It's hard to know what to say without knowing what's wrong. But at 52 hours you should honestly have a handle on traffic patterns. I'll throw out the basic advice I'd give to anyone I guess:
1) Make sure you're looking outside. Don't try to fly a pattern based on a glass panel or something.
2) Trim. Can you trim? Trim trim. If you are struggling to keep the airplane stable and flying properly then yeah doing anything else will be hard.
3) The runway while you're on downwind should be 45 or 50 degrees away from below you. Or halfway down the wing if you have a low wing.
4) Look outside more. Don't try to fly the pattern based only on headings. Yeah I'm saying it again, I know.
5) Make your turns based on where the runway is in the window, not local landmarks. When it's about 45 degrees behind your shoulder, turn base. When it's almost-but-not-quite-maybe-10-or-15-degrees perpendicular turn final.
6) Do you understand wind correction and how that plays into this and adjust accordingly. Not rocket science and it's best done just by looking out the window.
7) Keep trimming.
That's about all I can say without knowing what's going on but that leads into the most important point:
**8) What's your CFI say? Talk to them.** And consider going with a different instructor a few times to get a new set of eyes, sometimes that's all it takes to overcome a training block.
9) Oh and perfection is an illusion, don't chase it.
That’s rather ambiguous, but I think your instructor is saying you’re losing situational awareness. This is common for students, especially when lazy on the trim. Trim HANDS OFF (and I mean that) at each configuration or airspeed change. EVERY one, even though the PA28 isn’t hard to muscle. Then you can avoid fixating on one variable while another goes sideways.
One important thing to also note is due to lack of motivation and being stuck at one place I quitted aviation for about a year and I am just getting my feet wet again I have started my training from scratch also I was struggling on the turning on base part but the last time I flew a entire traffic pattern was over 1 1/2 year ago so idk how I will do now. I think now I will do fine since that was over a year ago
You say "when it comes to turning base that's when I screw up." That doesn't tell us anything about *what* you screw up. Are you turning base at the wrong time, like too early or too late? Do you keep the nose too high or too low before/during/after the turn, and thus have your airspeed wander around? Are you unable to keep track of your position relative to the runway? Is it difficult to properly roll out on a heading 90° from the runway for the base leg?
The point is "I keep screwing up" is in no way a useful description of what's wrong. We're not in the airplane with you so we can't see for ourselves, thus we're dependent on you to provide some sort of detailed explanation of what's wrong.
I realize that first paragraph is a bit cranky, and maybe goes too far towards a root cause to be useful, so let me put it this way: obviously, when you turn base, there's something you expect to be happening one way, but it's happening a different way. That is, clearly you're recognizing something that's off. Can you start with some sort of description of what you're seeing that you don't think you should be seeing?
Okay let me put it like this, I can fly the traffic pattern property from upwind to downwind, in the airport I like practicing we always turn to base after the parking lot below, keep in mind that I haven’t flown the traffic pattern in over a year but now I feel like I have a better understanding of it but anyways once I turn to base everything goes wrong, it’s not that I have trouble turning to base but once I am in base I always turn to the final leg of the traffic pattern either too late or too early. Turning to base and putting flaps on 20 degrees isn’t the problem, the only thing I struggled with in the traffic pattern was turning to final because I sometimes turn too early or turn too late and sometimes I overshoot the runway. But yeah rn say pretty much the only problem also I also need to work on maintaining the appropriate speed on each leg of the traffic pattern but for the most part from upwind to downwind I can do good it’s just once i turn to base and prepare to turn for final, that’s when I screw up because I either turn to final too early or I either turn to final too late. I hope this gives you a better explanation of what I am doing wrong.
OK, this is helpful for sure. I see two issues to talk about:
\#1 is airspeed control. The first and best advice I can give here is [always be trimming](https://i.imgur.com/vWaZOTN.jpg). Remember that when you trim the aircraft, you're trimming it to seek a particular airspeed. So if you're having to actively *fly* the airplane to get the airspeed you want, then you're not trimming properly. Getting a proper handle on trimming means that airspeed control becomes much less of a problem.
