dbahn
Pattern Altitude
The big mistake there is that you're assigning a privilege to being "in the pattern". There is none, or if there is one please cite the source, not the opinion. It's a common and deadly misconception of "being there first" or "announcing my position" or other misconceptions which simply don't apply to collision avoidance.As I see it, the big failing in the wording is the ambiguity in where exactly is that point when you are in the pattern and when you're not. Has to be ambiguous I suppose to a point when mixing aircraft of vastly different performance. I recon the best way to differentiate that point might be based on TPA..... the point at which at a normal decent rate you reach TPA.
And if you can find a reliable source that there is any merit in arguing about what constitutes distance on final and applying that to collision avoidance, please post that as well. In the meantime, also please note the Pilot Controller Glossary (an FAA publication with lots of definitions - like most glossaries) DE'FINES "final" as anywhere on the final approach course and defines "final approach course" as "without regard to distance." I'm going with that until someone can convince me otherwise . . .