I must be stupid or missing something. Does everybody in this ng come into
the
pattern at cruise airspeed? I was taught, and teach, that you come into
the
pattern about 10 knots above your desired airspeed on final. If you do
that,
your power is already back for level flight to where the prop is in the
stops
anyway.

This is the standard procedure for entering a pattern.

Over the years, though, I've found that my pattern entry procedure varies
with conditions. If I'm alone in the pattern (as we often are, on a
Wednesday afternoon -- a day we typically fly), I'll zip around the pattern
at whatever speed works to get me down soonest.

This usually means a pattern entry speed of around 100 knots (or more), with
a gradual diminishing of speed down to 80 when we turn base, and another
gradual diminishing to 70 on final.

Earlier in my flying "career" I would not have been able to manage such a
thing, and religiously stuck to the 100% stabilized approach (which, at the
time, meant 80 mph from downwind all the way down). I had this drummed out
of me when I started flying into controlled airspace more often, where an 80
mph downwind leg would result in an exasperated controller having to
re-sequence the pattern.

Thus, long story short, yeah, we sometimes come into the pattern at such a
speed that pushing the prop full forward is going to result in a lot more
noise.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"