LAURAN PAINE JR. COMMENTARY / SPIRIT OF AVIATION

Traffic Patterns Mixing in with our fellow aviators

START A CONVERSATION ABOUT traffic patterns and you’ll almost always get a scary tale like, “I was on base, and this guy on a straight-in almost hit me,” or “I was on short final, and this guy pulled on the runway right in front of me.” (Note it’s always the other guy.) Sound familiar? It should. Traffic pattern stuff happens. Traffic patterns are simple, right? Take off and make a 45-degree turn at the end of the runway so as to not interfere with the guy making a 45-degree entry to the downwind; on landing, make a 45-degree entry to the downwind to a base to final to landing. What could be simpler? Organized. Precise. And you have control towers and windsocks and tetrahedrons to suggest a runway and segmented circles to suggest which side of the runway you should be on during the downwind. It’s all a picture of well-planned efficiency—except it doesn’t always work out that way. Why? Because traffic patterns are flown by people. Picture the traditional airport traffic pattern and all the airplanes following it precisely. Now imagine all that traffic in one day at a medium-busy, nontowered airport. The precise picture fades a bit. The recommended nice rectangular traffic pattern now looks more like a kaleidoscope, with airplanes entering from all directions—wide downwinds, close downwinds, short finals, base leg entries, long finals, and exits to everywhere. Actual traffic patterns are imperfect, so be ready and be aware. And please be courteous.

102 Sport Aviation February 2011

PATTERN SMARTS

There are towered airports and nontowered airports. At the towered airports you basically do what you’re told; it’s the tower’s job to separate you. But you still have to be aware and courteous. Never do I call a tower without first listening to get a mental picture of what’s going on in the pattern. And never do I call not already knowing the pattern I want. It’s easier that way: less chatter, fewer surprises, and fewer chances for misunderstandings. Do I always get what I want? No, but I do about 90 percent of the time. I like to do 360-degree overhead patterns in my little RV-8 “retirement fighter.” But never do I ask for one if the pattern is full of traffic. The other day I circled three times away from the airport while the tower controller sorted out a student pilot and a fast-mover who figured he should have priority. Once the controller got them on the ground I called and got my 360 overhead. My emphasis for purposes of this discussion, however, is the uncontrolled, or nontowered, airport. That’s where most of the “freelancers” tend to pop up. But are they freelancers if they don’t use the standard pattern? Not really. The Aeronautical

ILLUSTRATION BY PIERRE KOTZE

RADIO USAGE

Use the radio as you see fit considering the traffic around you and the chatter already taking place. But two things are for sure: Be specific and be brief. Use the airport name. Where I live, there are three airports using 122.8, each has identical runway numbers, and

everybody can hear everybody else when in the pattern. Calling “left downwind for 34” doesn’t help much if you don’t identify the airport. Something else about entering the traffic pattern: Listen to the phraseology being used and the tenor of the transmissions. The guy on the straight-in? He’s a fast talker and his call-sign preface is “Cirrus.” He’s in a fast airplane, and he’s in a hurry. What does that mean to me? Stay away from him. The one on the direct-to-the-downwind entry? I’m just going to watch for him. Pilots who would enter a busy traffic pattern that way—with one on the 45 and one on crosswind in closed traffic—are pretty much jerks. Watch out for them and stay away. Hopefully, they’re at least at pattern altitude—easier to see that way. The airplane on the 45-degree entry? I like her radio transmissions: brief and to the point. She knows what she’s doing. She uses the call sign “Cherokee,” so when I roll in behind and make my call on the 45, I’ll slow to maintain spacing. Long story short, it all worked out. Those in the pattern worked around the “pattern crashers.” And keep this in your bag of tricks: If it’s busier than a beehive when you listen in, loiter somewhere. Chances are it’ll thin out. THE CHALLENGE

When we last flew to Oshkosh, we landed at all nontowered airports. You meet really nice people. And most of the traffic patterns were empty. Not having previously landed at any of them, I overflew each airport before entering the pattern. It takes only a couple of minutes and gives you a much better lay of the land at and around the airport. The more knowledge you have of an airport, the better you are at using it. But you always have to be ready for the busy airport. When we arrived at Oshkosh, approximately 100 airplanes were circling Green Lake due to an accident and runway closure. I loved the challenge of that. It all has a lot to do with why we love aviation: There is great satisfaction in meeting challenges. It’s not what you fly; it’s how you fly. Lauran Paine Jr., EAA 582274, is a retired military pilot and retired airline pilot. He built and flies an RV-8 and has owned a Stearman and a Champ.

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Information Manual (AIM) recommends the standard pattern; it’s not required. You might have one airplane on the 45-degree entry to the downwind, another on a direct entry to the downwind, one on a straight-in, one just lifting off in closed traffic, and one holding short— and the pilot may or may not have a radio. Now we’re talking reality. How are you going to fit in? From the traffic I just described, you’ve probably already formed a mental picture of the traffic. Good. Now, how do you get that picture in real life? By listening to the radio. And by knowing there’s a J-3 without a radio in the mix—and he has every right to be there. How do you know he’s there? You don’t. You just anticipate he’s there; there’s always a no-radio J-3 at every nontowered airport I fly into. I’m always looking for him. Why do some pilots insist on straight-ins and such? Time. They can save two to three minutes sometimes. Whoop-de-do. But, hey, at a familiar airport with no one within 10 miles of the place, help yourself to a straight-in. (Watch out for the no-radio J-3.) But a straight-in at a busy nontowered field is unsafe, not to mention rude. To help the flow of traffic, have a plan for where you’re going to turn off the runway. Please don’t land on the numbers then lollygag all the way to the end of the runway because that’s where your hangar is, all the while making the two people behind you go around. Even though it’s a touchy subject, I have to say it: Get off the “glass” when you’re in the pattern. Push all those buttons before you get there. Don’t have your head in the cockpit; hold it high, proud, and on a swivel. And while you’re on the ground holding short for takeoff, always check the final approach before you taxi onto the runway. Both final approaches. At an uncontrolled field, just because you’re at one end of the runway doesn’t mean someone else isn’t landing on the other end.

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