Traffic Patterns made easy

Traffic Patterns

Learning to fly the Traffic Pattern is a skill that you must master if you want to fly an airplane. My guiding rule when flying in the traffic pattern is to try and keep your airplane within gliding distance of the runway. If perchance you ever do lose an engine, it is much better to be on the airport when you finally stop instead of in someone's back yard.

Below you will find our average traffic pattern. It assumes that you are taking off from VGT which has a field elevation of 2200 ft MSL. Learning these steps so that they are second nature to you will help you learn to land. We teach all of our students to fly by looking out the window. You will eventually be taught what the instruments are and what their purpose is, but in the traffic pattern it is best to have your eyes looking out the window. That is where the other airplanes are and you must avoid getting too close to them. The ideal is for you to always stay at least 3,000 feet behind the airplane in front of you. This gives the other guy time to land and exit the runway before you get to that runway.

Learn to fly the traffic pattern safely within gliding distance of the airport

THE NORMAL TRAFFIC PATTERN

Many instructors will try and teach a pattern is meant for a 747, probably because that is what they eventually want to fly and they figure they ought to get ready for that now. Sometimes they end up in someone's back yard. This is not a desirable outcome.

In our aircraft, even the ones with fixed gear there is a landing gear switch. In teaching, the rule of primacy states that you remember best what you learn first. We therefore teach you from the very beginning to put the landing gear down before you land. This is so that you can take off again the same day if you want to. LOL