Traffic Pattern Conflict With Warrior

[jaylw314]

You REALLY want the traffic to be empty to do the midfield downwind entry.  I did this once and suddenly spotted a NORDO plane on the downwind (flying 200 ft lower than pattern altitude).  Now my options were:

1. Turn left early to cut in front on the downwind.  Rude, perhaps.  Violates the concept of giving way to the right.  Most importantly means you're turning belly up to the conflicting traffic and losing sight.
2. Turn right to give way to the right.  Also means you're suddenly turning against the traffic flow in tight quarters.
3. Descend.  He was already lower, but even if he was at pattern altitude, you don't know when people will start descending to land

None of those were particularly good options, so I ended climbing above straight out past the downwind.  I was still fast enough I could gain a couple hundred feet easily, but if I was slow this might have been trickier.

Conversely, entering on the 45, you have more time to spot planes in the pattern and you're closing slower and have more time and space to turn back out.  Kind of like how they tell you avoid approaching a ridge line perpendicular to it, so have more time and less turning needed to get away from danger.

I still use the midfield downwind entry, but I always get a little nervous doing so

Edited November 16, 2021 by jaylw314