How often do you have to go around?

Wade Hasbrouck writes:

"The general rule I was taught for the 172 is, provided you haven't 'creeped
in on your downwind', once the landing traffice passes your wing tip, you
can begin your turn to BASE, and it works out just about right..."

Ah, now I am far less confused!

Now, how are you looking at the traffic when you try to check if it
has passed your wingtip?

Kind of hard to see landing traffic pass your wingtip while ON base, and if
you did, that would probably be a big indication that you just overshot your
turn to final... :-)

I'm very good at undershooting and overshooting final (albeit in a
flip-of-the-coin sort of way). I only have difficulty aligning with
the runway.

And for some reason, I always seem to drift slightly left just as I'm
coming up on decision height. I don't know what does this. The
engines are usually near idle, so it doesn't seem like it'd be a
sudden surge of torque or anything. And it seems improbable that the
surface winds are _always_ blowing to the left.

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Mxsmanic"
Now, how are you looking at the traffic when you try to check if it
has passed your wingtip?

You look out the window. The side window is most useful for this. Pretty
obvious. He will be lower than you and in a high wing aircraft like the 172
you can see the traffic and the wing at the same time. Haven't flown a low
wing, but would imagine you would do something similar like, "watch the
traffic, and the wing will 'hide' the traffic, and then when the traffic is
past your wingtip it the traffic will be visible again...

And for some reason, I always seem to drift slightly left just as I'm
coming up on decision height. I don't know what does this. The
engines are usually near idle, so it doesn't seem like it'd be a
sudden surge of torque or anything. And it seems improbable that the
surface winds are _always_ blowing to the left.

It has been several months since I messed around with Flight Sim, but I
haven't ever really noticed this, so I can't really comment on what is going
on. The winds due depend on if you are using the "real weather" or not...
Can't comment on anything more than 172.

Wade Hasbrouck writes:

It has been several months since I messed around with Flight Sim, but I
haven't ever really noticed this, so I can't really comment on what is going
on. The winds due depend on if you are using the "real weather" or not...
Can't comment on anything more than 172.

I think the sim is accurately simulating something, I just don't know
what it is. Maybe I just have more of a tendency to overshoot than to
undershoot. Still, it seems that I drift sometimes even after I am
perfectly aligned.

For what it's worth, I actually did a go-around and flew the pattern
again this evening (or afternoon, in the simulator world), while
landing at KPHX. I managed to hold altitude relatively well (if I
understand correctly, 1000' AGL is the usual position). Turns were
okay. No help from autopilot. The weather was very nice, though,
which made things easier. And I know KPHX and Phoenix very well.
When I saw three aircraft approaching as I turned to base I knew that
ATC was going to shaft me again, but I figured I could use the
practice.

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