"Harry Gordon" wrote in message ...
Whenever I am flying at a non-controlled airport, my primary runway will
be
the one appropriate to the direction of the wind. If the wind changes, I
will change.

What if others are still using the "original" runway?

One of the "problems" with posting to newsgroups is if you leave something
out, it is automatically assumed the writer doesn't do it :-). Thus far,
when that situation has occurred, and the other aircraft haven't made the
adjustment, I will broadcast a CTAF message about the wind/runway change.

Perhaps I'm not clear enough on the scenario I'm thinking of.
I'm not thinking of you being the guy "established" in the pattern,
but rather of the following scenario:

You are approaching a non-towered airport. There are several
aircraft in the pattern for runway 18, happily making circuits.
You observe that the wind actually favors runway 27.

Are you saying you approach the airport with an announcement
"Podunk traffic, Cessna 1234, the wind appears to favor runway
27, so that should be the active runway now" or something to that
effect (what exactly would you say?) and so far, everyone just
changes to runway 27 and you join them?

Or are you saying you'd broadcast that you're landing on 27 because
that's the runway the wind favors, and everyone else would break off
their pattern and follow you?

Yes. That is exactly what I do when 34 is NOT the desired runway for the
given wind direction. I would rather use an extra 2 seconds of air time and
avoid a potiential problem.

OK, now I'm curious here again. How do you see broadcasting your
reasons for choosing the runway you are using as "avoiding a potential
problem"?

Needless to say my outside scanning becomes much more intense in
this situation; you never know when an airplane will be NORDO.

Just to point out that your outside scanning should be IMHO
as intense as you can make it at all times.

See, there you go trying to read between the lines :-)).

Um, Harry -- no offense intended here, but when you say "my
outside scanning becomes much more intense in this situation",
I don't think there's much reading between the lines going on
on my part. Perhaps you need to adjust what you write, to
better match what you mean?

My point is, I don't think it's a situation calling for a
beyond-normal level of alertness, because it's a situation
which could always be occuring without notice.

You too??? :-) At least I don't feel like the Lone Ranger now. I still have
a hard time deciding if I am approaching from the S.E., N.W., S.W., etc.

Me too. Actually I know what direction I'm approaching
from but my brain has been known to disengage before the words
emerge from my mouth "southeast--um, sorry, no, northwest--"
(and there I go, exhibiting the peeve my fingers warned us against)
It's a consistant trait of mine, I mis-speak in other walks of life.
I would make a horrible ATCS, or any other profession which had to
talk for a living!

Cheers,
Sydney