Non-Towered Operations: The FAA issues new guidance!

[@EchoKilo]

Other than overflying midfield and turning left into the downwind, as an alternative to tear-dropping right into the 45, this is what I’ve always been taught.

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Excellent. Thanks for sharing!

[@jakew9887]

Great presentation. Thanks

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Thank you!

[@richardbonander1507]

Thank you Scott

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Thank you!

[@sophiastumpf2991]

Another thing I notice with the AC is that in the appendix they mention departure leg vs. upwind and what the proper verbiage is. My understanding is that it is considered upwind if staying in the pattern, and departure leg if departing the airport.

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Unfortunately, it is not that clear-cut. This is a point of discussion and often disagreement. I think in the AC, the FAA may be trying to clarify the difference between the Upwind and Departure legs. However, not all the current FAA documents agree. For example, in the PHAK (published 5 months after the Circular) and Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH, published a year before the Circular), the Departure leg is the leg flown along the centerline of the runway until either departing the pattern *or* turning crosswind. The PHAK doesn’t mention an Upwind Leg. The AFH defines the Upwind leg as parallel to the runway but offset right or left of the departure runway, opposite the downwind leg. The Circular and AIM seem to support this. However, if you look at the Pilot/Controller glossary, it defines the pattern as Upwind, Crosswind, Downwind, Base, and Final (pp T-9). Bottom line, you are not likely to hear “Extend your Departure, I’ll call your turn to crosswind”. Jason Miller (The Finer Points) has a very good video about the terminology and highlighting the disagreement. Here is a link if you are interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJ6vpKqJq66imM0si=vwHAPZsS1_rakCYJ Unfortunately, until the FAA changes all the documentation (or publishes a new Circular with clarifying language) I think there will still be confusion about the Upwind and Departure legs. As Jason notes, until then, all of us should try to make sure we are being very clear when we communicate. I hope this helps at least a little. Thank you for pointing this out. The more folks that know about the confusion, the better prepared (and safer) we can be.

[@AV8R_1]

The departure leg is the path that extends from the centerline of the runway. The upwind leg is parallel to the runway on the opposite side of the pattern from the downwind, generally at a similar distance from the runway as the downwind.

[@caltagerone77]

Thank you very good information

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Thank you for the comment! Glad it was helpful!

[@AV8R_1]

Another thing the FAA should address is IFR pilots practicing IFR procedures and making radio calls about their location, referencing the particular approach or procedure they may be on. Being that instrument pilots are only about 25% or less of all pilots, and that practicing those procedures in VMC conditions at an airport that is likely at that time being flown almost exclusively by "VFR only" pilots, making radio calls and referencing particular instrument approaches, fixes, or procedures, does nothing to indicate your location to a newly minted private pilot or a student pilot in the pattern. Giving your location as " xxxx initial, inbound on the VOR alpha" will mean absolutely nothing to a non-instrument rated pilot that is in the pattern, and who needs to know where you actually are. IFR pilots practicing instrument procedures in VMC conditions, especially at non-towered airports, should be making all position reports on CTAF using terminology that can be understood by "VFR only" pilots.

[@ScottKoonCFI]

I completely agree and work with my instrument students on this a lot. Referencing distance, direction and altitude from the airport and saying you are on a straight in for runway 17 is a lot more descriptive than “crossing the final approach fix on the RNAV 17”. Thanks for the comment.

[@idratherfly2000]

Completely agree! Great post!

[@ScottKoonCFI]

@idratherfly2000 Thanks!

[@wagnertenor]

I would say fly over the field at a 1000 ft if doing the teardrop. The problem with 500 ft is that jets and turbos fly the pattern at 1500 ft and further out.

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Excellent suggestion! The circular says to use at least 500 ft above pattern. The Airplane Flying Handbook further suggests (as you did) to use at least 1000 ft above pattern if large or turbine aircraft operate at the airport, so as not to conflict with their traffic pattern. Thanks for the comment!!

[@corvettedoc1]

Thanks for this, I am about to do my first cross-country solo and was having trouble finding the runway direction for KRRL 16-34 which I now assume is left traffic after watching this. Yup, I have the latest chart supplement and it does not show runway direction for 16-34 but does show it for 7-25.