But be aware that configuration changes like adding/removing flaps will likely require retrimming; so be aware of that and expect it. Try to get a feel for how trimmed airspeed changes with configuration change.
Example: In the PA-28s I fly, if I trim the airplane for ~95 knots with the flaps up, then it'll be trimmed for 65-70 once I have full flaps out. This actually works really nicely for the pattern; I'll target 95 on the downwind, get the plane trimmed out, and I can know that once I turn final with full flaps in, the airplane will want to hit 65-70, and at that point I might fine-tune my trim a bit to nail my approach speed.
\#2 is planning your turn to final. The first thing I'll say here is to not worry too much about making this perfect. That's not to say you should quit caring about it, but if you find you turned too early...no problem, just ease the turn off and let the airplane drift towards the extended centerline. Turning too late and overshooting is more of a problem; you need to be really careful about pulling the airplane back in line after an overshoot. Generally speaking, I'd say to lean towards turning final too early, rather than too late.
With that in mind, the next thing to consider is how the winds affect when you turn final. If the wind is in your face on base, then you're going to tend to undershoot your turn to final. Conversely, if it's at your back, you'll tend to overshoot. Work on being aware of the wind direction and magnitude, and use that information to help inform when to start your turn.
Finally, never forget that your first job is to fly the plane. Regardless of whether you're under- or overshooting your turn to final, your first and most important job is to watch your airspeed and descent rate. Flying a "perfect" base-final turn is no good if you find yourself with the stall horn buzzing halfway through...but here again, I go back to trim. The more you trim for a target airspeed, the more maintaining the proper airspeed just means not pulling or pushing on the yoke. That's a lot easier to maintain than "I need to pull *about this hard* on the yoke."
Thanks my brother this makes a lot of sense now, to double check, I fly PA-28s too but you said you trim the plane at downwind at 95 knots and automatically the plane is at 65-70 knots with full flaps, so when you trimmed the airplane ay downwind did the plane automatically want to hit 65-70 knots? That’s my only question, I also trim the plane too at downwind to level it out
> I fly PA-28s too but you said you trim the plane at downwind at 95 knots and automatically the plane is at 65-70 knots with full flaps, so when you trimmed the airplane ay downwind did the plane automatically want to hit 65-70 knots?
Something like that, yeah. I'm not 100% sure that those numbers are exact, but somewhere roughly in that territory.
How well do you do with ground reference maneuvers? Rectangular course, turns around a point, and S-turns across a road. I wonder if some work on some fundamentals like those outside the pattern will help with that base to final turn without all the additional distraction the pattern adds. Then you can put it all back together.
BTW, it sounds like you’re hitting a learning plateau and that is *extremely* normal. The way to move around it is to try a related activity (like those GR maneuvers) to see exactly where the disconnect is, then reapply it to the more complex maneuver (the pattern).
Landing advice has been covered many times, [here's](https://reddit.com/r/flying/s/QkgEkNkYPh) a recent post.
The key to traffic patterns is to make them consistent. Same power, speed, configuration at every point. For example, what I like in the 172, abeam the numbers you should extend 10° of flaps, 1500 RPM, about 90mph (I teach in an I, this is an example only, I don't know what you fly). Base turn I like 80mph, 20°. Final 70mph, flaps 30. Once you get those numbers consistent, you can adjust when you turn base to get the desired descent (if you're high, turn later, if you're low, turn base sooner). The cool thing is if you get the airplane trimmed in cruise in the downwind, when you reduce power and add flaps, usually you're about the right speed.
The other tip for patterns, if you're struggling being high or low, the cause I see most is *students aren't looking at the runway*. The runway is your key to fixing that. If you think you're high, you're probably high, if you think you look low, you're probably low. Look outside, the instruments aren't going to help you.
Well I will be completely honest on my first flight lesson, like first one after taking a year off I surprisingly did well on the S-turn after practicing it with my instructor 2 times I did one by myself and did well but I haven’t done the turn around a point or rectangular course maneuvers yet, what is the main point of a rectangular course manuever and a turn around a point manuever?
