Pattern Entry Procedures and Operation for Non-Towered Airports

Knowledge of the proper procedure for entering a traffic pattern at a non-towered airport continues to evade some pilots, as I was reminded again this weekend. The procedures are simple, yet I’ve concluded that many pilots either weren’t properly trained on the entry procedures or they have forgotten them. Based on some of the airmanship—and I use the word loosely in this case—that I see at some non-towered airports, I’ve become convinced that pilots who know they don’t have the skills to land at towered airports congregate at non-towered airports instead. This creates the need for pilots to be on even higher alert for the antics of others when they visit a non-towered airport.

This weekend, I...

packed a variety of aviation activities into a visit to Alabama, the 49^th state that I’ve visited. I was invited to teach again at the Cessna Advanced Aircraft Recurrent Training (CAART) program for Columbia/Cessna 350 and 400 owners. I flew into Pensacola, Florida where I visited the Pensacola Naval Air Museum for a few hours on Friday morning. I’ll write about that visit and post photos soon. In the afternoon, I drove to Mobile, Alabama for a factory tour of the Teledyne Continental Motors factory. Late in the day, I drove to the beach community of Gulf Shores, Alabama, home of the Jack Edwards airport where the CAART program was held.

Aircraft type specific recurrent training programs are popular for advanced aircraft including Bonanza, Cirrus and Cessna 400s. The programs are similar and involve a mix of ground and flight training over a 3-day period. In the case of CAART, many of the instructors are former employees of Columbia or Cessna and their knowledge of the aircraft is unparalleled. The training offers aircraft owners a chance to brush up on their skills while getting even their most obscure questions answered by experts.

When you suddenly add an extra 25 Cessna 350 and 400s to a non-towered airport, its bound to make things interesting. Surprisingly, all of the aircraft at the airport were remarkably disciplined making it easy to get in and out of Jack Edwards Airport throughout the weekend. Though there was one spoiler moment that dredged up memories of mistakes I’ve seen pilots make while entering the pattern at other non-towered airports.

At Jack Edwards, I came nose-to-nose with another aircraft while our airplane was making a proper entry on the 45 to join the downwind. We had crossed over the field 1000 feet above the traffic pattern altitude (TPA), then descended and turned to enter the 45 at pattern altitude. We announced our position every step of the way and heard another aircraft following. They crossed over the field at about 500 feet above the TPA, but then descended and turned directly onto the downwind. They turned immediately in front of us onto the downwind while apologizing over the radio for cutting us off.

I later talked to the pilot who initially said “they thought we had already turned onto the downwind” and "that's they way they do it at my airport." Later, the pilot conceded that most of his/her recent flight experience was at a towered airport and that he/she had forgotten the proper procedure for entering a non-towered airport.

I wrote about non-towered airport entry procedures nearly five years ago on my pilotsafetynews.com web site. Let's briefly review the FAA's recommended entry for uncontrolled fields. This is what I teach clients and what a DPE (designated pilot examiner) told me he expects on checkrides. The diagram below and the text in italics comes directly from Advisory Circular AC90-66A entitled Recommended Standard Traffic Patterns and Practices for Aeronautical Operations at Airports without Operating Control Towers. 

Arriving aircraft should be at the appropriate traffic pattern altitude before entering the traffic pattern. Entry to the downwind leg should be at a 45-degree angle abeam the midpoint of the runway. So ideally, you enter on the 45 at position #1 above, AND you are already at TPA--not still descending to it--as you begin the 45 degree leg. The idea is that everyone in the pattern should be at the same altitude, so that they can easily spot each other. But how do you get to the 45 leg?

Prior to entering the traffic pattern at an airport without an operating control tower, aircraft should avoid the flow of traffic until established on the entry leg. For example, wind and landing direction indicators can be checked while at an altitude above the traffic pattern. When the proper traffic pattern direction has been determined, the pilot should then proceed to a point well clear of the pattern before descending to the pattern altitude. The examiner wants to see pilots crossing overhead the field +1000 feet ABOVE TPA, though Figure 9 below from Air Safety Foundation's brochure on Operations at Non-Towered Airports shows airplanes crossing at #1 at +500 feet of TPA.

As an example, the South County Airport near my home field has a filed elevation of approximately 300 feet and a TPA of 1300 feet. So at South County, after crossing overhead at 2300 feet, proceed perpendicular to the runway and start descending after you're over the downwind leg. At South County, when right traffic for runway 32 is in use, you'll cross the field on a heading of approximately 050 degrees, start descending above the downwind leg, then make a left turn to put yourself in position to enter the 45 degree leg. Notice that if right traffic is in use, you turn left to get to the 45. For left traffic patterns, cross overhead and turn right to get to the 45. 

The FAA encourages pilots to use the standard traffic pattern. However, for those pilots who choose to execute a straight-in approach, maneuvering for and execution of the approach should be completed so as not to disrupt the flow of arriving and departing traffic. Therefore, pilots operating in the traffic pattern should be alert at all times to aircraft executing straight-in approaches.

Figure 10 of the ASF brochure describes an alternate way to enter, but ONLY if it's flown at pattern altitude. Note that even if one flies directly across the field at pattern altitude and turns to downwind, it says that this technique should not be used in busy patterns and that aircraft doing this should give way to aircraft that are flying the preferred entry on the 45. The errant plane I came nose-to-nose with did something similar, but crossed at +500 feet before turning directly onto the downwind. This is very dangerous, as the aircraft could descend on top of another aircraft already in the pattern. The FAA wants all aircraft in the pattern, including those entering on the 45, at pattern altitude, so that it’s easier to spot ALL traffic in the pattern.

So in summary, the FAA encourages the use of a standard traffic pattern, but doesn't absolutely require it. But suppose there's an accident and it comes out in an enforcement action or a lawsuit against you (or your estate if you don't survive) that you weren't following recommended procedures? At a recent seminar, someone told me that whenever they're flying and they consider doing something the least bit risky or non-standard, they think about how it will read in an accident report. Good advice. Please fly legally AND safely!

Comments

[Jonathan]

Great article, Max!

Going just a small step further, the reason behind crossing at least 1000 above the piston aircraft's TPA is that the TPA for Jets and Turboprops is 1500 AGL. I'm disappointed the ASF article shows +500 as an acceptable altitude to cross the airport, especially since their home airport is non-towered, and sees a decent amount of jet traffic as well as high density pilot training.

Most GA pilots can spit back the rote answer of 1500 AGL when asked about the Jet/Turboprop TPA, however very few take that knowledge further and think about the consequences of that when operating at a non-towered airport.

This is a great example of how knowledge of the operations of other types and categories of aircraft, even if you're not rated for them, can make you a safer pilot.

[Juan A. del Azar]

Thank Max. I dont know if you ever heard, but the Brits use a great system for untowered airports called the standard overhead join. I think is the safest and I use it at my local airfield which is very busy and has all types of GA planes. You come 1000 ft over TPA circling in the direction of the pattern. Once you know exactly where to land, you descend on the "dead" side, which is the one not used for the pattern and join cross wind. It took me sometime to get used to, but it is very safe and accommodates planes with or without radios and of all different speeds, from Tiger Moths to Barons.

[AceAirSpeed]

A couple of flights ago, my instructor reminded me of 91.113 which states that when aircraft are converging at the same level but not head on, the aircraft on the right has the right-of way. This means that the aircraft entering downwind on the 45 has right of way over the aircraft already established on downwind.

This doesn't cover the scenario you wrote about, but I think it is relevant to the article in general.