square or oval?

[Yenn]

I know the most likely place for an engine failure is on take off, but there are an awful lot of crash landings just short of the threshold. Personally I always like to be high and using idle power, but there is one drawback to that condition, it seems to promote engine failure, due to plug fouling. I tend to run a bit rich and that is a good invitation to plug fouling. A lot easier to control with a lycoming with mixture control than something with a Bing carby.

 

 

[diesel]

Well guys since I opened this topic its had a good going over. As Ifly from smaller fields I tend to hybridise it. Rectangular with big open corners. Or perhaps oval with straight sections? I have had a few engine outs and made it back to the runway. Crossways a couple of times. Out landings on hillsides with some. All uneventfull so lucky. Yes also being a glider pilot helped. A good number to know is what minimin rpm and airspeed do you need for level flight. At or above go home if nearby. Below that you are landing now. If you fly wide low angle circuits how do you practice a glide approach. Also read reduced power and stable decent. All good thinking. To me its like CAA putting an ICAO map over your place and saying thats where you will fly. No cosideration for local terain or weather. If its approved it must be safe? Chas.

 

 

[diesel]

Well guys since I opened this topic its had a good going over. As Ifly from smaller fields I tend to hybridise it. Rectangular with big open corners. Or perhaps oval with straight sections? I have had a few engine outs and made it back to the runway. Crossways a couple of times. Out landings on hillsides with some. All uneventfull so lucky. Yes also being a glider pilot helped. A good number to know is what minimin rpm and airspeed do you need for level flight. At or above go home if nearby. Below that you are landing now. If you fly wide low angle circuits how do you practice a glide approach. Also read reduced power and stable decent. All good thinking. To me its like CAA putting an ICAO map over your place and saying thats where you will fly. No cosideration for local terain or weather. If its approved it must be safe? Chas.

 

 

[facthunter]

You should go mixture rich long before final Yenn. Most LycCont's run pretty sooty at idle. So do the Gypsy's especially the 10 Mk2.. On my first solo X-Country to Mudgee, I daren't stop the motor on the ground and had to give is a bit of a run lean before taking off. Nev

 

 

[facthunter]

You should go mixture rich long before final Yenn. Most LycCont's run pretty sooty at idle. So do the Gypsy's especially the 10 Mk2.. On my first solo X-Country to Mudgee, I daren't stop the motor on the ground and had to give is a bit of a run lean before taking off. Nev

 

 

[dazza 38]

Well guys since I opened this topic its had a good going over. As Ifly from smaller fields I tend to hybridise it. Rectangular with big open corners. Or perhaps oval with straight sections? I have had a few engine outs and made it back to the runway. Crossways a couple of times. Out landings on hillsides with some. All uneventfull so lucky. Yes also being a glider pilot helped. A good number to know is what minimin rpm and airspeed do you need for level flight. At or above go home if nearby. Below that you are landing now. If you fly wide low angle circuits how do you practice a glide approach. Also read reduced power and stable decent. All good thinking. To me its like CAA putting an ICAO map over your place and saying thats where you will fly. No cosideration for local terain or weather. If its approved it must be safe? Chas.

Yup that is what I mean by oval, round at each end but down wind is straight and parallel and with in gliding distance with the runway.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Well guys since I opened this topic its had a good going over. As Ifly from smaller fields I tend to hybridise it. Rectangular with big open corners. Or perhaps oval with straight sections? I have had a few engine outs and made it back to the runway. Crossways a couple of times. Out landings on hillsides with some. All uneventfull so lucky. Yes also being a glider pilot helped. A good number to know is what minimin rpm and airspeed do you need for level flight. At or above go home if nearby. Below that you are landing now. If you fly wide low angle circuits how do you practice a glide approach. Also read reduced power and stable decent. All good thinking. To me its like CAA putting an ICAO map over your place and saying thats where you will fly. No cosideration for local terain or weather. If its approved it must be safe? Chas.

Yup that is what I mean by oval, round at each end but down wind is straight and parallel and with in gliding distance with the runway.

 

 

[facthunter]

That's all it's ever meant. Racetrack is another term. Gliding distance may be a factor you limit the size by for you own purposes. It's not in the definition . Nev

 

 

[facthunter]

That's all it's ever meant. Racetrack is another term. Gliding distance may be a factor you limit the size by for you own purposes. It's not in the definition . Nev

 

 

[Doug Evans]

I fly at rectangler@1000 ft and depending on strip area, I fly oval @500 ft both at glide distance in case of engine fail at all times,

 

I have at times done straight in approches at my home strip as long as there are no other aircraft in circut

 

 

[Doug Evans]

I fly at rectangler@1000 ft and depending on strip area, I fly oval @500 ft both at glide distance in case of engine fail at all times,

 

I have at times done straight in approches at my home strip as long as there are no other aircraft in circut

 

 

[lprigan1]

Flying Jab 160s at the Oaks, take-off from Rwy 36 - there is a local condition which requires an early cross wind turn which in a Jab 160 is approx 300ft AGL. Turn onto downwind is at approx 600ft AGL and circuit height is only reached about 3/4 of the way down the down-wind leg. Once circuit height reached in the 160 you are pretty much doing your pre-landing checks readying for a turn onto base.

