Right Turns on Circling Approach?

MidlifeFlyer

Well-Known Member
The FAA Chief Counsel published an August 8, 2013 interpretation of the §91.126 requirement that at non-towered airports, all turns in the traffic pattern are to be to the left unless “otherwise authorized or required.” The question asked was whether turns in the opposite direction were authorized when a pilot is executing a circling approach.

In short, the answer is, not automatically.

The Chief Counsel’s answer was less than helpful. Doing nothing more than citing the regulatory “otherwise authorized or required” language, the letter of interpretation goes on to say:

The FAA emphasizes, however, that the circumstances in which this deviation from § 91.126(b)(l) is "authorized or required" are very limited. The phrase "authorized or required" itself does not give pilots the discretion to deviate from § 91.126. Such deviation must be "authorized or required" by the approach guidelines of a specific airport or by another FAA regulation.

The only example the letter gives is an emergency . It would have been more helpful to give an example less obvious. For instance, if a circling approach has the notation, “Circling W of Runway 17-35 NA” is that authority to make the turns in the opposite direction if it’s a sound way to remain east of 17-35?


The letter of interpretation may be read here.
 
Hell, it seems like nobody follows that rule in clear and a million VFR... I wouldn't expect them to do so under the scud trying to make it to a runway, lol.
 
One FAA inspector I flew with told me a story about when he was teaching a guy to fly the DC-3, he had him flying right hand patterns and some do-gooder at the airport reported him to the FSDO... so he gets the inquisition and they're like "what on earth are you doing flying against the required left hand pattern". He replied "I'm the PIC, I'm teaching the FO to land the DC-3... he needs to see the damn runway, I determined that's what's required for the safety of the flight" and basically told the FSDO guy to bite him. That was the end of it.

Now HE is an inspector for the FAA.... Now before you go try this, you might want to know this guy is a big rough looking dude with a full set of gold teethe and looks like he could walk into any biker bar and clear the room with one look. So, he's a tad intimidating if you were to get on his wrong side, lol.
 
This is one of those times when you have to think, "if you're afraid of the answer, don't ask the question."

I was perfectly happy knowing that I could turn which ever direction I want on a circling approach, until I read this. Gahh! :bang:
 
The FAA emphasizes, however, that the circumstances in which this deviation from § 91.126(b)(l) is "authorized or required" are very limited. The phrase "authorized or required" itself does not give pilots the discretion to deviate from § 91.126. Such deviation must be "authorized or required" by the approach guidelines of a specific airport or by another FAA regulation.

YGTBSM

I made a "wrong" turn to avoid a TFR last week, "authorized?" How about following a TCAS RA? How about an S-Turn for spacing?

For us glider folk, when the wind is strong enough, we may not be able to penetrate to the "correct" side of the field to make turns the designate way...
 
If you're circling at minimums, I'd say that making your circle in such a way that you can maintain visual contact with the runway environment becomes a safety of flight issue.
 
This is one of those times when you have to think, "if you're afraid of the answer, don't ask the question."

I was perfectly happy knowing that I could turn which ever direction I want on a circling approach, until I read this. Gahh! :bang:

There are a LOT of questions that you could ask the FAA, where the first line is true.

This is why lawyers lawyer and pilots fly. Except jtrain609.
 
I would say that your chances of encountering another aircraft during a circling approach should be pretty slim...
True, but the chances of encountering a fed with nothing better to do than try to violate you for turning opposit the traffic pattern are non-zero. I believe that there was an Alaska airlines crew that was violated for exactly that.
 
True, but the chances of encountering a fed with nothing better to do than try to violate you for turning opposit the traffic pattern are non-zero. I believe that there was an Alaska airlines crew that was violated for exactly that.


The (two) Alaska airlines right turn cases didn't involve circling. They involved how far from the airport you would still be considered to be in the traffic pattern. As I recall, the weather was visual.

And then there was the helpful who canceled IFR when the runway was in sight so that ATC could sequence in the next airplane - violating the VFR cloud separation requirements - with an FAA Inspector on the field.
 
Erm, so, let me see if I'm wrapping my head around this properly:

Let's say I'm approaching some quiet Class C airport like say, South Bend. Let's say, for our purposes, that the tower is closed and the airspace reverts back to Class G airspace (I have no idea if it does or not). Let's say I'm on a 180 heading, and we're going to be landing west. Does this say that I'm required to overfly the airport, enter a left hand traffic pattern, and then land as opposed to just doing a right turn to final?
 
Let's say I'm on a 180 heading, and we're going to be landing west. Does this say that I'm required to overfly the airport, enter a left hand traffic pattern, and then land as opposed to just doing a right turn to final?

According to the Alaska case, yes.

If you make a wide turn 50 miles out, then you are okay.

EDIT: Here's the NTSB's take. http://www.ntsb.gov/alj/o_n_o/docs/AVIATION/3523.PDF It is is legaleese, so I don't really understand it. But I think that gist of it is that there is an imaginary 30 degree cone, 6 miles off the runway, and you have to make a greater than 90 degree turn, but 7 miles is still too close...

Riddle me this one, Batman. I frequently depart from a runway with left traffic, and join the pattern of a runway with right traffic to land. Or do so when the wind changes. At some point, I'm always turning the wrong way for one of the two runways. I have a feeling the the NTSB's answer would be to land at another airport first to be safe...
 
Do what's safest - which in a lot of cases is to simply make the right hand "base to final" turn rather than all sorts of maneuvering over the airport. Simple is safer.
 
So what if my left hand turn, presumably away from the field in order to not do a more convenient and practical right hand turn, happens to take me outside my TERPs protected circling area for my approach category? When a right hand turn would've kept me in it?

To me, the basics of a "left hand pattern" is to provide some sort of standardization (unless otherwise noted) for pattern ops while VMC. As there won't be pattern ops going on in IMC, and there won't be mutiple planes executing a circling approach, the need for the "left hand pattern only" application becomes moot, in my opinion.
 
It would be nice if common sense was a defence. Unfortunately not.


Here's your easy defense - if you're that worried about it, say "turning base, RWY 36" instead of "turning right base RWY 36." Or just do what is ethically right, and turn right when it is appropriate. What's safer? Making at least three turns over the top of the field at pattern altitude (or much lower on a circling approach), or making the right base and landing. Remember the order of priorities: ASS, LICENSE, JOB, and in that order. Do what's safest first, legal second, and for your employer third.


So what if my left hand turn, presumably away from the field in order to not do a more convenient and practical right hand turn, happens to take me outside my TERPs protected circling area for my approach category? When a right hand turn would've kept me in it?

To me, the basics of a "left hand pattern" is to provide some sort of standardization (unless otherwise noted) for pattern ops while VMC. As there won't be pattern ops going on in IMC, and there won't be mutiple planes executing a circling approach, the need for the "left hand pattern only" application becomes moot, in my opinion.

For an extreme example as a counter point: http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1308/01191LDAX8.PDF
 
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