About: Traffic Patterns
When taking off or landing at airports, pilots use a standardized traffic pattern. The traffic pattern's main purpose is to ensure that air traffic flows into and out of the airport in an orderly manner. This makes the airport environment safer since all aircraft should be following the same procedures. The basic traffic pattern is similar at all airports, whether it is controlled by a control tower or a non-towered airport. The traffic pattern consists of a rectangular shape made up of five different legs, departure, crosswind, downwind, base, and final. The standard traffic pattern is referred to as left traffic. This means that all turns in the pattern are made to the left. A runway could also have a nonstandard or right traffic pattern where all turns are made to the right. At most airports, the traffic pattern is typically flown 1000 feet above the elevation of the airport.
The pilot should enter the pattern on a 45 degree angle to the downwind leg flying towards the approach end of the runway. When within about one mile of the runway, a turn should be made to enter the downwind leg, flying parallel to the runway and in the opposite direction of landing. The pilot should then fly 2. 90 degree turns, one turn to the base leg and the other turn to the final leg while descending to his touchdown point on the runway. This allows them to properly set up for landing and to sequence themselves with other air traffic.
An airplane that has taken off and is climbing out on runway heading is on the departure leg when at a sufficient altitude, the pilot can either depart the pattern or stay in the pattern by turning onto the crosswind leg. If they decide to stay in the pattern, the pilot can turn back onto the downwind leg once they have spaced themselves out sufficiently and set up to practice another landing. There is one additional leg of the pattern which has not been mentioned yet. This leg is called the upwind leg and is also parallel with the runway but located on the side opposite the downwind. This leg is typically only used if a pilot has to abort their landing so they can safely space themselves out from other traffic. Pilots in the pattern announce their positions in reference to these legs. If a pilot announces that they are on the base leg and about to turn final, another pilot on the ground would know that it's probably not safe for them to take off at that time. They'll then wait for the approaching traffic to land before they take off.
Standard patterns are flown with all turns to the left for reasons of terrain, noise, abatement, or to prevent conflict with other operations. Some airports have right-hand patterns for some of their runways. Right- hand patterns are depicted on aeronautical charts noted and airport facility directories, and shown by indicators on the surface of the airport referred to as segmented circles. A segmented circle consists of a series of panels arranged in a circle, usually in the center of the airport, with extensions to show the runways and direction of the patterns if nonstandard. In this example, the extension on the left shows left traffic when landing to the east and right traffic when landing to the west. These panels surround the primary wind indicator so that it can be located more easily from the air. Airports with runway lights will usually mount a floodlight above the wind indicator in the segmented circle so the pilots can see the wind direction at night. A pilot can get wind information by radio, from observers on the ground, or from automated systems such as AMOS or AOS that broadcast the information. It is also recommended to consult with local pilots and operators to learn about noise sensitive areas.
First and foremost, you need to determine the active runway. This should preferably be done at least ten nautical miles away from the airport to allow enough time to complete this and the subsequent steps. This initial planning phase is also a good opportunity to review your runway options and make a mental note of the traffic pattern altitude. You should already have familiarized yourself with this information before you climbed into the airplane at a towered airfield. ATC will assign the runway to you if you are operating at a non-towered airfield, however, it will be up to you to decide which runway to use. If the airport has a weather reporting system, determining the wind direction and runway in use will be simple. Remember, you generally want to select the runway that most directly lines up with the wind. In the absence of the wind information. You can also listen to the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to determine which runway other pilots are currently using. If neither of these options are available overly, the airfield at 500 to 1 thousand feet above traffic pattern altitude and observe the wind direction indications on the ground.
Now that the pattern direction has been determined, you must figure out the appropriate entry heading.
Tower airports offer an array of entry options, but at non-towered it is expected that you enter the pattern on a 45 degree angle to the downwind at the midfield point of the leg to get the most accurate entry heading, a little math will be involved. Start with the active runways heading and add or subtract 100 and 80 degrees as appropriate so that your result is between one and 300 and 60 degrees, resulting in the downwind leg heading from there. Calculate the 45 degree intercept heading if you're entering a left pattern, subtract 45 degrees from downwind. If you're entering a right pattern, add 45 degrees to downwind. Remember left is less that results in the heading. You should be flying toward the airport to enter the pattern.
