wrote:
Just wondering how many pilots prefer to just make the simplest
entry,
minimizing time manoeuvring in the pattern, and perhaps being safer on
the whole

That is what my last instructor taught me, and what the local FAA Safety
Counselor (who's also a CFII) recommends.

Extra maneuvering near an airport increases collision risk. Flying all
over the county just to achieve the sacred 45 degree downwind entry is
silly and dangerous.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM