Pattern Entry Guidance

The right-hand diagram on page 32 (July 2018) depicting an alternate midfield entry when approaching from the side opposite the traffic pattern was (and I believe still is) the standard approach taught across Canada when I began flying over 50 years ago. When approaching from the same side of the traffic pattern, we were taught to enter downwind parallel to, slightly wider and slightly further upwind than usual, rather than the 45-degree entry in the U.S. The preferred entry (left-hand diagram) involves a short period where you are blind to everything that may be happening in the pattern and thus may pose unnecessary risk.

Editorial Staff

Monday, August 20, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

One pilot strongly criticizes the new FAA advisory (AC 90-66B) on midfield pattern entries at non-towered airports, deeming them unsafe, complex, and a potential increase in accident risk.
Another pilot offers a contrasting view, noting that similar midfield entries from the opposite side of the pattern are standard and taught as safer in Canada compared to the U.S. 45-degree entry.
The article clarifies that the regulatory requirement for carrying weight-and-balance documents aboard an aircraft is derived from FAR 91.9, which mandates compliance with operating limitations specified in the Airplane Flight Manual.

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Well, the new FAA advisory on pattern entry (AC 90-66B, “Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations,” Quick Turns, June 2018) is about as lame as they come when it proposes a “safe” pattern entry at midfield at pattern altitude. I thought that the FAA was really concerned about air safety close to the airport, but I guess I was way out in left field, or pattern.

Okay, so what is the Nordo pilot, the missed approach aircraft or the low approach going to do when they get this surprise? This is assuming no one ever misses a radio call, misunderstands the altitude of the mid-pattern entry, or simply is doing everything correctly, but the other pilot crossing doesn’t yield by “not upsetting the normal flow of the pattern,” as noted in the Aeronautical Information Manual for any non-standard entry.