 

Flying in the Foxbat it is sometimes scary to see how far out visiting Jabs will go for their (cross-country) circuits - surely it is safer to make your turns earlier (albeit lower) rather than fly 1nm out to be at circuit height when turning downwind?

 

 

[lprigan1]

Flying Jab 160s at the Oaks, take-off from Rwy 36 - there is a local condition which requires an early cross wind turn which in a Jab 160 is approx 300ft AGL. Turn onto downwind is at approx 600ft AGL and circuit height is only reached about 3/4 of the way down the down-wind leg. Once circuit height reached in the 160 you are pretty much doing your pre-landing checks readying for a turn onto base.

 

Flying in the Foxbat it is sometimes scary to see how far out visiting Jabs will go for their (cross-country) circuits - surely it is safer to make your turns earlier (albeit lower) rather than fly 1nm out to be at circuit height when turning downwind?

 

 

[shags_j]

Don't forget some people will have been taught one way and may nto even know that another exists.

 

I learnt to fly with QAIRTC (air cadets) and then in a GA school with an ex military CFI. I had only ever known oval circuits till I changed to an RA school. If I had of continued on in the former school through to CPL then I bet until I went to a GA company I never would have known any differently.

 

Also an oval circuit does not immediately cut in front of someone flying a square. That is a just a rude pilot. If flown correctly it is almost the same dimensions as the square just a continuous circle. Keep in mind (as other on here have said) that some people flying square circuits seem to extend downwind into the next state.

 

 

[shags_j]

Don't forget some people will have been taught one way and may nto even know that another exists.

 

I learnt to fly with QAIRTC (air cadets) and then in a GA school with an ex military CFI. I had only ever known oval circuits till I changed to an RA school. If I had of continued on in the former school through to CPL then I bet until I went to a GA company I never would have known any differently.

 

Also an oval circuit does not immediately cut in front of someone flying a square. That is a just a rude pilot. If flown correctly it is almost the same dimensions as the square just a continuous circle. Keep in mind (as other on here have said) that some people flying square circuits seem to extend downwind into the next state.

 

 

[Russ]

communication...communication............makes things easier for all parties.

 

 

[Russ]

communication...communication............makes things easier for all parties.

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

Got my hand slapped on my recent review for not doing square circuits.

 

Seems I lost the plot in the last two years!

 

We are not at a busy airport, easy to be complacent when no other traffic.

 

Promised to mend my ways.

 

PHIL.

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

Got my hand slapped on my recent review for not doing square circuits.

 

Seems I lost the plot in the last two years!

 

We are not at a busy airport, easy to be complacent when no other traffic.

 

Promised to mend my ways.

 

PHIL.

 

 

[diesel]

Ouch, who taught the instructor?

 

 

[diesel]

Ouch, who taught the instructor?

 

 

[Ada Elle]

Flying Jab 160s at the Oaks, take-off from Rwy 36 - there is a local condition which requires an early cross wind turn which in a Jab 160 is approx 300ft AGL. Turn onto downwind is at approx 600ft AGL and circuit height is only reached about 3/4 of the way down the down-wind leg. Once circuit height reached in the 160 you are pretty much doing your pre-landing checks readying for a turn onto base.Flying in the Foxbat it is sometimes scary to see how far out visiting Jabs will go for their (cross-country) circuits - surely it is safer to make your turns earlier (albeit lower) rather than fly 1nm out to be at circuit height when turning downwind?

Although the Foxbat has theoretically better glide performance, the guys at SRFC teach a very tight circuit that involves gliding from just abeam the threshold. It's much tighter than what I was taught from the other school at the oaks.

 

 

[pylon500]

Although the Foxbat has theoretically better glide performance, the guys at SRFC teach a very tight circuit that involves gliding from just abeam the threshold. It's much tighter than what I was taught from the other school at the oaks.

That club (SRFC) started with two strokes, so you never knew if the motor was going to keep running, and the habit seemed a good idea.

Flame suit on..The other club flies Jabiru's..... Maybe they should start flying closer circuits?

 

 

[dazza 38]

I will never understand why some pilots do massive circuits, unless they feel that they need extra time in the circuit to set up the aircraft on downwind. Keep it tight peeps and then you will get more touch and goes in within an hour.

 

 

[Ada Elle]

That club (SRFC) started with two strokes, so you never knew if the motor was going to keep running, and the habit seemed a good idea.Flame suit on..The other club flies Jabiru's..... Maybe they should start flying closer circuits?

I've done a lot of glide approaches, from every part of the circuit, with the slightly wider circuit. (it's 1/2 mile vs 3/4 mile).

 

typical glide ratio is what, 8:1 up to 10:1 for most LSA-class aircraft? so you should be able to go 1.3 nm from 1000ft, excluding turning distance.