PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Turn onto xwind and final at 500' - why 500'?
Old 8th Jan 2006, 00:37
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LoneyPie
 
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Re: Turn onto xwind and final at 500' - why 500'?

I learnt that the reason was similar to what djpil earlier said.

Typically, on the climb out, and the late base, airspeeds are low. When you make a banked turn, stall speed increases.

The 500' is there to give you time to recover if you were to get into a stall or an incipient spin.

I also understand that at GA strips, or at an aerodrome without PAPI/VASIS, the idea is to get between a 4-5 degree approach, not 3 degree.

Then the other trivial reasons follow on from that, stucture, procedure, law etc.
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