On Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 7:47:49 AM UTC-8, kirk.stant wrote:
On Monday, February 13, 2017 at 5:54:51 PM UTC-6, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:

S turns on final seems like a great way to get uncoordinated and kill yourself. Count me out.

Matt

Really? How are S-turns any different from normal turns in a pattern, especially if you have to setup for a crosswind on final?

Perhaps you are not comfortable with turns at low altitude? That in itself is pretty dangerous, more so than the actual turns.

Watch out on the ridge!

Kirk
66

What is the most dangerous turn in pattern? Base to final. S turns on final will be even lower. Shallow turns really aren't going to loose much altitude for you. If you are so high that spoilers are not going to do the trick, you will need substantial deviations in your S turns to get back on glide slope. In addition to a greater risk of stall/spin, this also makes you unpredictable to others in the pattern. Button hooks are also considered dangerous on the turn to final, and S turns really aren't much different in my mind. Add a 15 knot x-wind, wind gradient, and turbulence and the situation is not good for a bunch of turns at 200 ft

I am sure S turns would be appropriate in some instances, especially for traffic spacing, but I would personally pick a slip first to correct a glide slope problem if at all possible.