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 guess you could do an abbreviated version of the overhead join, whereby
you descend on the dead side (on the east) and then when you get to circuit
height, cross the northern end of the runway, effectively joining the
circuit on the crosswind leg. Normally with an overhead join to a left-hand
circuit you'd be approaching from the "live" side of the circuit at 2,000
feet or so, but as you're on the dead side already, this doesn't apply.

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

Probably not favourable, as you're in the vicinity of traffic in the circuit
but as you're in a right turn, you won't have a particularly good view in
the direction you're turning (particularly if you have a high-wing
aircraft). All you need is for someone to be doing what my instructor used
to call "V-bomber circuits" (i.e. not keeping them tight and close in) and
you're in a potentially sticky spot. With the crosswind join you're already
flying in the direction of the circuit when you start, and the main lookout
will be for departing traffic, which until you get to the runway will be
forward of your nine o'clock. If you converge onto the downwind from 45
degrees you'll be looking over your left shoulder to try to spot people,
which isn't ideal.

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

That's probably the nicest way. Actually the absolute nicest way would be to
join on a right-hand downwind (we often have both directions working at once
at my home field), but in a non-ATC situation you would want to stick with
the official way.

D.