Vertically separated circuits

[ATCO Too]

Hi does anyone know of an airfield that operates VFR circuits on the same side but split vertically? E.g. One set of a/c at say 700 feet and another set at 1500 feet.

[AerocatS2A]

The deal in Australia is that very slow aircraft, microlights etc, fly a 500' close circuit, light to mid sized singles and twins fly 1000' medium circuits, and jets and large turboprops fly wide 1500' circuits. There are a number of airfields that have this type of traffic mix and it works pretty well. The mix of traffic creates other problems but the circuits themselves are ok,

[matelo99]

Raf benson has multiple heights for different types. Fixed wing at 800', load lifting aircraft at 600' and rotary at 1000' if my memory serves me right although I may be 100' out on 1 of them. It works very well.

[Biggles78]

NZCH, grass circuit was 900'. Sealed runway was 1,400' AMSL. Airport height was 123' AMSL.

[chevvron]

Farnborough: 1200ft alt for aircraft up to 2730 kg and 1700ft alt for aircraft above that weight.
Blackbushe: (daylight only) singles 800ft agl, twins 1200ft agl
Fairoaks: Fixed wing 1100ft alt, helicopters 800ft alt.

[West Coast]

Hi does anyone know of an airfield that operates VFR circuits on the same side but split vertically? E.g. One set of a/c at say 700 feet and another set at 1500 feet.

Yuma Arizona. 700 for rotary wing, 1200 ft. For piston, 1700 for jets.

[ChrisJ800]

When I did CPL training at Bankstown near Sydney in the 80's, circuit height was 800 feet for training touch and gos on one parallel runway and 1000 feet opposite pattern for other arrivals on the other 2 parallel runways (3 in parallel). This changed in the 90's.

[Mark 1]

Enstone operates 600' circuits for microlights and motor gliders and 800' for everyone else. All the circuits are to the North (historically to avoid conflict with Upper Heyford). Although when gliders were operating they used a pattern to the south.

Generally, it works well. The slower traffic uses the tighter pattern and is generally in sight of the higher pattern traffic. The availability of parallel grass and hard runways also helps avoiding a forced go-around if traffic gets too close on final.

[pattern_is_full]

San Juan, Puerto Rico's smaller airport (TJIG) has two patterns, even for same-category aircraft (or at least, light GA planes and the ubiquitous Islanders can use either, with ATC approval).

The normal pattern at 1000 AGL has to be flown wide and at an angle out over the Atlantic Ocean (downwind), and then base over the harbor mouth, to avoid a restricted "historic" area over the Old City peninsula that would fall beneath a normal pattern.

See: http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Isleta-Plans.png

So there is an optional "inner pattern" at 600 feet, over the shipping channel adjacent to the runway - the Canal San Antonio or San Antonio Channel.

Both patterns are on the north, but separated laterally (obviously), and the inner pattern is lower because there is less distance/time to lose altitude on tight base and short final.

The inner pattern tracks over cargo and cruise ship docks, which, as cruise ships especially have grown in height in this century, can get - interesting. But large ships maneuvering in the harbor have always been a "feature" on final anyway.

[Dont Hang Up]

I guess the above can be summarised to say there are no vertically separated circuits. Only laterally separated circuits which are likely to operate with different heights commensurate with how tight they are to the runway.

Actually the idea of identical circuit patterns, vertically separated, sounds quite scary. At least for VFR!

[ChickenHouse]

Actually the idea of identical circuit patterns, vertically separated, sounds quite scary. At least for VFR!
It does sound scary and indeed, it is. There are some airfields with even intersecting circuits on different altitude for microlights, motor and gliders, so it is not that uncommon though.