Pace........here, here, here. Landed right on the numbers with your posts.

Bjornhall: There IS another OHJ method that does work extremely well, is ordered, helpful to the pilot & avoids unnecessary turning - the French method.

This involves arriving at 90 deg to main runway orientation & ascertaining runway direction at 1500'AGL. You then turn into the relevant circuit direction & only descend to 1000'AGL once x-wind.

Is used at several gliding sites in the UK, e.g. Booker, so must have sense as this is a scenario where separation & visibility are crucial (aero-tows, low-viz gliders & parallel runway operations). It's also essentially the method used at the London TMA height-limited Denham ATZ when traffic separation on arrival cannot be gauranteed....they tend to call it "an early go-around into the circuit", but in effect it's exactly the same idea & makes a lot of safety sense.

Sure the US 45 deg method also has its logic & is faster, but doesn't allow you to "fly the circuit" or get the overhead perspective on wind/surface conditions in the same way.

I think we should be lobbying the CAA to dump this old WW1 relic & fly what is SAFEST not what is tradition....

We'll be using GPS as a navigation tool next :rolleyes:

ATC: "Join overhead rw nn ..."
Me: "Request straight in"
ATC: "Straight in approved, no. 3 to the xxx late downwind"

Still not difficult. You don't necessarily have to take the first offer, you can always try negotiating.

Gertrude

Sounds lovely but at some places (nameless) "request straight in"
"negative we have an aircraft in the circuit, somewhere? or did he go? anyway I am sure we will have another at some time. Join overhead."

Sounds far fetched? I can assure you there are places just like that :) and usually run by commitees :)

Pace