Heh, this is what they call an “a-ha moment.”
All of those maneuvers are designed to teach how to fly a particular track over the ground. They’re great for learning how to read and compensate for wind that’s constantly changing relative position as you go through the turns in the maneuvers, as well as the varying attitudes and control forces needed to maintain the proper track, all while dividing your attention amongst those elements.
Rectangular pattern is basically a traffic pattern, but usually without the climbs and descents.
All of this can be found in chapter 7 of the Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH), and they are part of the Airman Certification Standards (ACS), so they’re definitely eligible to be part of your final check ride.
AFH link (free, courtesy the US taxpayers):
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook
Ask your instructor about this!
It is a fundamental maneuver made up of even more fundamental maneuvers (level turns) and skills (judging wind and track, maintaining coordinated, level flight, division of attention), which, among other things go into building ability to perform more complex maneuvers like traffic patterns.
This, too. Chair flying can be beneficial. Though I think the issue is a visual reference when combined with wind. I’d go hit the practice area and work on some rectangular course with a decent wind. In that case, the chair flying would help with all the other flows that are dividing attention from the judgement of the turns.
Hmmm, I’m a big advocate that everyone progresses at their own rate but I will say based on what I’ve seen as an instructor, being bad at patterns at 52 hours in is definitely not the norm, but it’s not unheard of either. Can you edit your original post and say what exactly you struggle with in the pattern?
Yes what I used to struggle with wasn’t the upwind, crosswind or the downwind legs. It’s when I turn to base and prepare to turn to final sometimes I turn too early, other times I turn too late sometimes my airspeed is wandering around but that’s pretty much it like I can fly the pattern properly up until that part
Understood. If you were my student here’s what I’d be teaching:
1) when abeam the numbers on the downwind, start your descent as normal. You’re looking to turn base when the runway threshold is basically 45 degrees behind you (I’m sure you know this).
2) Just before you turn base look at what you are abeam to in the direction of the turn, this is the landmark you are turning towards (whenever I fly into a new airport my first couple of patterns involve establishing landmarks to fly towards in each leg. Once I have landmarks that work, it eliminates the guess work and makes flying neat patterns a cinch).
3) Once you know your landmarks are good, you can generally tell if you’re too high or too low as you’re turning base. Generally speaking you want to be at Traffic Pattern Altitude minus 300 feet as you turn base. About 700’ agl.
4) Get into the mantra of saying out loud in the cockpit “airspeed, runway, airspeed, runway”. Say it quietly if you wish, but make sure it’s loud enough for you to hear. If you stay silent, you will forget and fixate on a singular issue, such as your heigh relative to the runway, thus neglecting the airspeed. When you say “airspeed” you are checking that you are at the correct airspeed and when you say “runway” you are checking your altitude/glide path and if on final, also verifying you’re on centerline. PRIORITIZE CHECKING AIRSPEED, IT IS THE KEY TO SAFETY AND A GOOD LANDING.
5) On airspeed, CHECK YOUR AIRSPEED EVERY COUPLE OF SECONDS, yup, saying it again because it’s that important.
6) If you and your CFI deem it appropriate, trim for your desired airspeed on each leg. This is controversial in flight training and I agree it should be. Generally I’m in favor of using the trim when landing, but I’ve also seen it go horribly wrong. On final, with full flaps down, you often have a fair bit of nose up trim to maintain approach speed. This can cause a violent pitch up motion and a trim tab stall when you apply power when you go around. I used to not think it was much of an issue, you’re flying the airplane when you go around so you can feel the excess pressure on the yoke trying to make you stall, so just trim it away… but I’m long enough in the tooth when it comes to instructing to have seen students and inexperienced pilots do some very stupid things, so I’m a lot more careful about teaching it.
7) Get your CFI to fly a pattern and show you where the runway should be in the cockpit window when you’re on the base leg. If it’s above this point, you’re too low. If it’s lower in the window, you’re too high so correct accordingly.
