Traffic Pattern Entry

[avbug]

A few years ago I came very close to having a midair collision with someone doing an overhead entry at pattern altitude. I had been taught to cross over the airport above TPA and set up for a 45 entry.

That's not an overhead entry. An overhead pattern begins as you approach the runway along te final approach course. Over the numbers or just thereafter, you execute a descending 360 turn to a landing (or as most do, modify it to a short downwind, base and final by squaring it off).

This is one of the safest approaches to landing you can do,andplaces the aircraft in a continuous position to land, as well as survey the rest of the traffic pattern.

Regardless of the entry, the key is seeing and avoiding, a skill that often seems sorely lacking in many pilots.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

This is always my favorite report (link) when someone says that traffic doing a straight in approach should yield to aircraft in the pattern.

http://www.ntsb.gov/alj/O_n_O/docs/aviation/4236.PDF

 

[Dilligaff]

That's not an overhead entry.

My apologies for that horribe mistake in symantics. I'll try not to let it happen again.

For the rest of you, my point was someone entered the downwind from overhead the field at pattern altitude as opposed to from a 45 or any other accepted direction and we almost collided.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

This particular CFI teaches to overfly the airport AT pattern altitude, then basically do a teardrop entry to enter downwind.

You need to correct this guy before he causes an accident. Flying over the field at TPA and teardropping is very nonstardard and will lead to an accident. If only he demonstrated such idiocy on his CFI checkride.

Over fly the field well above (1,000) or circumnaviagate it. Also, one shouldn't descend into the pattern either. When I instructed my policy was to be at TPA approximately 1-2 miles off the 45 degree.

 

[pgcfii2002]

I believe the AIM recommends 500-1000' above TPA for overflights.

 

[SNAFU22]

Never descend while in the tpa, classic low vs. high wing collision scenario. I remember reading an article a few years back where a Piper landed atop a Cessna in flight. I know there was a picture floating around with said 2 aircraft involved.

Maybe someone could find it. Helps drive the message home to fly over the tpa at a safe altitude. Make a descent to tpa well clear of the tpa. I would teach be at tpa at least 2 mi before the pattern.

 

[avbug]

For the rest of you, my point was someone entered the downwind from overhead the field at pattern altitude as opposed to from a 45 or any other accepted direction and we almost collided.

Aah. You mean he entered on a perfectly acceptable midfield crosswind leg.

You have two eyes to avoid traffic, you see. Use them.

 

[taters]

There is really nothing about in the vicinity of the airport. It just says, "when approaching an airport for landing, make all turns to the left." So that says a right teardrop is in violation of the FAR. It implies that a straight in is OK, is says that anything but a right turn is OK, but not a big right turn like a teardrop to the right to enter on the 45. If you want to come across the field and into traffic, a left 135 degree turn from a crosswind to a 45 degree entry is OK to, and there is really nothing wrong with simply flying from crosswind to a downwind leg either.

agreed,the FAA recommended entry procedure(midfield,45 downwind) are just that recommended.

 

[Seadogrun]

This is always my favorite report (link) when someone says that traffic doing a straight in approach should yield to aircraft in the pattern.

http://www.ntsb.gov/alj/O_n_O/docs/aviation/4236.PDF

That's a good read. Thank god they got that guy out of the air.

 

[acaTerry]

JediNein? Care to pipe in?