High wing to low wing converts...or, visa versa?

G.R. Patterson III wrote:


Jay Honeck wrote:

But in the end the real "deal killer" for a high-wing aircraft was when she
laughed out loud while flying the pattern. She just couldn't believe that
people flew a plane where the runway environment was invisible while turning
base-to-final.


That's probably also related to her height. I don't lose sight of the runway
turning base to final in a 182. I *do* have to lean forward, though.

Yes, same here, but I'm 6' tall with relatively short legs so I could
see over even the 182's glare shield fairly well and leaning forward I
could get ahead of the wing root fairly easily. No doubt that a
low-wing gives you a better view of the runway environment than a
high-wing, but I never found it a problem. As long as you start your
turn to final at the right point, it isn't hard to roll out on the
extended centerline. Usually you can see the runway once your heading
is within 30 degrees or so and that is usually plenty of time to adjust
the rate of turn to accomodate wind drift or an early or late turn.


Matt