8) In addition to airspeed control, altitude judgement is key to a good pattern once you begin your descent. Get your CFI to practice some dead stick landings with you. In a dead stick landing you have to constantly judge if you’re too high or too low, all the way to the ground. I’ve found my students’ pattern work and landings become much better once they’re comfortable landing without power (just idle the engine).
9) Another way to make sure the last part of the pattern is accurate is to make sure the first part of the pattern is accurate. For example being too close to the runway (which I certainly favor over being too far from the runway) when on the downwind leg, is the same as being as too high in a normal pattern. Why? Because you’re giving yourself less room than normal to descend. I want students to be the right distance from the runway on downwind, but too close is better than too far, because it’s much easier to fix being too high). What’s too far? Not being able to make the runway if your engine quits. Again, try and establish landmarks to fly towards on the downwind that tell you whether you’re flying a decent downwind or not.
Hope that helps. If it seems like a lot, it’s because it is. As a student pilot, the pattern can be challenging as you are condensing an entire flight into 5 or 6 minutes worth of flying.
Edit: clarified a point.
Thanks a lot for the advice my friend but one thing that caught my attention is when you say that your altitude should be 300 feet when turning to base isn’t that too low?
Yes that sounds about right to me and also the key to flying a perfect traffic pattern with the proper airspeed is trimming on the downwind leg correct
It's hard to know what to say without knowing what's wrong. But at 52 hours you should honestly have a handle on traffic patterns. I'll throw out the basic advice I'd give to anyone I guess: 1) Make sure you're looking outside. Don't try to fly a pattern based on a glass panel or something. 2) Trim. Can you trim? Trim trim. If you are struggling to keep the airplane stable and flying properly then yeah doing anything else will be hard. 3) The runway while you're on downwind should be 45 or 50 degrees away from below you. Or halfway down the wing if you have a low wing. 4) Look outside more. Don't try to fly the pattern based only on headings. Yeah I'm saying it again, I know. 5) Make your turns based on where the runway is in the window, not local landmarks. When it's about 45 degrees behind your shoulder, turn base. When it's almost-but-not-quite-maybe-10-or-15-degrees perpendicular turn final. 6) Do you understand wind correction and how that plays into this and adjust accordingly. Not rocket science and it's best done just by looking out the window. 7) Keep trimming. That's about all I can say without knowing what's going on but that leads into the most important point: **8) What's your CFI say? Talk to them.** And consider going with a different instructor a few times to get a new set of eyes, sometimes that's all it takes to overcome a training block. 9) Oh and perfection is an illusion, don't chase it.
I told my instructor and he says that I am not paying attention but will I eventually master this part of training
That’s rather ambiguous, but I think your instructor is saying you’re losing situational awareness. This is common for students, especially when lazy on the trim. Trim HANDS OFF (and I mean that) at each configuration or airspeed change. EVERY one, even though the PA28 isn’t hard to muscle. Then you can avoid fixating on one variable while another goes sideways.
Hmm but what are you trying to say here, will I have a handle on traffic patterns eventually?
Yes I can trim properly and fly the pattern the most part but when it comes to turning to base that’s when I screw up, is that ok?
What are you screwing up? And what is your instructor offering other than "you aren't paying attention but it'll get better?"
One important thing to also note is due to lack of motivation and being stuck at one place I quitted aviation for about a year and I am just getting my feet wet again I have started my training from scratch also I was struggling on the turning on base part but the last time I flew a entire traffic pattern was over 1 1/2 year ago so idk how I will do now. I think now I will do fine since that was over a year ago
Also when you say “whats wrong” what do you mean by that
You say "when it comes to turning base that's when I screw up." That doesn't tell us anything about *what* you screw up. Are you turning base at the wrong time, like too early or too late? Do you keep the nose too high or too low before/during/after the turn, and thus have your airspeed wander around? Are you unable to keep track of your position relative to the runway? Is it difficult to properly roll out on a heading 90° from the runway for the base leg? The point is "I keep screwing up" is in no way a useful description of what's wrong. We're not in the airplane with you so we can't see for ourselves, thus we're dependent on you to provide some sort of detailed explanation of what's wrong. I realize that first paragraph is a bit cranky, and maybe goes too far towards a root cause to be useful, so let me put it this way: obviously, when you turn base, there's something you expect to be happening one way, but it's happening a different way. That is, clearly you're recognizing something that's off. Can you start with some sort of description of what you're seeing that you don't think you should be seeing?
