Off the thread slightly, but in agreement with QDMx3. I was doing a bit of circuit bashing at the weekend, and instead of honing my circuit flying skills, half of the time I was worrying about the Cessna 152 whose pilot appeared to think that when he lost sight of the airfield on the horizon over his shoulder was the appropriate time to turn downwind.
I always thought that circuits were supposed to be tight enough that if your engine failed at any time, that there was a reasonable chance of getting back to the runway.
Circuit bashing for the student (I remember) was about consolidating the critical takeoff and landing skills. Wide circuits mean fewer landings per hour. Are students being taken advantage of in a cynical exercise to generate more revenue for flying clubs?
Or am I just too cynical?