Circle to land question

On Sat, 14 May 2005 08:55:03 -0500, A Lieberman
wrote:

Since the airspace would be all mine for an IFR arrival,

The point I was trying to make is that that is not necessarily the case.
ATC will separate you from other IFR traffic, but they have NO
responsibility to separate you from VFR traffic.

I **wouldn't think** JAN Approach would care how I maneuvered to get to 35

I'd agree with that. But that does not make it safe or legal.

I doubt that I would find VFR traffic in the pattern when ceilings are 900 feet.
Of course, anything is possible!

Since VFR traffic can legally be in the pattern in that airspace with
weather at 900/5, you only have to be wrong once to have a really bad day.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have legally flown to a similar
airport in similar weather, VFR. I have also seen, at my home airport,
powered parachutes in the pattern and the vicinity at a few hundred feet
AGL.

My preference on a circling approach is to always fly a left hand pattern.
If there is some safety reason to execute a right hand pattern (or if the
airport has right traffic), then I will fly a right hand pattern.


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)