Originally Posted by
Pace
70% of all midair collisions occur in and around the airport. I could be heading 360 to land on runway 36 at a given airport. with the OH I would need to complete six 90 degree turns just to get back to where I was!
Not sure I follow your reasoning,
Pace ... 6 x 90° = 540°, so you would then be landing on runway 18, would you not? The easiest way to join in this case would surely be to approach on the dead-side, descending to circuit height, then turn to join the circuit crosswind? (involving just 4 turns, just like any normal circuit.)
This subject really is an old chestnut. For those of us brought up some years ago, the default way to join a circuit was (and still is) by the Standard Overhead Join. Not only is it recognised practice but it separates joining/descending traffic and circuit traffic and, for established circuit traffic, it clearly defines where any joining traffic should appear. Obviously, for circuits where, for some reason, there is no dead-side or where alternative joining procedures are promulgated, or where there is ATC, an OHJ is neither suitable nor expected. But for a default procedure, where needed, I would suggest that it remains totally adequate.
The only comments I would add are that, firstly, overhead join should made at 1000' above circuit height - i.e. at 1800' for a circuit at 800'. Secondly, it must be infinitely better than the USA pattern joining procedure which involves a 45° turn
against the circuit direction in the mid-field downwind position.
JD
