Circuits and aerodrome traffic — transcript

00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:04.680 Circuits and aerodrome traffic. Near a non-towered aerodrome,

00:00:04.680 --> 00:00:07.166 picture where the aircraft will be.

00:00:07.516 --> 00:00:12.151 Runways are numbered by magnetic direction, dropping the last digit.

00:00:12.151 --> 00:00:17.390 Runway one six faces about one six zero degrees. The other end is three four.

00:00:20.016 --> 00:00:23.612 Aircraft take off and land into wind where possible,

00:00:23.612 --> 00:00:28.701 so the windsock hints at the runway in use. Wind from the west: two seven.

00:00:28.701 --> 00:00:30.465 From the east: zero nine.

00:00:34.516 --> 00:00:39.824 The circuit has five legs. Upwind, climbing out. Crosswind. Downwind,

00:00:39.824 --> 00:00:46.043 parallel to the runway. Base. And final, lined up to land. Turns are to the left,

00:00:46.043 --> 00:00:49.379 unless ERSA publishes a right-hand circuit.

00:00:52.516 --> 00:00:54.502 Upwind and final are flown low.

00:00:54.502 --> 00:00:58.848 Aircraft stay under about five hundred feet until the crosswind turn,

00:00:58.848 --> 00:01:03.566 and final can start more than a nautical mile out. That's where drones fly.

00:01:08.516 --> 00:01:12.774 Quick check. Wind from the west. Which runway is likely in use?

00:01:14.516 --> 00:01:17.023 Two seven. Into wind.

00:01:18.016 --> 00:01:21.960 Your site can be outside the fence, and still sit under a traffic path.

00:01:25.016 --> 00:01:30.557 Lay the circuit over your map. On the extended centreline, aircraft are low,

00:01:30.557 --> 00:01:35.020 on final or climbing out. Under downwind, they pass close by.

00:01:35.020 --> 00:01:39.122 Even the far side sees joining aircraft and helicopters.

00:01:41.516 --> 00:01:46.436 On the CTAF, pilots self-announce. Inbound from about ten nautical miles.

00:01:46.436 --> 00:01:50.559 Then joining, downwind, base, final, and clear of the runway.

00:01:50.559 --> 00:01:53.219 Each call puts an aircraft on your map.

00:01:56.016 --> 00:02:01.393 An aircraft calls joining downwind, right over the site. The brief says land,

00:02:01.393 --> 00:02:02.703 so the crew lands.

00:02:04.516 --> 00:02:10.371 Set triggers before launch. Aircraft joining the circuit: hold or land.

00:02:10.371 --> 00:02:16.390 Traffic on final or departure nearby: land early. Picture unclear: pause.

00:02:16.390 --> 00:02:20.294 Too busy to listen and look: simplify, or stop.

00:02:20.644 --> 00:02:25.002 Recap. Runway numbers give direction. Wind picks the runway.

00:02:25.002 --> 00:02:29.003 Left-hand unless published. Listen, picture, act early.

00:02:29.353 --> 00:02:32.942 Final check. An aircraft calls on base, right over your site.

00:02:32.942 --> 00:02:34.447 What does your brief say?

00:02:37.553 --> 00:02:40.087 Land or hold, as briefed. Act early.