Larry Dighera wrote:
On Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:35:02 GMT, wrote in
:


I say it is most prudent not to doing something the other people in
the pattern are not expecting someone to do.

Oh, you mean like Mr. Honeck's suggestion of a 360 instead of a
go-around? :-)

Apples, oranges.

I believe he was talking about a towered airport, in which case the
question is whether or not you should do something the controller
isn't expecting you to do.

Or don't you think any of the other pilots in the pattern would
possibly expect to find others, perhaps not familiar with the local
noise abatement procedures (that are unpublished in official
publications), who are merely complying with the FAA documented
traffic pattern procedures? (I believe Mr. McNicoll has referenced
them earlier in this message thread.)

At any non-towered airport, the vast majority of users are locals, and
all the locals are most likely following the local procedures.

This is probably true for towered airports, but irrelevant as ATC is
telling you what to do.

One of the things you are supposed to do at a non-towered airport
is monitor the other traffic.

If all the local traffic is announcing, 3 to the north entering on
the crosswind for left 24, or 3 to the south, entering on the 45 for
left 24, what do you think the appropriate action is?

I think the appropriate action is to join the crowd and do what they
are doing even if it takes me a mile or two to do it.

And there is that little thing about obtaining all pertinent information
before flight.

I have never had any problem finding noise abatement procedures, but
then again, I popped the extra bucks for a Flight Guide subscription
which has a hell of a lot more usefull information than the AF/D.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for flying as quietly as possible without
compromising safety. But one of the strengths of our nation's
internationally exemplary NAS is its uniformity throughout, from shore
to shore.

There is little to nothing uniform about the VFR approach and
departure procedures at either non-towered, or towered airports.

Some towered airports do straight ins and straight outs, others
may do one but not the other, some do neither in normal operation.

Ditto for non-towered airports.

It's unreasonable to require, indeed expect, airmen planning to
operate at a given airport, with informal noise abatement procedures,
to have to search unofficial documents for that information. However
courteous and thoughtful pilots may make an effort to comply. At
least, that's the way I see it.

Well, while Flight Guide isn't an "official document", it sure is
handy, lists the noise abatement procedures, and is damn handy to
have if for nothing else than the noise abatement procedures and
whether or not there is a restaurant on the airport.

I think we basically agree.

I have a problem with people that put forth no effort and plow
through an otherwise peaceful pattern with the excuse that they
are legal and everyone else can just get the hell out of the way..

--
Jim Pennino

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