More Circle On a Straight-In
In your October 2024 issue, you were spot on, per usual, with your answer for the primary reason someone would circle when attempting a straight in: too high and too close upon breakout into VMC. If the conditions are just so, then why not? There’s no VFR traffic to contend with and the airspace is exclusively reserved for your use.
However, what if the reason for your not being in a key position (where “normal” is the operative word for both maneuvers and rate of descent) is a bit more pedestrian? Like what? Breaking out into VFR or MVFR and failing to mind step downs, glide slopes or glide paths because there is VFR traffic and your attention division is rightfully weighted to the side of that task.
