You're Not Going To Believe This: Another Cirrus Is Down (Statesville, NC)

Viperdoc writes:

On the other hand, pilots that fly slower airplanes should also be aware
that they do not need to fly patterns the same size as someone in a 747. You
do not need a five mile final in a 152- it does tend to back up everyone
else in the pattern.

This is something that confuses me about patterns: Isn't the purpose
of the pattern to keep everyone moving in the same path? Clearly, if
you fly lower or higher than someone else, or inside or outside their
path, you're separated, but isn't there still a risk that you'll
collide at some point?

I always picture aircraft in a pattern following each other in a neat
line, but it sounds like it doesn't work this way in real life, and so
I'm still a bit confused on how they avoid hitting each other if they
are all flying at different altitudes and distances with legs of
different lengths.

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