interesting moment yesterday on final

Erik wrote:

Because straight in approaches at an uncontrolled airport
disrupt the pattern that everyone is using. Perhaps if there
were no other traffic at the time, it would be perfectly fine
but when everyone is in line and doing their thing, someone
cutting in sucks. There is a fairly large municipal airport
nearby that accommodates jets and sometimes, we single engine
folk have to anticipate them, but it still disrupts things.

I think you're taking a very narrow view of things. I often practice my
pattern work at a not-towered airport that has an ILS approach. This airport
is popular for instrument training and there are usually several planes
flying the ILS, which involves about a 5 mile straight-in. Fitting the
straight-in traffic into the pattern is not as difficult as you make it out
to be. All it takes is a little communication between the aircraft on
downwind and the aircraft on final. Sometimes it's easier for the downwind
traffic to fly a tighter pattern and land first, other times it's better to
have the downwind aircraft extend for an extra 30 seconds or so. Either way,
I can't see why this is such a big deal.

In the OP's case, the straight-in traffic appeared to be late getting on
the frequency. They coordinated a solution and everyone made it down in one
piece. Sounds like an average day at a non-towered airport to me.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

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