[@ScottKoonCFI]

You are very welcome. Glad it was helpful.

[@Stumpchunkman226]

Great video and the visual diagrams were a perfect complement. Nice job!

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Thank you!

[@DougAdomatis]

When entering the pattern from the upwind side, if you fly over and two miles past, then you are turning your back to the airport. I (a student pilot) did that on my one and only night flight and lost sight of the airport - it freaked me out.

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Maintaining situational (and locational) awareness is much more difficult at night. The lack of visual cues can cause disorientation very quickly. Interestingly, in Canada, to fly VFR at night you need to earn a Night Rating which is at least 10 hours of training after Private Pilot. Having said all that, there are two, approved upwind-side pattern entries. If it is night and the airport is not busy, using the second pattern entry method is perfectly acceptable. Perhaps as you get more night experience it will be easier to utilize the teardrop entry. Thanks for the comment.

[@richardbonander1507]

Thank you

[@ScottKoonCFI]

You are very welcome! Thanks for the comment!

[@mikecoffee100]

Thank You for the updates and..................... after reading Rod Machado’s Private/Commercial Pilot Handbook. make sure to watch the videos from Scott K.

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Awesome! Thanks for the recommendation!

[@hollismiller234]

Scott, I really enjoy your short and concise tips but I'm confused. In the video on AC 90-66C, you indicate that the new guidance when staying in the pattern is to initiate a turn to crosswind 1/2 mile past the end of the runway and within 300 Ft of pattern altitude. The 1/2 mile makes sense to me as it would help keep aircraft that can reach that altitude in a shorter distance over the ground from cutting off slower climbing aircraft when turning downwind. But for the life of me, I can't find it in the circular. The only reference I can find for 1/2 mile is on page A-1 # 6 for departing traffic. The examples on pages A3 & A4 #5 say to initiate the crosswind turn after the end of the runway and within 300 Ft. of pattern altitude. Where should I look for the reference to 1/2 mile? Thanks

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Hollis. Thank you for the comment. You are right. In looking back through my notes (and the circular) I seem to have combined two notes. As you’ve discovered, the circular notes that pilots should turn base after the end of the runway, but does not give a specific distance. To add to the confusion, there is a bit of an inconsistency between A-1 #6 and 11.8. A-1 #6 notes to start the turn at 1/2 mile and 300 ft below pattern altitude. 11.8 notes that before turning you should be beyond the end of the runway and AT pattern altitude. Plus, if you look at the diagrams of pattern operations, it appears the turn to crosswind and the turn to 45° seem to happen at the same point. Of course, all of these are rationalizations. I am impressed you downloaded the circular and have been reviewing it. That is awesome! Thank you for the question and for pointing out the inconsistency. Keep up the excellent work!

[@陈霓-e8d]

What’s straight-in approach?

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Thank you for the question. In IFR flight straight-in approach has a very specific meaning. It is “An instrument approach where final approach is begun without first having executed a procedure turn”. However, when used in reference to VFR flight, it usually means intercepting the extended runway centerline without flying any other portion of the traffic pattern (crosswind, downwind, or base). Flying VFR straight-in approaches puts aircraft in positions other VFR aircraft are not expecting them to be, and can make it more difficult to “see and avoid” these aircraft. I hope this helps. Thanks again for the question.

[@陈霓-e8d]

@@ScottKoonCFI Thanks for your clear and accurate explanation as in your videos. Love your videos.

[@ScottKoonCFI]

Glad it helped! Thanks!

[@kurtreber9813]

No pilots preferring straight-in approaches will be swayed by this. In my experience non-towered airports are the wild wild west

[@ScottKoonCFI]

You are, likely, correct. I attended a fly-in this summer where aircraft were entering the pattern straight in, as well as using many other “creative” pattern entries. It was scary. I also had a conversation with a non-towered airport operations manager about the document who then posted the guidance as the airport’s new Standard Operating Procedures. While not everyone will comply, my hope is that by spreading the word and sharing the document, most pilots will change their behavior and avoid accidents or incidents because they are making better decisions. Thank you for watching. And, thank you for the comment!