At risk of being a pedant... I don't believe you can 'ask' for a straight in approach unless you're flying into an ATC airfield. At information or radio airfields you tell them what you're doing and they acknowledge and provide any additional information that they feel may be of use. I also understand that straight-in approaches put you at a relatively high risk of collision relative to standard joins, though I don't know how good the evidence is for that.
ATC is delightfully easy... You just do what you're told. It's the rest I worry about...
I have heard or read somewhere of a student being told to orbit when on finals to avoid catching up, and subsequently crashing as not being able to hold the height of the orbit as entering from a descent.
Yes; that was at Southend fairly recently. Why a student should be sent on a solo flight if he/she cannot fly an orbit, under a circuit workload, without crashing, beats me. There is so much pressure in PPL training to "go solo". It is treated as some kind of Masonic initiation ceremony.
Orbiting is a very good tool to increase spacing. One normally does the orbit into a direction away from the airfield, so one is away from the circuit.
And, at a non ATC airfield, simply turning away from the circuit and coming back say 10 mins later is a very good tool if spacing cannot be maintained. Sometimes, others do crazy things and it's not wise to be flying at a ridiculously low speed, nose high up, etc. Also, if you have to really slow down, the one behind you has to do the same and they may not find it any easier.
I have to say I am not sure common circuits with aircraft that can have 50-90kt speed differentials are such a great idea. Do microlight circuits not normally go inside the fixed wing circuit? I think deadside joins are actually quite tricky and don't like them - I guess it is what you are used to. I prefer the US 45degree on downwind join. Or just look, decide on the most appropriate join and announce it.
I have never seen evidence that a straight in approach is any more dangerous than any other.
I have never seen evidence that a straight in approach is any more dangerous than any other.
I agree.
Also, at a non ATC airfield, you can join any way you like that doesn't contravene the published requirements for noise abatement etc.
I know of airfields where the man on the radio pretents to be an ATCO (actually that behaviour is really common in the UK) and issues the most bizzare instructions. At one place I used to go to, he would demand that you join overhead, right hand circuit, IOW the least obvious way to come in and the one with the worst visibility of where you are going. He used to do it for fun, apparently.
I always fly straight in unless there is a specific issue against it.
This is exactly the situation I was referring to in post #12 ..... When going around with an aircraft already on the runway and taking off move laterally to a) keep the other aircraft in view if possible, and b) avoid the possibility of the other aircraft climbing up under you....
Digging up this old thread… someone suggested that one way to manage in a busy circuit with slow traffic in front of you is to fly a wider downwind. But then you have to merge with whoever was behind you when you get to base… does anyone do this?
It works if there is nobody behind you.
A glide approach is also a good way to step in front of slow aircraft making a long downwind. Obviously with a courtesy call beforehand
Do you mean shorting out the base leg?
I have seen that done but in most cases the pilot doing it didn’t judge it right and the aircraft which was flying the longer track had to go around.
Some 152 fly circuits more appropriate of a Concorde (minus the speed!). So ameam numbers, aka if they don’t mind a glide approach in front of them and let them know will go around if it gets tight for them. Never had complaints. Needs to be somewhere where you can exit the runway quickly too (backtrack won’t obviosuly work).
But truth be said I think I mostly do that when having fun in the circuit, and make these touch and go anyway
Not convinced about initiating a glide approach when you are number 2 to something ahead, I would say it contravenes the SERA requirement to conform to the traffic pattern formed by other aircraft / is likely to lead to more disruption and potentially distract the other aircraft unfairly.
However, I agree most circuit issues are definitely caused by people flying inappropriately wide circuits. People then doing all sorts of bizarre wide downwind and extending just then adds to the chaos and safety risk.
Ps I get a lot of blank looks from pilots when asking them about going around in the circuit – a lot of people think you have to persist with a bad situation down to short final then go around, when actually you can go around at any point in the circuit if required.
