2G wrote on 7/31/2016 4:07 PM:
I also like to have A LOT of altitude when entering the pattern
(2,000 ft). It is easy to burn off that altitude in modern gliders
and it gives me options if something unexpected happens (like a plane
pulling out onto the runway unannounced). Altitude lost is like
runway behind you - it doesn't do you any good.

I like to have a lot altitude in the pattern, generally entering at 1000
feet agl. I don't like to be any higher, because I worry about
descending onto aircraft below me in the standard pattern (they can be
hard see, and usually are not looking up for aircraft above them). To
avoid that, I descend away from the airport, watching below me, until I
can make a "standard" 45 degree entry to downwind, arriving there in the
1000' - 1200' range. I don't use spoilers until I've turned final, so my
turns to base and to final are relatively high.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"

https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf