Forget about everything but safety. Flying over the center of the field 500
feet (or more) above pattern altitude keeps you away from everyone taking
off and landing...they are, after all, at field elevation. You get a good
look at planes on final and those rolling for takeoff. Then flying away from
the pattern and descending to pattern altitude well away from the pattern is
the safest solution to the problem you posed. Maneuvering, saving time,
saving gas...all take a back seat to safety.

Same thing applies at many controlled fields. Ask the controller for
permission to cross the airport and you will most likely be told to cross
midfield at 2500 feet or so...that's the way they do it at Seattle-Tacoma,
anyway. Hard to hit a jet when it has its wheels on the runway and you are
way up there.

Bob Gardner

wrote in message
...
But the first seems much more manoeuvring, possible preventing as good
a look out as the second option. I'm actually wondering if the second
seems more practicle.

Stan

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:26:54 -0800, "Bob Gardner"
wrote:

I like your first solution better than the second. Having said that,
neither
the regs nor the AIM provide much guidance in the situation you describe.
Look at Advisory Circular 90-66A for more relevant information.

Bob Gardner

wrote in message
. ..
Consider you're NE of the airfield, non towered airport, runway 18/36,
standard left pattern applies, with runway 36 the active. I'm
interested in hearing what your personal method of joining the pattern
would be, while adhering to the FAR's and AIM.

I've two thoughts:

Fly south, then west, pass overhead the field, and then 2 or 3 miles
later do a descending 225 degree right turn, and join on a 45 degree
to downwind, or

Stay east and then south of the airport, and join a straight in
outside 5 sm.

Opinions?

Stan