Stupid Newbie Pattern Question

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

I bought my handheld radio the day after I turned final to see myself
on collision course with a twin flying straight in at Hampton NH. (I
turned 90 degrees for a bit, then followed him in.)

I hadn't seen him, he hadn't seen me. Afterward he said: "Don't you
have a radio in that thing?" (It was a J-3 Cub.)

He was an instructor! He had a student flying the plane! It was his
first-ever visit to this grass field which is flagged "intensive
flight training"!

As you say: legal but not prudent. Indeed, I would call it stupid.


Which of you made the most errors?

Michael wrote:
The "final" leg at uncontrolled airports is where most air-air
collisions and near misses occur. You have potentially converging
traffic at the same altitude banking, turning and doing GUMPs checks
all in a very confined space.My strong recommendation is to avoid
straight in approaches at uncontrolled airports. it can be hard to see
the guy turning from base to final who is flying a normal pattern and
he is not too likely to see you. It may be legal to do straight
ins...but it isn't prudent.


Actually, I think you'll find that nearly all of those accidents involve
either two aircraft on final who had flow the traffic pattern or
involved an aircraft rolling out or departing on the ground.

It's rare that there is a straight-in involved because most people DO
fly the patterns. Your comments about people being distracted and
fixated on the threshold is well take though.

"Michael" wrote in message
oups.com...

The "final" leg at uncontrolled airports is where most air-air
collisions and near misses occur.


What is your evidence of that?



You have potentially converging
traffic at the same altitude banking, turning and doing GUMPs checks
all in a very confined space.My strong recommendation is to avoid
straight in approaches at uncontrolled airports. it can be hard to see
the guy turning from base to final who is flying a normal pattern and
he is not too likely to see you.


Why can it be hard to see the guy turning from base to final who is flying a
normal pattern and why is he not too likely to see you?



It may be legal to do straight ins...but it isn't prudent.


Why not? What's the difference between a five-mile final on a straight-in
approach and a five-mile final out of a full pattern if others in the
pattern aren't looking for traffic to the outside?