Originally Posted by
MrAverage
Just for comparison and clarity for any Brits reading your post (that is in no way criticising your actions whatsoever), in the UK, orbits anywhere inside an ATZ are a big no no, unless the airfield has full ATC and then, only when instructed or approved by the tower controller and also only on the downwind leg turning away from the airfield. There was a fatal accident some years ago at Southend when a student was instructed to orbit on final and spun in...................
Each to their own (different airfields need different actions) but I disagree; working as a FISO I've known pilots to voluntarily orbit for spacing; of course I cannot instruct them to do so but if the pilot decides that's what is needed to maintain spacing I can't stop them.
Of course when I was an ATCO I frequently instructed pilots of light VFR traffic to orbit if there was IFR jet traffic 'inside 4' giving them direction of turn too.
Once at Farnborough with its 1800m LDA I had 2 light aircraft landing and I simply instructed the first one to aim to touch down at the intersection with the north/south runway and the second to aim for the numbers; unconventional I know but having worked a similar system at several PFA Rallys I was positive it was 'safe'.
NB: CAP 493 (Manual of Air Traffic Services) covers this at Section 1, Chapter 1, para 1.2, second sentence. (which in my opinion is too rarely invoked by controllers nowadays).
A similar proviso is included in CAP 797 (Flight Information Service Officer Manual).