C Kingsbury wrote:
Try flying a tight pattern when you're #7 following a Learjet. At a very
busy field you often have no choice. Up here in Boston you'll often find
yourself on extended downwind for Rwy 29 at Bedford, which means you need to
stay down low in order to remain under Logan's Class B. No big towers at
pattern altitude, though.


Colin,
Last week the manager of Hanscom Tower spoke at the Hanscom Aeroclub
safety meeting (and holiday party :-) He said that he cannot understand
why spamcan pilots insist on making huge patterns. He prefers that we
make tighter patterns, where the controllers can keep us in sight, and
we don't take forever to come around, especially the Katana pilots.
After saying this he concluded with "Katanas... I don't know why the
good lord found it necessary to create Katanas." Or something to that
effect :-)

Having said all that, the controllers will sequence and space you as
they see fit, and that sometimes means larger patterns and goofball
maneuvering (like 360's and s-turns. He prefers 360's). He admitted
that turbines are given priority as a policy, but that we can do things
to make the controller's lives easier and we can all play nice together
if we stay aware and professional. Smaller patterns can help in this
regard.

The most important take away from that meeting was his reply to the
question of where the responsibility lies to stay away from Boston Class
B for planes being worked by Hanscom tower. The bottom line is that if
a controller is working you, then they are responsible for keeping you
away from Class B, or negotiating with Boston approach. If you bust
into Bravo airspace while in the Hanscom pattern, it's on Hanscom
Tower's head. His words were something to the effect of "if it comes to
it, we'll it it. It will be an operational error on our part." All
this is on video at the aeroclub :-) I'm less apprehensive about
pattern work at Hanscom now that I know that.

However, the other take away from the meeting was that if you think they
forgot you, or are giving you an instruction to do something you object
to, you'll help everyone out by speaking up. They're human and make
mistakes too, and it's ultimately YOUR butt on the line, not the
controller's.

-Aviv