Cosmic Wind
Two things, firstly
the bad attitude to circuit flying taught
is complete tosh. It is never taught to fly a circuit outside the ATZ. Just cast your mind back to the time when you were learning. How long did it take you to level off and trim on the crosswind leg when you were a novice. Long enough to fly close to the 2 mile mark I'd wager. When you were first introduced to the downwind checks were you able to reel them off quickly, or did it take time and all of a sudden you'd find yourself very late downwind (and probably at +/- 200ft as well). As an intructor I
have to let the student fly these circuits, naturally I encourage a reasonably tight circuit, but at the beginning the student just can't do it. It does them no good whatsoever if I'm constantly saying "turn now bloggs"
Secondly, Glos is a very busy GA airfield with lots of training organisations (6 at the last count I think) so it's quite common for there to be a novice student doing circuits. When I'm in the circuit with a student and there are 4 others, I suggest to my student that we follow the one ahead (wherever it is) because if we don't we will run the risk of cutting up the student on the wide circuit. When we're number three for landing, then we must stay number three.
Ideal it isn't, but it is reality.