On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 4:29:08 PM UTC-7, Bob Pasker wrote:
TPA may not be defined in 14 CFR Part 1, but there's a section on it in the (yes, I know, not regulatory) AIM 4-3-3. "Traffic Patterns".

Hi Bob,

The stuff in the AIM is not regulatory but it is important for us to pay close attention to it. My feeling about the description of traffic patterns in the AIM is not due to it not being regulatory, it's due to it looking like it's describing a suggested pattern for power aircraft, not for gliders.

Also, traffic pattern altitude, even for power aircraft, is not a universal value. We have all seen traffic pattern altitudes at a variety of airfields specified at altitudes from 500' for gliders (Rosamond) to 1500' for large aircraft at some fields. If we are doing our BFR in a glider at Rosamond do we need to delay a rope break to 500' so we reach "traffic pattern altitude". Maybe, but it seems foolish to me. I will continue to accept a rope break at 300' feet or so as qualifying for a BFR flight - but that's just me.