The pattern should be kept as small as possible so everyone can see you. I flew to Stapleford once. They had some guys flying Cessna 152s downwind and base legs so far out i swear they left the ATZ!*
Stapleford is a total free-for-all. Downright scary last time I went there, and the biggest cowboys were planes with instructors in them.
IMHO, people should fly the
published circuit, and if you are sure you are #1 then you can fly a tight base/final continuous descent. I like to do tight approaches but one cannot do them if it cuts somebody up.
And most people who think they can cut somebody up successfully have misjudged it, and merely force the other one to go around. With the exception of some aerobatic types (flown by skilled pilots, I assume) every time I have been cut up, I had to go around.
There is a clear rule that you don't cut up the one in front of you - whether you like his B52 circuit or not.
Cue another long thread on how to fly circuits
