Playing Defense At Non-Towered Airports

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 10:09 AM ET

Verified

Between the FARs, the AIM, a newly revised Advisory Circular and various other guidance, the diagram below represents the basic traffic pattern at a non-towered airport. Variations can include parallel and/or intersecting runways. This diagram depicts a standard pattern, in which all turns are to the left.

Key Takeaways:

Pilots at non-towered airports face significant risks from wildlife, particularly deer, especially during low-light operations, necessitating proactive measures like pre-landing low passes to ensure runway clearance.
Non-standard and unpredictable pilot behavior in traffic patterns at uncontrolled airports, though not always illegal, creates collision hazards and undermines the safety intended by FAA recommendations for orderly flow.
Complacency is a key factor contributing to both wildlife strikes and traffic pattern conflicts; therefore, pilots should practice "Defensive Flying 101" by adhering to standard patterns, thoroughly scanning for all hazards, and always being prepared for a go-around.

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So I’m flying along one day, fat, dumb and happy in the pattern at the Winchester (Va.) Regional Airport, KOKV. When I lived in the area not too long ago, Winchester was our preferred local practice field when Leesburg Executive Airport (KJYO), my airplane’s home base, got too sporty.

There were many other area airports a pilot could go to, like Martinsburg (Eastern WV Regional Airport/Shepherd Field, or KMRB). Martinsburg was cool because sometimes a C-17 would be flying (a very wide traffic pattern) or doing some kind of cockeyed low-level combat approach. The main drawback of mixing it up with the C-17s at KMRB was the wake turbulence: It could fling you like Dorothy and Toto to the Land of Oz.