Stupid Newbie Pattern Question

When you are flying to a non-towered airport, do you always have to fly the
pattern, or can you make a straight-in or crosswind approach?

If these are permissible, under what circumstances?

Thanks...

In a previous article, "Lakeview Bill" said:
When you are flying to a non-towered airport, do you always have to fly the
pattern, or can you make a straight-in or crosswind approach?

If these are permissible, under what circumstances?

Permissible, but not smart if there are other people in the pattern.

One of my local untowered airports has an ILS, so on a busy day with 5
people in the pattern, there is always one bozo doing straight ins (and
making radio calls that the guys in the pattern don't understand) and
disrupting everybody else.

Note to CFIIs: When doing practice approaches to a non-towered airport in
VFR conditions, don't allow you student to make radio calls giving their
position relative to the outer marker, or other IFR jargon. A lot of
private students and even pilots won't know what the heck you are talking
about.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
I'd sooner volunteer to admin every Windows box at $ORKPLACE (and it's a
biiiig place) than think for one second that I could understand the thought
process of a teenage female. -- David P. Murphy

Per the FAR's there is no requirement to fly a traffic pattern.

Per the AIM, there are recommendations for HOW to fly one if a pattern
is flown. You can enter and depart on any leg of a pattern if you choose
to fly it.

Dave

On Sat, 28 May 2005 14:20:06 +0000 (UTC), Paul Tomblin wrote:

Note to CFIIs: When doing practice approaches to a non-towered airport in
VFR conditions, don't allow you student to make radio calls giving their
position relative to the outer marker, or other IFR jargon. A lot of
private students and even pilots won't know what the heck you are talking
about.

I agree with this "somewhat" as you need to remember, the student needs to
learn the radio calls as well. So, any practice lessons with an IFR
student should include IFR jargon as you state in his radio calls.

With this in mind, I personally include VFR references in my approach into
Madison, MS (MBO). When I practice approaches, I will say:

Madison, Sundowner 12345L 5 miles NW, inbound VOR Alpha Madison. This
tells all pilots my position relative to the airport, as well as tell any
IFR traffic what my intentions are. If any pilot doesn't know where 5
miles NW is, then I would question their navigation abilities.

Allen

It is best to approach and overfly the airport at 500 feet above the
pattern altitude. This will allow you to observe the winds to select a
runway and watch for NORDO aircraft in the pattern or on the runway.

Lakeview Bill wrote:
When you are flying to a non-towered airport, do you always have to fly the
pattern, or can you make a straight-in or crosswind approach?

On Sat, 28 May 2005 13:52:58 GMT, "Lakeview Bill"
wrote:

When you are flying to a non-towered airport, do you always have to fly the
pattern, or can you make a straight-in or crosswind approach?

If these are permissible, under what circumstances?

Thanks...
Consistency is nice, but don't expect it of other people.

Also, some non-towered airports actually publish a mid-field crosswind
entry on their recommended noise-abatement charts. Halfmoon Bay (KHAF)
is one I know of.

Don

"Lakeview Bill" wrote in message
...

When you are flying to a non-towered airport, do you always have to fly
the
pattern, or can you make a straight-in or crosswind approach?

If these are permissible, under what circumstances?


The requirement is to make all turns to the left, nothing more.

In a previous article, "Steven P. McNicoll" said:
The requirement is to make all turns to the left, nothing more.

And then the AIM shows a pattern that includes a right turn (from the 45
to downwind). The FAA is consistent in its inconsistency.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"What we perceive as `God' is simply a by-product of our search for God."
- G'Kar.

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...

And then the AIM shows a pattern that includes a right turn (from the 45
to downwind). The FAA is consistent in its inconsistency.


'Zackly.

"Lakeview Bill" said:
When you are flying to a non-towered airport, do you always have to fly the
pattern, or can you make a straight-in or crosswind approach?

If these are permissible, under what circumstances?

http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/sa08.pdf (Operations a Non-Towered
Airports, 14 pages)


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO