RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM THE BACK SEAT By Jeff Orchard

PATTERNS IN THE SKY

We were standing on the runway on one of those really hazy, hot and humid days wondering if we could get one last instructional flight in before the murk shut us down. Jerry Lamontagne, the tow pilot, said he thought we could get to two thousand feet for a pattern anyway. It looked pretty gray off the end of the runway to me, but I said, " Let's go, we can always release early if it gets nasty." We took off in fairly calm conditions, and as we cleared the tree line, I realized that I could only see about a quarter of a mile ahead. I told the student that we would release early, around a thousand feet and do an abbreviated pattern so we could get on the ground before we lost all visibility. At around 800 feet, the towplane flew into a wall of water and disappeared. We released immediately, and started to turn left to pick up a shortened downwind leg. I was looking back to find the runway when we were rocked by some pretty severe turbulence, which was the leading edge of a gust front accompanying the rain. The downwind leg was rapid, to say the least.

Recognizing that the wind was right down the runway, and the trees were leaning way over, I made the turn onto base at about 700 feet, just opposite the approach end of the runway. A 45 degree crab angle wasn't working for us, we were still drifting away from the runway. I turned into the wind, still about 400 feet to the left of the centerline and increased my speed to 80. We were just creeping over the ground, trading altitude for speed, and slowly working our way sideways toward the runway. At 400 feet, just off the end of the runway, our indicated airspeed was 85 and we weren't making any headway at all. I told the student that he should tighten his shoulder straps because I thought we were going to have to put it into the trees.

I experimented briefly by putting the nose down to see if additional airspeed would help, but all that did was increase our rate of descent. We were definitely behind the curve, and the trees looked like the best choice. I picked a spot directly below that was mostly saplings, figuring that they would do the least damage. I wanted to try to slow down a bit just as we touched down in order to match airspeed and wind speed, hopefully minimizing impact and settling us into the shrubbery to keep us down once we were on the ground. With 150 feet of altitude, about a hundred feet from the end of the runway, the wind gradient saved us. A decrease in wind due to the frictional effect of the ground allowed us to squirt over the threshold. I could see the half-dollar sized eyes of the ground crew as they watched the glider creep ahead slowly toward a spot about a hundred feet from the end of the runway. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I flared gently, slowing to about 50 MPH, and landed the glider rolling backwards. The ground crew, bless their hearts, grabbed the wingtips, and raised the tail of the glider to eliminate the positive angle of attack. I finally opened the spoilers. We stayed in the glider as it was tied down, and got out in a very heavy rain, not really noticing how wet we were, just thankful to be on the ground. As I look back on the experience, the thing that is most amazing to me is that the tow plane landed just before us- downwind. Those L-19's are really something. Those L-19 pilots are also really something.

In my capacity as an instructor, I often see a student looking for something, a particular house, tree or other landmark as they fly the pattern. The pattern for them includes a turn at 600 feet over the pink house onto base, and another at 400 feet over the corner of the pig farm to a final approach that was just like the last flight. If the wind is from exact same direction and the exact same speed as the last flight, then there is a high probability that it will be a similar pattern.....unless you are too high over the entry point. Then everything is different, your spoiler use changes and your speed changes and your touchdown point changes and so on and so on. Given the nature of the atmosphere, every pattern is going to be different. I defy even the best pilot to enter the pattern at 1000 feet and know in advance that if they put the spoiler lever right there, set the speed at 55 knots and turn over the pink house etc. that they will land right at the windsock.

I really enjoy a challenging landing. You could argue that any landing is challenging. I'm talking about the ones that really make you work to overcome less than ideal conditions. A rope break or strong sink will do it. So will the "Omigod, can I make it back from HERE?" flight that every one eventually has. These are the landings that really teach you how to fly. Instructor not required. The best pilots will try to make a nasty situation into something as close to normal as quickly as they can. A rope break at 400 feet in reasonably calm conditions can be turned into a 180 degree turn onto final. You end up at 300 feet off the end of the runway, a place you have been many times before. Even more drastic situations can be imagined, but if your goal is to turn a threatening situation into something more familiar, the feeling of being out of control ( a bad one for pilots) goes away. The adrenaline may linger awhile longer though.

So, you insist, get to the point. The moral of this story is that we fly a traffic pattern for several reasons. We are in close proximity to the airport with time to evaluate the conditions so that we can adjust our flight path to land safely. We are predictable. This one is important if there are students or low time pilots flying solo with us. As you practice your landings, pretend that the runway is an aircraft carrier and use it and the wind sock to land without the cues on the ground that you normally use. Or perhaps with an instructor, do a right hand pattern or land in the other direction. You'll be amazed at how different things look. One of my favorites is to give the little knob on the altimeter a couple of good twists as I enter the pattern. Without a reference to altitude, most people fly a very conservative pattern. All these exercises prepare a pilot for landings away from their home airport where the field elevation or current altimeter setting may be unavailable. They also prepare a pilot for less than optimal flight conditions and provide a certain satisfaction in knowing that you can handle more than still air at sunset. Above all, don't be reluctant to fly with an instructor when the conditions give you concern.

A traffic pattern is a tool just like the stick and rudder pedals while you are in flight. Just as you adjust the controls to get the desired effect, you also adjust the pattern to suit the conditions and get the result that you want. My experience in the gust front is an extreme example of adjusting the pattern for certain, but it is different from every other pattern I've ever flown only in scale.

The old adage says that the three most useless things in flying are: runway behind you, altitude above you and ten seconds ago. I often have students who make a mistake in the pattern and then grumble about how stupid they are for the next few moments, all the while thinking about ten seconds ago. " If I only had done this instead of that, this would be a perfect pattern. Gee, I wish I had done that, etc,etc,etc." Meanwhile, the glider is moving ahead at 55 m.p.h and the ground is rising up at 500 feet per minute and the student is thinking about the mistake he made as he turned on to the downwind leg. I usually let him/her simmer in the juices for a bit and then wonder out loud what is going to happen next. It is usually enough to get them thinking about what is going on and they usually figure out that they are in flight, in the pattern and if they perform some moderate aerial gymnastics, the flight might actually end on a positive note.

Save the analysis for the post flight, on the ground discussion. Everyone, I do mean everyone ( I resemble this remark) makes a mistake now and then. How it is handled provides me with a lot of insight as to what kind of a pilot I have with me. The good ones may note that they blew it, but they are the ones that take the new set of circumstances and drag a passable if not brilliant conclusion to the flight from the jaws of disaster. Once their two feet are firmly planted on the ground, they are welcome to beat themselves up to their hearts content. I may even assist them.

Traffic patterns are a tool to use in flight, not just a dotted line to follow around in the sky. Don't jeopardize a flight because of a pink house.

Ok, with the wild success of the first contest, I'll try again. Ollie won the balloon one so he can answer this but can't win this time. The question for all you students to ponder is:

You know that when you land downwind, you are going to use more runway. There are two reasons for this. One is that your speed over the ground is the sum of your airspeed plus the speed of the wind, making the approach faster, and making you use more distance to stop.  Keep on keeping on having fun.

Next article - "But That’s A Story For Another Time..........Part I"