interesting moment yesterday on final

Mark T. Dame wrote:
Steven P. McNicoll wrote:
"Mark T. Dame" wrote in message
...
That's the key, the way I read it. Traffic flying the full recommended
pattern has the right of way of traffic not flying the full pattern.
That
includes those making base leg entries, straight into downwind entries,
and straight in approaches (both visual and instrument, be it
practice or
actual). (All of that assumes the airport is above the VFR
minimums. If
it isn't, then IFR rules apply and "right of way" is theoretically a
non-issue because ATC handle sequencing the departures and arrivals.)

The airport can be above VFR minimums but still require an instrument
approach, imagine good visibility under a low overcast. What's an
arriving IFR aircraft supposed to do if he's still in cloud at the
circling MDA and there are VFR aircraft in the pattern?

While I suppose that's possible, to be VFR, the ceiling at the airport
should be at least a 1,000' (500' above the ground and 500' below the
clouds). All the non-precision approaches I'm familiar with have an MDA
lower than that.

I didn't finish my thought:

If you are on a precision approach in those conditions, you will be at
least 2.5 miles out when you break out (on a steep glideslope).
Normally you will be more than 3 miles out. In either type of approach,
you have plenty of time circle to land if the pattern is full.

So, if there is VFR traffic in the pattern, an arriving IFR plane has
time to transition to VFR and join the pattern without disrupting the
flow. If conditions are so bad that the arriving aircraft can't
transition in time, then it's unlikely that the airport is VFR legal anyway.


-m
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## Mark T. Dame
## CP-ASEL, AGI
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