Pattern Work
 

So this was posted on AvWeb, and I can say I fully support this video. CFI's, please take this to heart, and have a laugh at it too!

YouTube - A Sarcastic View of Pattern Flying

i watched it, cause i subbed that channel awhile back , once he got in the plane it seemed the amount of epaulets he had multiplied by 10 lol

Nice. I always hated when students wanted to do gigantic patterns. This should be required viewing for students and instructors.

wide patterns is definetly my number one pet peeve, followed by calling ready for takeoff from the runup area nowhere near the hold short line.

That is easy to solve as the instructor you know? Pull the engine abeam the land point every single time. Then point at the runway and say, "fly best glide and land me there now, go." See how far they go adrift when they think it is an engine failure.

During this time scold them for their airspeed, making them see it with attitude using the horizon. Do it about every 10 seconds, something like "check airspeed" even if it is right. It can build a scan habit if you are religious with it for 10 or 15 lessons.

The rest of it is just maneuvers, they hopefully they've learned them at altitude first.

I don't know about you shdw, but the airport I instructed at stayed pretty busy. So not all the 747 patterns belonged to my students. I'm familiar with that technique and have used it many times to make a point. But before I did it I also liked to show my students how a tight pattern looked so they could understand and experience the airplane performing in that manner. Sometimes, all they need is to see it can be done differently. The stubborn ones always required an engine kill though. I only had one student who tried to argue with me after I pulled his power on a wide pattern.

I'm almost done with my PPL training and there have been many times I wish my instructor would have done this for me. A lot can be learned just by observing. Sometimes instructors forget it this may be the students first time performing a maneuver, landing, etc even though it may be something "easy" they have done hundreds of times, it's still akward for the student.

I remember specifically wishing I could just watch and feel the controls of a good landing. Fairly simple now, but just feeling the correct backpressure for flare and such would have helped. that extra lap around the field would have cost me about $20 though, so I'll stick to figuring it out on my own. :cool:

Another good reason for a tight pattern.

Call it what you want, I got so ****ed one afternoon I straight up cut a guy out of the pattern. I was abeam on downwind, he was turning base at like 1.5 miles. I simply pulled my studs engine and said "what now?" He did the right thing, and we were in the air again before the jackass was even inside of a mile final.

Good thing about flying vintage military stuff.... break/overhead pattern...

Unfortunately a lot of CFIs and other people (aka pattern police) always think you're doing something illegal... few know how to watch for it.. or know the fact that while they're turning the 2 mile base...you can come into the break at 200kts, gear, flaps, land, taxi to the apron... all before they even turn final.

You realize that only applies to military pilots right? We have a specific waiver that says the break/overhead is not an aerobatic maneuver, as well that the 200 kt restriction inside of 4nm from the primary airport doesn't apply. For you that's not the case.