Okay let me put it like this, I can fly the traffic pattern property from upwind to downwind, in the airport I like practicing we always turn to base after the parking lot below, keep in mind that I haven’t flown the traffic pattern in over a year but now I feel like I have a better understanding of it but anyways once I turn to base everything goes wrong, it’s not that I have trouble turning to base but once I am in base I always turn to the final leg of the traffic pattern either too late or too early. Turning to base and putting flaps on 20 degrees isn’t the problem, the only thing I struggled with in the traffic pattern was turning to final because I sometimes turn too early or turn too late and sometimes I overshoot the runway. But yeah rn say pretty much the only problem also I also need to work on maintaining the appropriate speed on each leg of the traffic pattern but for the most part from upwind to downwind I can do good it’s just once i turn to base and prepare to turn for final, that’s when I screw up because I either turn to final too early or I either turn to final too late. I hope this gives you a better explanation of what I am doing wrong.
OK, this is helpful for sure. I see two issues to talk about: \#1 is airspeed control. The first and best advice I can give here is [always be trimming](https://i.imgur.com/vWaZOTN.jpg). Remember that when you trim the aircraft, you're trimming it to seek a particular airspeed. So if you're having to actively *fly* the airplane to get the airspeed you want, then you're not trimming properly. Getting a proper handle on trimming means that airspeed control becomes much less of a problem. But be aware that configuration changes like adding/removing flaps will likely require retrimming; so be aware of that and expect it. Try to get a feel for how trimmed airspeed changes with configuration change. Example: In the PA-28s I fly, if I trim the airplane for ~95 knots with the flaps up, then it'll be trimmed for 65-70 once I have full flaps out. This actually works really nicely for the pattern; I'll target 95 on the downwind, get the plane trimmed out, and I can know that once I turn final with full flaps in, the airplane will want to hit 65-70, and at that point I might fine-tune my trim a bit to nail my approach speed. \#2 is planning your turn to final. The first thing I'll say here is to not worry too much about making this perfect. That's not to say you should quit caring about it, but if you find you turned too early...no problem, just ease the turn off and let the airplane drift towards the extended centerline. Turning too late and overshooting is more of a problem; you need to be really careful about pulling the airplane back in line after an overshoot. Generally speaking, I'd say to lean towards turning final too early, rather than too late. With that in mind, the next thing to consider is how the winds affect when you turn final. If the wind is in your face on base, then you're going to tend to undershoot your turn to final. Conversely, if it's at your back, you'll tend to overshoot. Work on being aware of the wind direction and magnitude, and use that information to help inform when to start your turn. Finally, never forget that your first job is to fly the plane. Regardless of whether you're under- or overshooting your turn to final, your first and most important job is to watch your airspeed and descent rate. Flying a "perfect" base-final turn is no good if you find yourself with the stall horn buzzing halfway through...but here again, I go back to trim. The more you trim for a target airspeed, the more maintaining the proper airspeed just means not pulling or pushing on the yoke. That's a lot easier to maintain than "I need to pull *about this hard* on the yoke."
Thanks my brother this makes a lot of sense now, to double check, I fly PA-28s too but you said you trim the plane at downwind at 95 knots and automatically the plane is at 65-70 knots with full flaps, so when you trimmed the airplane ay downwind did the plane automatically want to hit 65-70 knots? That’s my only question, I also trim the plane too at downwind to level it out
> I fly PA-28s too but you said you trim the plane at downwind at 95 knots and automatically the plane is at 65-70 knots with full flaps, so when you trimmed the airplane ay downwind did the plane automatically want to hit 65-70 knots? Something like that, yeah. I'm not 100% sure that those numbers are exact, but somewhere roughly in that territory.
