Traffic Pattern

[youngflyer]

I am oddly enough having some trouble on the traffic pattern. I just need some tips on how to keep looking up front more and not so much at the runway. I always tend to look at the runway to base my position on and end up drifting to odd and wrong altitudes. What are some tips you guys have? Thanks!

[Sidious]

1. Always know where your wind is coming from. When you pick up the ATIS and are in the traffic pattern visualize where the wind is by looking at your heading indicator.

2. Pick something off on the horizon- Building, lake etc. and use that to track toward. If you start going left or right of it, then use more crab. Its important to pick something far enough off on the horizon so you can see it at most, if not during all the pattern.

3. Don't forget the principles from Rectangular Course- Its the same thing.

4. Relax- Once you can visualize where the wind is coming from and you pick some points to track toward it will be cake.

Good luck!

[exleardriver]

Originally Posted by Sidious

1. Always know where your wind is coming from. When you pick up the ATIS and are in the traffic pattern visualize where the wind is by looking at your heading indicator.

2. Pick something off on the horizon- Building, lake etc. and use that to track toward. If you start going left or right of it, then use more crab. Its important to pick something far enough off on the horizon so you can see it at most, if not during all the pattern.

3. Don't forget the principles from Rectangular Course- Its the same thing.

4. Relax- Once you can visualize where the wind is coming from and you pick some points to track toward it will be cake.

Good luck!

good points from sidious. read up on the ground reference maneuvers. many instructors try to teach these on the ground and you wind up losing in the long run. they lay the basis for many things, not the least of which is how to fly a nice, square traffic pattern. they also teach tracking skills, which will be useful for both dead reckoning navigation when you begin x-country work, and also instrument training where you're essentially tracking once more, but instead of outside visual references, you'll be using inside references using radio navigation. learn your ground reference maneuvers well enough that you could teach a non-pilot. these are my favorites to teach, especially on a windy day when you really see the point driven home. have fun!

[jake.durham]

These are some good points. Even though most people hate ground reference maneuvers, the traffic pattern is what they directly relate back to.

It almost sounds as if you are concentrating too hard on your distance. Although it is an important factor you should be dividing your attention between several other items (altitude, power settings, before landing check, etc...). This will keep you from being so focused on that one thing.

First of all I make sure my students find some sort of reference point on the aircraft to help them establish that 1/4 to 1/2 mile away from the airport runway (wing covering the runway or runway intersecting the wing strut (high and low wings)). Then just like it was pointed out make sure you have some outside reference to fly along or towards (ontop of a road, fence line, in bewteen roads, object in the distance, etc...). If need be just go out into a practice area and track a road for awhile. Some of my students understand this concept better than trying to relate rectangular course to the traffic pattern.

Hope this helps. You'll get it.

[soonerpilot06]

If altitude is your problem, you may not be properly trimmed. If you are properly trimmed on downwind, reducing the power will let the plane come down pretty much hands free and it will stay at the same airspeed. This carries over all the way around to the landing. You should never have to add power if done properly. Take a look at what is right below you on short final to guage some sort of depth perception (for lack of a better phrase). Runway widths can really wreak havoc with your mind. If you are used to landing on a 75ft runway, a 200ft runway tends to make you want to flare really high.