Originally Posted by
gogoflying
Recently I struggled with a standard OHJ. I'm fairly inexperienced having only qualified this year, and most my training was at a quiet airfield. I fly a C42 microlight (so fairly slow). I made a standard OHJ. At the point of me crossing the upwind end of the runway and joining crosswind, I heard another aircraft call downwind (LH circuit). I couldn't see them but they were probably to my right as I'm joining the downwind (about halfway down the downwind leg because of the OHJ). Potentially we are now on a collision course (both at circuit height). I still can't see them. So, as I can't see them, I climb 1000ft back up to Overhead join height and join again. I think I did the right thing, although its frustrating as I think they were too far out to call downwind, and definitely not following the prescribed circuit pattern.
On that last point I have also made the mistake of assuming that just because someone has called downwind / finals etc that they are also following the published circuit pattern. Joining downwind I knew there was another aircraft (PA28) ahead of me although I didn't have visual. That's because they were at least 1 mile further out that the published downwind leg. I'm following the correct downwind leg (a mile closer to the runway), and still no sight. I reach the point of turning final, and then they call final. Still no sight I then decide to climb and continue downwind into the deadside.
I suppose in both of these examples, I'm following the prescribed circuit (published in Pooleys) , and others are not, yet it's me that has to take the avoiding action. You could argue I need to get better and looking out and fitting in, but then in both cases I would not be following the published circuit.
I wondered if on both occasion this was the right thing to do? How much deviation in the published circuit is acceptable? Thoughts?!!
I'd say you did exactly the right thing. It is always a problem when pilots don't make r/t calls in the wrong place.
It's also a problem when pilots fly "bomber" sized circuits. It's by no means unusual for some pilots of light aircraft to fly circuits so big that they leave the protection of the ATZ.
A colleague of mine was carrying out an instrument let down over an NDB located in the centre of an of an airfield (whilst correctly speaking to them on the radio). This was our usual bad weather route in and out of the company's landing site so it was a very well worn and accurately flown route - the NDB was the IAF). After landing he was rather taken aback to receive a very angry call from a flying instructor who claimed that my colleague conflicted with his flight path as he and his student turned based leg. It eventually became obvious the instructor was teaching circuits (or supposed to be) at a second airfield six nautical miles away! The downwind leg and base turn onto finals he had flown had been so protracted that they had entered another ATZ!
I recently overflew an ATZ having contacted ATC who told us there were no other aircraft on frequency. Shortly after ATC told us that, a previously unannounced pilot (of a Cessna 172) called "overhead" as we were very close by. We were concerned that we couldn't see him although we were at a higher altitude. As we flew over I eventually saw the second aircraft still approximately three miles away from the overhead.