"Cleared Straight-In Runway X; Report Y Miles Final"

"Brien K. Meehan" wrote in message
...

Regardless, a plane flying "to the numbers" from 30 degrees off the
downwind side will cross every possible base leg to that runway.

It will also cross every possible downwind leg at some point. For
example, a plane on downwind set up for a 1/2 mile base leg could
collide with the inbound plane 0.866 miles downwind from the numbers.

On the other hand, if that inbound plane were to set up for a 5 mile
final, there would be no possible conflict for any pattern
configuration inside those 5 miles. That's a great reason for a tower
controller to ask for it.


It's a good reason if she has or anticipates other traffic.

Ity's probably time for the OP'er to say he now sees he may have been in error.
The good thing about posting the quesiton is that it also may have made some
readers more aware of what ATC instructions mean.

As an aside, a long tiome ago I was making an ILS into BED after dark, and
tower asked me for a landing light so they could see where I was (this was a
long time ago). Now that was a time when I did not comply with tower -- a
landing light in the clouds is a good way to really screw up night vision. I
told them the landing light would have to wait until I had the runway in sight.