How would you handle this student?

The discussion about a 180 turn vs. a square base brings up a good point. When I was a new CFI I didn't have a good understanding on the differences between techniques and procedures. For example, the landing procedure is to fly a traffic pattern that allows the airplane to be configured for touchdown and gives a stabilized approach on final. My technique is to fly the downwind 5-10 kts above the white arc with carb heat on, reduce the power & put in 10 degrees of flaps at the abeam, 20 on base and 30 on final all the while slowing to Vref on a 1/2 nm final. For students with no experience, I force them to use my technique because they don't know what else to do. For pilots who have some other technique, I let them use it as long at is accomplishes the procedure.

Your guy has lots of rusty military & airline techniques, but he probably also wants to learn about the way GA pilots do things. In my experience, guys like this need help with small airplane stuff: rudder, carb heat, mixture, landing flare, non-towered airports, VFR flight plans, en route weather, etc.

You have an opportunity to introduce your ATP to a whole new world of aviation that he probably didn't know existed. (I took a 20 year airline guys flying once and stopped at a local airport to use the self-serve pump. He'd never done that. To him, that was the highlight of the XC, but to me it was old hat.) Why don't you take him to an EAA chapter pancake fly-in breakfast in your local area? That's a great demonstration of what GA is all about.
 
lhornaday said:
The slipping method does not. Remember, it is better to use about a 1/2 mile final approach. Not everyone looks for traffic slipping in on a base leg abeam the runway numbers before they take the runway for takeoff.
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Was referring to slipping in like that being one of the two preferred methods of earlier aviation. I don't think a 172 could even do that method of approach, few, if any trainers have the rudder authority to perform it right. I don't use it anyway though, it is just something fun to do once in a while in an aircraft that can really do them.
 
CFI-G's tell me my patterns are too close, CFI-As tell me I fly them too far out. (I keep the all the same distance - just enough to make a 180 for the numbers...)

As long as the aircraft is stabilized, I don't think it makes much difference.
 
shdw said:
Was referring to slipping in like that being one of the two preferred methods of earlier aviation. I don't think a 172 could even do that method of approach, few, if any trainers have the rudder authority to perform it right. I don't use it anyway though, it is just something fun to do once in a while in an aircraft that can really do them.
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172 does it just fine. Infact, most trainers I've flown have the rudder authority. Even the 207 and cherokee 6 have the rudder authority to do it, you just can't make it as smooth as you could in something smaller, you have to be more aggressive and start earlier. That being said, I don't typically just a slip, I just try to time it so that it works out with flaps and power reductions. I tend to avoid using power to idle approaches abeam the numbers unless I have to, or unless I'm empty/cargo only for practice. You make a good poitn though.
 
The old school idea that many forget is that you should always strive to fly your pattern within gliding distance of the airfield. With traffic this is sometimes impossible, but it is ideal. If you make most landings power off 180's you will be much better prepared for an off field landing.
 
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