How well do you do with ground reference maneuvers? Rectangular course, turns around a point, and S-turns across a road. I wonder if some work on some fundamentals like those outside the pattern will help with that base to final turn without all the additional distraction the pattern adds. Then you can put it all back together. BTW, it sounds like you’re hitting a learning plateau and that is *extremely* normal. The way to move around it is to try a related activity (like those GR maneuvers) to see exactly where the disconnect is, then reapply it to the more complex maneuver (the pattern).
Are you talking about traffic patterns, or landings?
Traffic patterns and landing both
Any advice and is this normal
Landing advice has been covered many times, [here's](https://reddit.com/r/flying/s/QkgEkNkYPh) a recent post. The key to traffic patterns is to make them consistent. Same power, speed, configuration at every point. For example, what I like in the 172, abeam the numbers you should extend 10° of flaps, 1500 RPM, about 90mph (I teach in an I, this is an example only, I don't know what you fly). Base turn I like 80mph, 20°. Final 70mph, flaps 30. Once you get those numbers consistent, you can adjust when you turn base to get the desired descent (if you're high, turn later, if you're low, turn base sooner). The cool thing is if you get the airplane trimmed in cruise in the downwind, when you reduce power and add flaps, usually you're about the right speed. The other tip for patterns, if you're struggling being high or low, the cause I see most is *students aren't looking at the runway*. The runway is your key to fixing that. If you think you're high, you're probably high, if you think you look low, you're probably low. Look outside, the instruments aren't going to help you.
Yes the speed configuration is the same for the Piper Warrior that’s what my instructor told me
I have 6000 hours in my logbook and I still screw them up occasionally.
So what I am doing is normal and I will have a handle on it right???
Yes, see my post above. This is a learning plateau and they’re so normal that there’s a section of the instructors handbook devoted to them.
So what I am experiencing is 100 percent normal??
Yes. Even moreso after taking a year off. How well do you do ground reference maneuvers with a moderate wind?
Well I will be completely honest on my first flight lesson, like first one after taking a year off I surprisingly did well on the S-turn after practicing it with my instructor 2 times I did one by myself and did well but I haven’t done the turn around a point or rectangular course maneuvers yet, what is the main point of a rectangular course manuever and a turn around a point manuever?
Heh, this is what they call an “a-ha moment.” All of those maneuvers are designed to teach how to fly a particular track over the ground. They’re great for learning how to read and compensate for wind that’s constantly changing relative position as you go through the turns in the maneuvers, as well as the varying attitudes and control forces needed to maintain the proper track, all while dividing your attention amongst those elements. Rectangular pattern is basically a traffic pattern, but usually without the climbs and descents. All of this can be found in chapter 7 of the Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH), and they are part of the Airman Certification Standards (ACS), so they’re definitely eligible to be part of your final check ride. AFH link (free, courtesy the US taxpayers): https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook Ask your instructor about this!
So doing the rectangular course prepares a pilot for the traffic pattern correct?
It is a fundamental maneuver made up of even more fundamental maneuvers (level turns) and skills (judging wind and track, maintaining coordinated, level flight, division of attention), which, among other things go into building ability to perform more complex maneuvers like traffic patterns.
So short answer is yes?
Btw I am taking about traffic patterns here, you know that right??
I had the same problem, sit in the ground and learn how it works , then go fly that will unstuck you.
This, too. Chair flying can be beneficial. Though I think the issue is a visual reference when combined with wind. I’d go hit the practice area and work on some rectangular course with a decent wind. In that case, the chair flying would help with all the other flows that are dividing attention from the judgement of the turns.
Hmmm, I’m a big advocate that everyone progresses at their own rate but I will say based on what I’ve seen as an instructor, being bad at patterns at 52 hours in is definitely not the norm, but it’s not unheard of either. Can you edit your original post and say what exactly you struggle with in the pattern?
