my $.02:

First, the beauty of the 360 "Overhead" pattern is that it makes it really easy to fly exactly the same pattern at ANY airfield. As long as you come up initial at the same speed, and pitch out at the same bank angle, you will end up at the same place on downwind (adjusted for x-wind, of course). The, you just configure, motor to the perch, and roll into your easy 180 turn to line up on final. Done well, it's one of the most satisfying maneuvers in aviation.

And it has the advantage of being a really quick way to enter the pattern, slow down, and land - useful for towplanes.

BUT - it's meant for relatively fast movers with bigger turn radius's; works fine in a Pawnee at 120 mph, no so good in a J-3 at 65 mph, and not at all in most gliders (yes I've tried).

So, for gliders, all that is really useable is the second half - the continuous 180 degree turn to final. As others mention, that is not what is normally taught, and has some limitations that need to be taken into consideration; the main one is that it has to be done from a low downwind, and it happens fast.

And that is why I think it is actually a useful skill to practice: If you end up low and tight, you should be able to fly a safe 180 (or 270, or 90) pattern and land out of it - because you don't have the option of going around!

Just realize that most other traffic will not be expecting it and fly accordingly.

In regards to you question about the military's track record - I don't have numbers but would bet an expensive bottle of whiskey that it's a LOT better than that of GA - after all a military pilot is better trained, flies more often, gets lots of check rides, etc. That being said, modern military jets are more susceptible to high-sink rate problems in the pattern that stall/spins; look up almost any T-38 accident and getting low and slow on final will pop up often. For a supersonic jet, it is really a dog when slow!

Kirk
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