On 3/4/2014 9:54 AM, kirk.stant wrote:
I wonder if part of the problem we have in patterns is the patterns
themselves. Probably because of a military aviation background, I really
(for both power and gliders) prefer the military continuous 180 turn from a
lower closer downwind to final to the civilian higher, downwind - turn -
base - turn - final approach.

I keep the pattern speed a bit high (say 60 - 65 knots in glass), half
spoilers abeam the touchdown aimpoint, about 500' agl, pretty close in to
the field, then at the TLAR point, roll into about 30 degrees of bank and
turn in. If wide I can steepen up, if tight open out, but the turn is one
continuous turn until rollout on final, and then I start transitioning to
my final speed and adjusting to where I want to touch down.

Lower and closer in, I find it a lot easier to judge the angles; I HATE
long finals!

So the turn is pretty much like any thermalling turn while adjusting the
center, without having to roll completely in and out twice with the usual
chance to under/over rudder the turn..

Just my 2 cents...

Kirk 66

FWIW...

Way back when I had about 200 total hours, all glider, I flew an HP-14 from a
busy municipal airport with 3 closely-spaced parallel runways. SOP traffic
separation had gliders flying a 4-sided pattern entered from midfield, the
downwind, base and final legs being inside the same-turning-direction power
pattern, which normally used the southernmost E-W runway.

Schreder's original HP-14 design wasn't noted for being a rapid roller. While
it WAS possible to fly a rectangular pattern in it inside the power pattern,
doing so required serious (both arms essentially required) stick effort to
achieve max aileron deflection on the final-to-base and base-to-final turns,
to the point I found doing so a mental distraction...and thus less than
"ideally safe."

I found "a circling approach" (a la the U.S. Navy) from downwind to final
considerably easier - and a no-brainer, as Kirk suggests above - to implement.
A circling approach quickly became my standard procedure in that ship at that
airport.

When people asked, I told 'em why. Few asked.

Bob W.