Long Departure Legs

WakeNCAgent

WakeNCAgent

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Dec 13, 2012
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Raleigh, NC
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Louis
I would like to hear opinions on when to initiate the turn to crosswind. I was out practicing touch-n-gos this week and noticed other pilots would hold off on their turn to crosswind until nearly reaching TPA. FAA standards are to wait until 300' below TPA to turn crosswind. I personally start my turn when I call 400'AGL, or reach the end of the runway, whichever occurs later. I would rather start my turn early, and get the plane pointing back toward the airport, sooner rather than later.

Any thoughts?
 
End of runway at non controlled airports for me.
 
depends. if the unwind leg is nothing but urban sprawl i want to turn crosswind pretty quickly.
 
My home field is 3000' long, so turning at the end isn't practical. Going straight out nearly to TPA can result in violating Class D airspace, even though we get along well with them. Our runway is 26, we're 4nm NE of them and their preferred Runway 30. So I turn at ~400-500agl. Even then, for pattern work I throttle back about halfway before turning downwind 1/2nm out to hold TPA and reasonable airspeed.

When at towered fields, they usually give departure instructions VFR/IFR. This often includes"when able," and I do when I decide everything is copacetic and nothing's in the way of the turn. They often prefer us to pass the tower before turning to that side. Sometimes I wait until the end of their runway, but sometimes that's out of my way. I generally won't turn below the same ~400-500 agl unless asked to expedite my turn.
 
Usually 400 AGL unless terrain or ATC requests otherwise.
 
WakeNCAgent said:
I would like to hear opinions on when to initiate the turn to crosswind. I was out practicing touch-n-gos this week and noticed other pilots would hold off on their turn to crosswind until nearly reaching TPA. FAA standards are to wait until 300' below TPA to turn crosswind. I personally start my turn when I call 400'AGL, or reach the end of the runway, whichever occurs later. I would rather start my turn early, and get the plane pointing back toward the airport, sooner rather than later.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
As long as you don't cut off those airplanes that are making long upwinds legs you should be fine. You also might find yourself catching up to them, depending on the airplanes all of you are flying.
 
WakeNCAgent said:
I would like to hear opinions on when to initiate the turn to crosswind. I was out practicing touch-n-gos this week and noticed other pilots would hold off on their turn to crosswind until nearly reaching TPA. FAA standards are to wait until 300' below TPA to turn crosswind. I personally start my turn when I call 400'AGL, or reach the end of the runway, whichever occurs later. I would rather start my turn early, and get the plane pointing back toward the airport, sooner rather than later.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

End of runway unless there are noise abatement procedures that require higher.
 
I turn crosswind just past the High School.




...wait...there not a high school at the end of EVERY runway?...uhhhhhh


I trained at a a controlled airport with 8500' runway and was taught that the controllers expect you to make any turns as directed once reaching 700' but NOT before the end of the runway. We would request early turn out if needed. Regardless of runway length 700' AGL is where I like to be and is a good solid climb out to be sure that everything is still in the green and no issues before starting a turn and adding that element into the mix should a problem develop!

I had an engine sputter for the first time ever at 600' earlier this week on a climb out...talk about a pucker factor! Got it back around in the pattern and landed without incident, but still being headed straight ahead gave me time to focus on options should it not have turned out so well as opposed to being in an early turn.
 
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When I'm staying in the pattern and there's nothing published locally to the contrary (like some noise abatement procedure), I follow the FAA recommendation of 300 below TPA or past the departure end of the runway, whichever comes last, before turning crosswind. Note that the only published general procedure which talks about 400 feet is the "standard" IFR departure procedure of runway heading to 400 above the departure end of the runway before turning on course.
 
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