Departing circuit downwind?

[ian00798]

I think there are two reasons it is frowned upon by people there, one been that a lot of people don't actually know the rules and don't know you can do it, and two been that because there are a lot of trainee pilots the overhead rejoin is selected as it's easier for a beginner pilot to do the same thing every time. It would be a lot to ask for a pilot on first area solo to figure out which runway is in use, where all the traffic is, and figure out if they can fit in for a base rejoin. Much easier to teach them to do the same thing every time. The only rejoin you can't do at Redcliffe is a straight in approach because it is prohibited by ERSA.

 

Once you start training for commercial ops, you join the circuit in the most efficient way, and I quite often go for a 5 mile final when I can. Of course, the most exciting way to join the circuit is via initial and pitch, but I suspect a lot of people would frown upon me doing that one unfortunately.

 

 

[SDQDI]

I myself do base joins occasionally as taking off from one of my farm roads puts me very neatly onto base for one of the YQDI strips but I don't make a habit of it and don't do it if there is other traffic around.

 

IMO the main reason that base joins and straight ins are frowned upon is that they can seem a little rude. From memory the regs acknowledge that by frowning upon them if they affect any other circuit traffic. Of course I don't mind flying a bit longer on downwind to make room for an rpt aircraft but if joe blogs cuts in with a base join or straight in and makes me go a bit longer on downwind it will irritate me a little and that is the main reason I don't often do them at my local field and never plan for them if I am away at another airfield.

 

 

[ian00798]

I remember YQDI quite well, I have done many a circuit, and my first solo, there. It can certainly get busy at times.

 

I can see your point that you shouldn't use base or straight in approaches to cut people off, but pilots also shouldn't be cutting people off joining on any of the other circuit legs either. Traffic already in the circuit has right of way. At a really busy airfield, you will just have to fit in as you can, but it has to be pretty busy to make a base rejoin difficult, and generally the less time you spend in the circuit the easier your making it for traffic doing circuits. I think the thing that concerns me about a lot of student pilots now is they can only do circuit rejoins, and circuits, the exact way they were taught. It always scares me when you have the guy in the c182 eating up the c152 on downwind because they can't comprehend that you can use a reduced power setting, and put some flap out, and just do the speed that the preceding aircraft is doing. Circuits by numbers work at the beginning when the student already has too much to deal with, but by the time your getting towards a PPL you really should be able to alter your profiles to work on the day. Of course, all this would be way easier if people actually flew an appropriate circuit spacing, I have seen way too many c172s fly circuits that a 747 could fit within.

 

Ultimately though, the overriding principle with all of this is keep it safe. Broadcast your intentions, update the traffic picture, and sight the preceding traffic. Just basic airmanship and it makes life easier for everyone.