MF Procedures

[photofly]

My thoughts are that it makes me uneasy to have two aircraft head on on opposite base legs requiring a gentleman's agreement on who goes first. Mostly, the CARs make it pretty clear who has priority in a given situation (lower, landing, on the right etc) or else both give way, without any communication required. So it makes me uneasy that pilots are comfortable in a situation which is clearly contrary to the CARs, with no obvious safety benefit, merely to save a bit of fuel.

I don't get why you think you're in more danger with an overhead pass and join mid-downwind.

It kind of sounds as if there's a bit of "the rules are good enough for everyone else, but I'm wise enough to make up my own."

I'm not saying that's what's in your mind, but you can see how it might look like that, no?

Having said that, I'm not sure my thoughts on the subject are very valuable.

[triplese7en]

My thoughts are that it makes me uneasy to have two aircraft head on on opposite base legs requiring a gentleman's agreement on who goes first.

If I could take you flying for a month and show you how the operation works I think you'd see my point better.

I really am a by-the-books kind of guy! But I find it hard to say that in the situation I just described that you should still cross overhead and join the left downwind.

Other than saying you should follow the CARs, I can't seem to find anything that says this is unsafe. If it was unsafe I think the FSS guy wouldn't suggest it as an option either. He can be held accountable in a civil lawsuit if there was a crash and he/she didn't follow procedures.

For pretty much every other rule I can explain why you should follow it... I haven't been able to for this one so far (in this case).

[photofly]

I really am a by-the-books kind of guy!

It's easy to be a by-the-books guy in situations where you think the books are correct. What distinguishes a real by-the-books guy from a pretender to the title is whether he does it by-the-books even in a situation where the books inconvenience him or he disagrees with them.

Most pilots I've met are pretending to be by-the-books guys. (Except for the ones who don't even pretend.)

Please note - I make no value judgement about whether a real by-the-books guy is any safer or better than a by-the-books-most-of-the-time guy.

[triplese7en]

I never say I follow the books 100% because that leaves no room for the human who wrote the book to be wrong. I've encountered many errors in books!

And just like I don't want to fly with a guy who brags about never doing a go-around, I don't think I wanna fly with a person who's proud of following every single rule ever written. I've never met a person like that anyways and I think it's impossible for them to exist!

On this topic... I'd encourage all pilots to read "Flight Discipline" by Tony Kern. It's very good. Everyone could do with improving their flight discipline.

[Colonel Sanders]

it makes me uneasy to have two aircraft head on on opposite base legs

Happens here (ATF) every weekend in the spring
and fall. Normal aircraft are left traffic, glider and
towplane on right base.

The air cadets are actually pretty sharp. I like to
play tricks on them, like entering the downwind
grounding 200 knots and seeing how fast they
can move

[triplese7en]

it makes me uneasy to have two aircraft head on on opposite base legs

Happens here (ATF) every weekend in the spring
and fall. Normal aircraft are left traffic, glider and
towplane on right base.

The air cadets are actually pretty sharp. I like to
play tricks on them, like entering the downwind
grounding 200 knots and seeing how fast they
can move

I miss flying the gliders! I've got many good memories from Cadets

Did your son ever join Air Cadets?