How Low to Spin??

Eric Greenwell wrote in message ...

And if you don't like what you are getting into, how do you avoid if you
are low and tight? Even a high, large pattern will eventually have you
as close to the "what you are getting into", but in the mean time, you
have a lot more time to look things over and change your mind.

I don't think I like the idea of a fast landout, either.

Eric, what I want is to have the best look at the potential landout
field before actually landing on it. That means picking the field
early, looking at it carefully while making a last attempt to climb
out (if possible, then setting up a pattern close enough to be able to
see terrain details and pick the exact point to touch down at. That
usually means being downwind at about 500' or so, and that means being
pretty close in.

By fast, I mean about 60 to 70 knots (depending on wind, etc) in my
LS6 dry. That is plenty enough for aggresive turning if necessary to
adjust my pattern, and to float over a last minute fence, but slow
enough that with full divebrakes I can quickly slow down on short
final for a low energy tail first landing.

And I practice this often at my home field, using different runways
when possible to get used to different patterns. And it has worked on
my actual landouts, when necessary (obviously not a good idea when
landing at a big controlled field - that requires a totally different
pattern technique!).

I shudder when I watch 2-33s flying wide bomber patterns, downwind at
1000', and flying long finals. It may be FAA approved textbook, but I
think it is bad technique. I like the BGA's idea of the angled base
leg, which approaches my preferred military-style one turn to final
pattern.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.

Kirk