Last month I described an inci-dent that occurred in the pattern of my local airport, where a fast-fl ying aircraft on a long straight-in fi nal al-most gobbled up a slow and stately Champ as it was turning from base to fi nal. I didn’t describe the pilot of the fast airplane as a turkey, but I did allude to how hawks and eagles and some other birds of prey will join in midair for the propagation of their species. However, when airplanes do the same thing, the only thing that is spread is pieces and parts all over the ground.

And the statistics appear to show that when airplanes do that, they are usually either in, or near, the traffi c pattern of an airport. It would cer-tainly behoove us, therefore, to be extremely vigilant in our scan for other traffic whenever flying in, or near, the traffi c pattern. And it would also help the sustaining of the spe-cies Homo pilotiens if we all fl ew the traffi c patterns of our airports adher-ing to the proper procedures for do-ing so.

These procedures standardize not only how we fly the pattern, but also how we should operate on the ground. They give guidance on how we should enter and depart the pat-tern, the altitudes we should use, and the distance we should main-tain from the runway. They deter-mine who has the right of way in the traffic pattern, and advise how we should use our radios.

Some of these procedures are reg-

ulatory. For example FAR 91.111 (a) states: “No person may operate an aircraft so close to another aircraft as to create a collision hazard.” And

FAR 91.113 (g) says: “Aircraft while on fi nal approach to land, or while landing, have the right-of-way over other aircraft in flight or operat-ing on the surface, except that they shall not take advantage of this rule to force an aircraft off the runway surface . . .. When two or more air-craft are approaching an airport for the purpose of landing, the aircraft at the lower altitude has the right-of-way, but it shall not take advantage of this rule to cut in front of another which is on fi nal approach to land or to overtake that aircraft.”

The Aeronautical Information Man-ual (AIM), while not regulatory in nature, has a great deal of useful

information that goes a long way in standardizing the procedures we should use in the pattern. I cer-tainly don’t have the space to repro-duce the important parts here, but I would strongly suggest that you review Chapter Four, in particular 4-1-9, 4-2-2, and most of section 3, which deals with airport opera-tions. It might be possible that the last time you reviewed the AIM was quite some time ago, so a little re-freshing couldn’t hurt.

I have spent quite literally several thousand hours fl ying in traffi c pat-terns, and I have a few suggestions that I would like to offer, based on my observations. At the top of the list I would like to repeat something I mentioned in the last article. That is, the most important piece of colli-sion avoidance equipment we have is our eyes. It is absolutely the last defense, when all else has failed, in providing separation between us and other aircraft.

Next is that you fly the pattern with precision. Pattern altitudes, par-ticularly at nontowered airports, can vary anywhere from 600 feet AGL up to 1,500 feet AGL. Know what the correct pattern altitude is for the air-port at which you are fl ying. If you’re not sure, look it up (after all, the regs say that you will obtain all available information prior to a flight). The Airport Facility Directory (AFD) would be a good place to fi nd that informa-tion. And then be sure to fl y that alti-

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

If you are at

pattern altitude,

you should be

able to see all

the other aircraft

that might be in

the pattern.

DOUG STEWART

Patterns, Part II

THE VINTAGEINSTRUCTOR

continued on page 28

tude with precision. It is much easier to spot another aircraft fl ying at the same altitude as you are than it is to see one that is 200 or 300 feet above or below you.

And the precision that I refer to ap-plies not only to your altitude, but also to the distances you fl y from the runway. On departure you can start your turn to the crosswind leg when you are within 300 feet of pattern al-titude. That should have most aircraft about 1/2 mile beyond the departure end of the runway. (However, please be sure that doing so would not vio-late local noise restriction policies.) I personally like to fl y the pattern at no more than 1/2 mile. That way, if I have an engine failure, I will always be within gliding distance of the runway. Thus, I recommend you turn down-wind so that you will end up offset 1/2 mile from and parallel to the run-way. Now make sure you make the proper wind corrections, so that you maintain 1/2 mile and do not drift in, or away, from the runway.

If you have maintained your 1/2 mile offset from the runway, you should make your turn to base (traf-fic permitting) when your chosen landing point on the runway is be-hind you at a 45-degree angle. Plane geometry (I hope you can fi gure out the kind of plane I’m referring to) will now have you 1/2 mile from your landing spot. Again, be sure to main-tain this distance with the proper

crosswind corrections, if needed. While we are speaking about the

winds, don’t forget that they also af-fect how steep or shallow your bank will need to be to maintain those pre-cise distances. A tail wind component will dictate a steeper bank, and a head wind a shallower bank. Being aware of where the wind is blowing from will also give you a heads-up on when to start your turns. If you know that the wind is from your right as you fl y a left-hand downwind, you should have no excuse to blow through the final approach course in your turn from base to fi nal.

How we enter the pattern is a sub-ject that gets a great deal of debate. Some pilots like to fly an overhead approach, going outbound from the downwind on a 45-degree angle, then doing a descending right-hand 180-degree (assuming left-hand traffic) turn to enter the downwind leg on a 45-degree angle at the midfi eld point. I personally fi nd that using that entry procedure often leaves me blind to what is going on in the pattern while I am fl ying outbound and while I am in the descending 180 as well. I don’t know how many times I have had to take evasive action to avoid being hit, while flying the downwind leg, by someone who has chosen to enter the pattern in that fashion.

My recommendation is to be at pattern altitude prior to your arrival at the pattern. Plan your arrival so

that you can enter the downwind on a 45-degree angle, if appropriate. If, however, you are approaching the airport in a manner that necessitates overfl ying the runway centerline, fl y a crosswind anywhere from midfi eld (if the runway is 5,000 feet or more) to over the departure numbers or up to 1/2 mile upwind of the departure end of the runway. Do be aware of aircraft that may be going around or on a missed approach. If you are at pattern altitude, you should be able to see all the other aircraft that might be in the pattern. Be prepared to modify this crosswind entry, as nec-essary, to sequence yourself in regard to other aircraft so you maintain at least a minimum separation of 1/2 mile between aircraft.

I have used this VFR arrival pro-cedure for many, many years. And I have not once had to take evasive ac-tion to avoid another aircraft. At the start of this article I made reference to hawks and eagles. They can easily see mice on the ground from the alti-tudes at which we fl y traffi c patterns. Now some of you may call me a tur-key for advocating entering the pat-tern as I have described, and I admit that I don’t have the keen vision of an eagle, but by using my eyes I have yet to have a close encounter in the pat-tern, nor have I cut anyone off or vio-lated the FARs.

I have put a lot of emphasis on the use of our eyes for collision avoidance. This is not to say that we can’t use our ears and voice as well. In the next ar-ticle I would like to discuss the proper use of the radio as an effective aid in collision avoidance, particularly in re-gard to operational procedures in the traffi c pattern and terminal area. After all, the more tools we have to use, the better equipped we are to manage the risks that we as pilots accept. I hope you will join me in that task.

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year, a Master Instructor, and a des-ignated pilot examiner. He operates DSFI Inc. (www.dsfl ight.com) based at the Co-lumbia County Airport (1B1).

28 APRIL 2005

THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR continued from page 7

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