Depending on where you currently are, you'd need to maneuver yourself to the north side of the airport for the entry while maneuvering for the entry point. Don't get any closer than two nautical miles when within 500 feet of the traffic pattern altitude. Staying away will keep you from becoming a hazard to those in the pattern and minimize any chance of them confusing you for someone in the pattern. If you end up circling around the airport to reach the entry position, you may find it a little tricky to know when exactly you are at the entry position. Make sure you continue to stay at least two nautical miles from the airport until you are at the entry point. Only then should you turn in bound.
While maneuvering towards the entry point. You should also be planning your descent. You'll want to be at traffic pattern altitude when you reach the entry point, so keep your altitude in mind while approaching it. Once you've reached your entry point and are at the TPA, you should be flying your entry heading with the nose of the airplane pointed at the approach end of the runway. Of course, just like with ground reference, crabbing will be needed to keep the airplane from drifting. Once the airplane is approximately a half mile from the runway, enter the downwind by rolling to a heading that will allow you to fly parallel to the runway.
Plan out your aiming point and intended touchdown point as you come abeam your intended point of landing, it is time to start configuring the airplane for landing. The specific setup will depend upon what type of landing you wish to accomplish and will be covered in other lessons.
Typically at this point you will begin your initial descent towards the runway. Once the airplane reaches a position at which the landing point is at a 45 degree angle behind you, it is time to turn to the base leg except in extenuating circumstances. Keep your banks to a maximum of 30 degrees for your turns.
Continue your setup for the landing and make any necessary adjustments to pitch and power to maintain your desired airspeed and glide path. When you are almost lined up with the runway, turn to the final leg. If there is a crosswind, you will need to crab the airplane into the wind in order to maintain the extended center line of the runway. Complete the descent. Final items checklist prior to reaching 300 feet above ground level, make small corrections to account for wind drift and remember that as the airplane slows down, the controls will become less effective, so larger deflections of the control services may be necessary in order to get the desired response from the airplane. Now all there is left to think about is landing the airplane.
Airports vary from single strip grass fields to complex terminals having multiple paved runways and taxiways. Regardless of the type of airport the pilot should know and abide by the rules and operating procedures applicable to the airport being used. These rules have been established for the safety and consideration of both the people in the air and on the ground, but regardless of the type of airport you're at, it is still ultimately your responsibility to see and avoid other aircraft. So always research the airports that you will be flying to know their rules and restrictions and keep your eyes and ears open for traffic.
When taking off or landing at airports, pilots use a standardized traffic pattern. The traffic pattern's main purpose is to ensure that air traffic flows into and out of the airport in an orderly manner. This makes the airport environment safer since all aircraft should be following the same procedures. The basic traffic pattern is similar at all airports, whether it is controlled by a control tower or a non-towered airport. The traffic pattern consists of a rectangular shape made up of five different legs, departure, crosswind, downwind, base, and final. The standard traffic pattern is referred to as left traffic. This means that all turns in the pattern are made to the left. A runway could also have a nonstandard or right traffic pattern where all turns are made to the right. At most airports, the traffic pattern is typically flown 1000 feet above the elevation of the airport.
The pilot should enter the pattern on a 45 degree angle to the downwind leg flying towards the approach end of the runway. When within about one mile of the runway, a turn should be made to enter the downwind leg, flying parallel to the runway and in the opposite direction of landing. The pilot should then fly 2. 90 degree turns, one turn to the base leg and the other turn to the final leg while descending to his touchdown point on the runway. This allows them to properly set up for landing and to sequence themselves with other air traffic.
An airplane that has taken off and is climbing out on runway heading is on the departure leg when at a sufficient altitude, the pilot can either depart the pattern or stay in the pattern by turning onto the crosswind leg. If they decide to stay in the pattern, the pilot can turn back onto the downwind leg once they have spaced themselves out sufficiently and set up to practice another landing. There is one additional leg of the pattern which has not been mentioned yet. This leg is called the upwind leg and is also parallel with the runway but located on the side opposite the downwind. This leg is typically only used if a pilot has to abort their landing so they can safely space themselves out from other traffic. Pilots in the pattern announce their positions in reference to these legs. If a pilot announces that they are on the base leg and about to turn final, another pilot on the ground would know that it's probably not safe for them to take off at that time. They'll then wait for the approaching traffic to land before they take off.
