Left Base/Right Base, Left DW, Right DW - Who's POV?

[DollarShaveClub]

When cleared left base or right base, who's POV is it from?

Example: arriving from the north to CYKZ, cleared right base.

[CpnCrunch]

It's basically from the runway's point of view. So if it's left base for 16, you first imagine yourself on final for 16 (i.e. heading south), then it should be easy to visualize the left-base, left-downwind or whatever.

I think your confusion is that you will never be cleared "left base to YKZ", it will always be to a particular runway at the airport.

[DollarShaveClub]

It's basically from the runway's point of view. So if it's left base for 16, you first imagine yourself on final for 16 (i.e. heading south), then it should be easy to visualize the left-base, left-downwind or whatever.

I think your confusion is that you will never be cleared "left base to YKZ", it will always be to a particular runway at the airport.

Thanks, sorry I meant from a particular runway.

[DollarShaveClub]

In the CFS it states:

"1. Rgt hand circuits Rwy 15 (CAR 602.96). Circuit height 1650 ASL except as authorized by ATC.

2. Turns to final apch will be made at or above 1150 ASL.
DEPARTURES: Rwy 03, 21 & 33 no turns below 1150 ASL. Rwy 15 after tkof track rwy centreline. No rgt turns below 1150 ASL (500 AGL). No left turns below 1650 ASL (1000 AGL)."

No right turns below 1150 ASL and no left turns below 1650 ASL for rwy 15 only, or rwy 03, 21, 33 & 15?

[CpnCrunch]

Thanks, sorry I meant from a particular runway.

The "left" or "right" refers to the direction you turn. So "left base" means a base leg where you will be doing a left-hand turn to final.

No right turns below 1150 ASL and no left turns below 1650 ASL for rwy 15 only, or rwy 03, 21, 33 & 15?

I have no idea - that CFS entry is confusing as hell

I suspect the "No rgt turns below 1150 ASL (500 AGL). No left turns below 1650 ASL (1000 AGL)" just applies to rwy 15, but if it was me I would probably want to confirm that.

[AirFrame]

I suspect the "No rgt turns below 1150 ASL (500 AGL). No left turns below 1650 ASL (1000 AGL)" just applies to rwy 15, but if it was me I would probably want to confirm that.

That's how I read it too, but i'd let ATC tell me what to do (while maintaining a watchful eye of my own on the other people in the circuit).

Answering the original question, left base, dw, right baes, dw, etc. are all from the pilot's perspective. Cleared left base means you approach straight into the base leg that you would turn left from to end up on your final approach.

[Colonel Sanders]

that CFS entry is confusing as hell

Possibly intentional. I believe all departure requirements
are satisfied with the use of afterburner and pulling vertical
at the end of the runway. Passing through FL180 turns
in any direction are approved.

[FenderManDan]

So you got the answer about the rwy point of view. CFS has these rules written due to the noise abatement. YKZ folks are trying not to hurt neighbourhoods feelings. I never heard anybody receive authorization to fly below 1000 agl circuit. Gotta try that next time

Rwy 15 is right hand circuits and 33 left because it puts you and the rest of the circuit zippers over the commercial/industrial area and they tend to complain less about the noise.

Point number 2 tells you the same noise related stuff. When you are on 15 keep straight and no turns usually under 1000 agl when departing left and not under 500 agl when right. In the circuit, run right because turning left means somebody gets their feelings hurt (sarcasm again).

03-21 and 33 are only 500 agl before turning.

ATC will clear you a right down wind for 33 if there are a bunch of planes on the left circuit.

Clear as mud "n'est-ce pas?"

[AirFrame]

I believe all departure requirements are satisfied with the use of afterburner and pulling vertical at the end of the runway.

Not quite afterburner in the RV, but I admit I do take perverse pleasure in exiting the zone through the ceiling rather than the walls on takeoff.

[Colonel Sanders]

Back in the 50's, my father was flying Sabres
over in 1 Wing in Europe. One saturday he
made the horrible error of being the only sober
pilot in the squadron. The CO bellowed at him
to take a T-33 to Geneva to pick up some
medicine on some life-or-death mission. Sigh.

He taxis out in the T-33, which was used for
instrument proficiency by the squadron pilots,
which they detested doing. It never got any
maintenance. The nose oleo was flat, etc.

He lands in Geneva, perhaps without quite all
the requisite paperwork, and parks in front of
the airport terminal. A wavefront of enraged
burgermeisters heads his way, offended greatly
by the presence of the T-33, but he escapes
inside the building from them. He picks up the
medicine and runs back to the t-bird and gets
it spun up, desperate to escape the wavefront
of enraged burgermeisters before they catch
him.

Unfortunately the clearance that he gets is
ridiculously long and tedious, and goes on
endlessly. Go here to there, climb to this,
then go there, climb to that. And my poor
father doesn't even have a pencil, to copy
this magnum opus. There are hills around
Geneva, you may have noticed.

But at the end, his ears catch something,
and asks ATC, "confirm through FL200
cleared enroute?" which they confirm.

Now, the little t-bird doesn't have an
afterburner, but the runway at Geneva
is a reasonable length, so with the throttle
pinned, he raises the gear, stays in ground
effect, and gets that little t-bird going as
fast as it could go, driving down the runway,
and pulled vertical at the end.

Running out of airspeed at the top of the
vertical, he levels off, calls through FL200
(a horrible fib, the poor, gasping little t-bird
has no burner) and he escaped from the
wavefront of enraged burgermeisters back
to his F-86 base, never again to make the
mistake of being the only sober pilot on a
Saturday.