In article ,
john smith wrote:
Unless you have been assigned a lower altitude by ATC, try setting up
your pattern so you arrive 1500 feet above field elevation when abeam
the approach end of the runway.

1500AGL?? I've done 180 degree desending turns to land and the optimum
altitude seems to be about 800AGL. If you start 1/2 mile away from the
runway (laterally, abeam the threshold) you're going to follow an arc
that's about 3/4 of a mile long. At around 70mph that will take only
about 40 seconds, and from 1500' that would require a 2000FPM average
descent.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/