Standard patterns are flown with all turns to the left for reasons of terrain, noise, abatement, or to prevent conflict with other operations. Some airports have right-hand patterns for some of their runways. Right- hand patterns are depicted on aeronautical charts noted and airport facility directories, and shown by indicators on the surface of the airport referred to as segmented circles. A segmented circle consists of a series of panels arranged in a circle, usually in the center of the airport, with extensions to show the runways and direction of the patterns if nonstandard. In this example, the extension on the left shows left traffic when landing to the east and right traffic when landing to the west. These panels surround the primary wind indicator so that it can be located more easily from the air. Airports with runway lights will usually mount a floodlight above the wind indicator in the segmented circle so the pilots can see the wind direction at night. A pilot can get wind information by radio, from observers on the ground, or from automated systems such as AMOS or AOS that broadcast the information. It is also recommended to consult with local pilots and operators to learn about noise sensitive areas.
First and foremost, you need to determine the active runway. This should preferably be done at least ten nautical miles away from the airport to allow enough time to complete this and the subsequent steps. This initial planning phase is also a good opportunity to review your runway options and make a mental note of the traffic pattern altitude. You should already have familiarized yourself with this information before you climbed into the airplane at a towered airfield. ATC will assign the runway to you if you are operating at a non-towered airfield, however, it will be up to you to decide which runway to use. If the airport has a weather reporting system, determining the wind direction and runway in use will be simple. Remember, you generally want to select the runway that most directly lines up with the wind. In the absence of the wind information. You can also listen to the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to determine which runway other pilots are currently using. If neither of these options are available overly, the airfield at 500 to 1 thousand feet above traffic pattern altitude and observe the wind direction indications on the ground.
Now that the pattern direction has been determined, you must figure out the appropriate entry heading.
Tower airports offer an array of entry options, but at non-towered it is expected that you enter the pattern on a 45 degree angle to the downwind at the midfield point of the leg to get the most accurate entry heading, a little math will be involved. Start with the active runways heading and add or subtract 100 and 80 degrees as appropriate so that your result is between one and 300 and 60 degrees, resulting in the downwind leg heading from there. Calculate the 45 degree intercept heading if you're entering a left pattern, subtract 45 degrees from downwind. If you're entering a right pattern, add 45 degrees to downwind. Remember left is less that results in the heading. You should be flying toward the airport to enter the pattern.
Depending on where you currently are, you'd need to maneuver yourself to the north side of the airport for the entry while maneuvering for the entry point. Don't get any closer than two nautical miles when within 500 feet of the traffic pattern altitude. Staying away will keep you from becoming a hazard to those in the pattern and minimize any chance of them confusing you for someone in the pattern. If you end up circling around the airport to reach the entry position, you may find it a little tricky to know when exactly you are at the entry position. Make sure you continue to stay at least two nautical miles from the airport until you are at the entry point. Only then should you turn in bound.
While maneuvering towards the entry point. You should also be planning your descent. You'll want to be at traffic pattern altitude when you reach the entry point, so keep your altitude in mind while approaching it. Once you've reached your entry point and are at the TPA, you should be flying your entry heading with the nose of the airplane pointed at the approach end of the runway. Of course, just like with ground reference, crabbing will be needed to keep the airplane from drifting. Once the airplane is approximately a half mile from the runway, enter the downwind by rolling to a heading that will allow you to fly parallel to the runway.
Plan out your aiming point and intended touchdown point as you come abeam your intended point of landing, it is time to start configuring the airplane for landing. The specific setup will depend upon what type of landing you wish to accomplish and will be covered in other lessons.
Typically at this point you will begin your initial descent towards the runway. Once the airplane reaches a position at which the landing point is at a 45 degree angle behind you, it is time to turn to the base leg except in extenuating circumstances. Keep your banks to a maximum of 30 degrees for your turns.
Continue your setup for the landing and make any necessary adjustments to pitch and power to maintain your desired airspeed and glide path. When you are almost lined up with the runway, turn to the final leg. If there is a crosswind, you will need to crab the airplane into the wind in order to maintain the extended center line of the runway. Complete the descent. Final items checklist prior to reaching 300 feet above ground level, make small corrections to account for wind drift and remember that as the airplane slows down, the controls will become less effective, so larger deflections of the control services may be necessary in order to get the desired response from the airplane. Now all there is left to think about is landing the airplane.
Airports vary from single strip grass fields to complex terminals having multiple paved runways and taxiways. Regardless of the type of airport the pilot should know and abide by the rules and operating procedures applicable to the airport being used. These rules have been established for the safety and consideration of both the people in the air and on the ground, but regardless of the type of airport you're at, it is still ultimately your responsibility to see and avoid other aircraft. So always research the airports that you will be flying to know their rules and restrictions and keep your eyes and ears open for traffic.