If not, ignore the thread. Just because YOU know the answer doesn't mean everyone does or should. We all learned by asking things we don't know. This type of response is just garbage.
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Maybe it's because he knows he's about to be entertained by the responses to this 13, 293rd version of this thread and that 82% of the responses will be that it's OK if it doesn't cause a problem with other traffic and 18% will declare the insane irresponsibility of doing it. ;)
 
I'm still working on a totally new pattern entry that has no turns at all. Impossible to screw it up.

mryan75 said:
...If you have an answer, give him one. If not, ignore the thread. Just because YOU know the answer doesn't mean everyone does or should. We all learned by asking things we don't know. This type of response is just garbage.
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Someone needs a hug... :rolleyes:
 
apr911 said:
Ive flown planes without an electrical system and therefore no radios. Plenty of them out there. Yeah it weird not to be on the radio and I personally dont like it so I try to avoid it but that’s not always possible. To me the bigger idiot though is the one who has a radio but isnt using it.
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Another flavor of idiot is one who is using their radio on the wrong CTAF frequency because they don't bother to own or use mapping or AFD information. I mean, like everyone uses 122.8, right? Happens at my airport (CTAF 123.0) all too often.

A while ago, a pilot happily broadcasting on 122.8 (as it turns out) barged into a very busy practice pattern with 3-4 VFR aircraft, a VFR arrival (me), and an IFR practice approach, and made several circuits, oblivious to the fact that there were others in the pattern, cutting off several different aircraft in the process. I wound up in a go-around when I spotted him on final in front of me. It was very confusing to find an "extra" Cessna in the pattern based on everyone else's radio calls. When he landed for fuel the "NORDO" outed himself by admitting he had no maps or other information on board and assumed CTAF was 122.8. When it was politely suggested he could buy a current sectional map at the FBO, he refused. Sigh.
 
Had something like this happen at KIMM a couple weekends ago. Some guy reported a 10 mile straight in final with like 4 other people in the pattern. One of the guys in the pattern had the balls to call him on it and said "You know, there's a traffic pattern at the airport, would appreciate it if you could respect that". Of course, the moron ignored that and continued. I overflew the field and entered the pattern with everyone else.

IMO if you are the only one at the field or not, fly a pattern. Doesn't take a lot of effort and you can lookout for anyone going NORDO.

After KIMM I headed down to KMKY and was setup for a long base (10 miles), if I was a jerk I would have just stayed on that and turned final, but there were two other planes in the pattern, so again, stayed about 3 miles out overflew and entered the pattern behind one of the guys.

Costs a little extra fuel to fly a pattern instead of a straight in, so why not do it?
 
chemgeek said:
When he landed for fuel the "NORDO" outed himself by admitting he had no maps or other information on board and assumed CTAF was
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Isn’t that a violation of regs? One has to have current charts available in some form - right?
 
PeterNSteinmetz said:
Isn’t that a violation of regs? One has to have current charts available in some form - right?
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No requirement for Part 91 unless operating a large or turbine multiengine aircraft. Now, if you have say an airspace violation because you didn’t have a current chart on board, the FAA could go after you with an enforcement action.
 
End up going around a few times because you're surprised by what you find on or near the runway and you may rethink the value of the VFR straight in but that's a topic for another discussion. The only thing stopping you from doing straight in approaches an uncontrolled fields is you. Its an uncontrolled field, do whatever you want.
 
mryan75 said:
I don't get this sort of nonsense. IF he is asking the question it's because he doesn't know the answer. If you have an answer, give him one. If not, ignore the thread. Just because YOU know the answer doesn't mean everyone does or should. We all learned by asking things we don't know. This type of response is just garbage.
Click to expand...

The popcorn is not usually meant as a put-down. It usually means that this was covered before ad nauseam and here we go again!
 
I think one of the reasons this subject leads to controversy is that while the FAA has published guidance recommending that straight-ins should not "disrupt the flow of other aircraft," there is no clue to this in the right-of-way regulations. Consequently, the safest policy, regardless of whether you're in the pattern or making a straight-in, is to not assume that the other pilot will yield to you.
 
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