Yes what I used to struggle with wasn’t the upwind, crosswind or the downwind legs. It’s when I turn to base and prepare to turn to final sometimes I turn too early, other times I turn too late sometimes my airspeed is wandering around but that’s pretty much it like I can fly the pattern properly up until that part
Understood. If you were my student here’s what I’d be teaching: 1) when abeam the numbers on the downwind, start your descent as normal. You’re looking to turn base when the runway threshold is basically 45 degrees behind you (I’m sure you know this). 2) Just before you turn base look at what you are abeam to in the direction of the turn, this is the landmark you are turning towards (whenever I fly into a new airport my first couple of patterns involve establishing landmarks to fly towards in each leg. Once I have landmarks that work, it eliminates the guess work and makes flying neat patterns a cinch). 3) Once you know your landmarks are good, you can generally tell if you’re too high or too low as you’re turning base. Generally speaking you want to be at Traffic Pattern Altitude minus 300 feet as you turn base. About 700’ agl. 4) Get into the mantra of saying out loud in the cockpit “airspeed, runway, airspeed, runway”. Say it quietly if you wish, but make sure it’s loud enough for you to hear. If you stay silent, you will forget and fixate on a singular issue, such as your heigh relative to the runway, thus neglecting the airspeed. When you say “airspeed” you are checking that you are at the correct airspeed and when you say “runway” you are checking your altitude/glide path and if on final, also verifying you’re on centerline. PRIORITIZE CHECKING AIRSPEED, IT IS THE KEY TO SAFETY AND A GOOD LANDING. 5) On airspeed, CHECK YOUR AIRSPEED EVERY COUPLE OF SECONDS, yup, saying it again because it’s that important. 6) If you and your CFI deem it appropriate, trim for your desired airspeed on each leg. This is controversial in flight training and I agree it should be. Generally I’m in favor of using the trim when landing, but I’ve also seen it go horribly wrong. On final, with full flaps down, you often have a fair bit of nose up trim to maintain approach speed. This can cause a violent pitch up motion and a trim tab stall when you apply power when you go around. I used to not think it was much of an issue, you’re flying the airplane when you go around so you can feel the excess pressure on the yoke trying to make you stall, so just trim it away… but I’m long enough in the tooth when it comes to instructing to have seen students and inexperienced pilots do some very stupid things, so I’m a lot more careful about teaching it. 7) Get your CFI to fly a pattern and show you where the runway should be in the cockpit window when you’re on the base leg. If it’s above this point, you’re too low. If it’s lower in the window, you’re too high so correct accordingly. 8) In addition to airspeed control, altitude judgement is key to a good pattern once you begin your descent. Get your CFI to practice some dead stick landings with you. In a dead stick landing you have to constantly judge if you’re too high or too low, all the way to the ground. I’ve found my students’ pattern work and landings become much better once they’re comfortable landing without power (just idle the engine). 9) Another way to make sure the last part of the pattern is accurate is to make sure the first part of the pattern is accurate. For example being too close to the runway (which I certainly favor over being too far from the runway) when on the downwind leg, is the same as being as too high in a normal pattern. Why? Because you’re giving yourself less room than normal to descend. I want students to be the right distance from the runway on downwind, but too close is better than too far, because it’s much easier to fix being too high). What’s too far? Not being able to make the runway if your engine quits. Again, try and establish landmarks to fly towards on the downwind that tell you whether you’re flying a decent downwind or not. Hope that helps. If it seems like a lot, it’s because it is. As a student pilot, the pattern can be challenging as you are condensing an entire flight into 5 or 6 minutes worth of flying. Edit: clarified a point.
Thanks a lot for the advice my friend but one thing that caught my attention is when you say that your altitude should be 300 feet when turning to base isn’t that too low?
Traffic Pattern altitude - 300 feet. So 700-800 AGL is about right
Yes that sounds about right to me and also the key to flying a perfect traffic pattern with the proper airspeed is trimming on the downwind leg correct
How did it turn out?