On Feb 14, 4:27 am, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...



Of course they do. But the "belong" on final as part of the regular,
expected pattern.

Why only then?



Some of the posters have some reasonable situations for straight-ins.
But if you're flying the usual 4 or 6 banger at the usual speeds, you
are best and safest joining the pattern in the usual, expected manner
to get where you belong. Calling final 10 miles out doesn't cut it.

Why not?



I don't see it often, but a couple times while flying a glider in the
pattern, I had pilots call a long final, and I couldn't even see them
anywhere. Sure, I had the right of way, but.....

What gave you the right-of-way? How did you determine right-of-way was an
issue?

FAR 91.113.
1. In distress, ROW over anything
2. Balloon, ROW over any other category
3. Glider, ROW over airship, powered parachute, airplane, or
rotorcraft
......


The obvious reason at the airport is that a glider can't perform a go-
around; the powered airplane can. Consequently, if a powered aircraft
tries to call a long final while a glider is in the pattern, life can
get interesting unless the glider has an alternate and can get there
safely. It would be most unseemly to call a final and force a glider
into a landout situation.