Solo Pattern work Turned into mini X-Country

[Owad1971]

So there I was, feeling pretty good about passing my FAA PPL written yesterday when I decided to get the 3rd and final "supervised" solo out of the way.

FRG was active for the whole afternoon, and I guess when it was my turn to "get it in" everyone decided to come home from ___(fill in fancy locations that folks that can afford Gulfstream charters typically frequent)___.

I had some solid x-wind landings and on the 7th ride around, the tower advised that they would call my base................I was going to be 6th in the pattern..

They must have forgotten me because even in slow flight..I almost made it to the north shore of long island!!!! When they told me to turn base I could not even see the airport was (granted it was quite hazy at 5pm over Long Island yesterday). So I took out the sectional...found my relative spot...then followed the runway heading back to where I could at least see "Home".

When I finally landed....I asked my CFI if I was cleared to leave the pattern on my "unsupervised" solos since I was able to find my way back from California....

Sadly he said "no"....I will still need him to go up with me to help me learn how to get back home from our practice areas

Oh well.....maybe when its busy and I am by myself, the tower will extend me all the way to another airport.....

I am ready to get this thing going but it seems like the school is dragging the little things out- thoughts? Anyone ever had the same expierence? I feel I am ready to at least explore the local area a bit more on my own.

 

[Hobobiker]

Congrats on passing the written! I need to knock that out soon. As for the practice areas and soloing, it probably differs between schools and/or CFIs. After my solo, I was approved to fly to any of our practice areas. Truthfully, I remember the first time I did this and I was a little timid about going too far away from my "comfort zone" of the pattern. This trepidation quickly went away with each flight thereafter. I just completed my first solo Long XC last night, so that fear of leaving the pattern area is LONG GONE now. LOL!

Best of luck to you in your training...

 

[fiveoboy01]

Same thing happened to me on Thursday. I figure they forgot about me as there wasn't much traffic. I got about 4-5 miles out and finally asked the tower if I could turn base yet. I received a sheepish "turn base, cleared to land" - so I think he felt bad about forgetting me. I wasn't mad though. The scenery over downtown Madison is nice

 

[marcoseddi]

So there I was, feeling pretty good about passing my FAA PPL written yesterday when I decided to get the 3rd and final "supervised" solo out of the way.

FRG was active for the whole afternoon, and I guess when it was my turn to "get it in" everyone decided to come home from ___(fill in fancy locations that folks that can afford Gulfstream charters typically frequent)___.

I had some solid x-wind landings and on the 7th ride around, the tower advised that they would call my base................I was going to be 6th in the pattern..

They must have forgotten me because even in slow flight..I almost made it to the north shore of long island!!!! When they told me to turn base I could not even see the airport was (granted it was quite hazy at 5pm over Long Island yesterday). So I took out the sectional...found my relative spot...then followed the runway heading back to where I could at least see "Home".

When I finally landed....I asked my CFI if I was cleared to leave the pattern on my "unsupervised" solos since I was able to find my way back from California....

Sadly he said "no"....I will still need him to go up with me to help me learn how to get back home from our practice areas

Oh well.....maybe when its busy and I am by myself, the tower will extend me all the way to another airport.....

I am ready to get this thing going but it seems like the school is dragging the little things out- thoughts? Anyone ever had the same expierence? I feel I am ready to at least explore the local area a bit more on my own.

Yes, they tend to do this, keep pushing! Thats what I did at that point which was only a month or two ago. Next time out tell him I want to go to a close airport using VOR or pilotage or dead reckoning something that is close less than 20nm away.. Youll get it i know the feeling.

 

[Erice]

Tower, can I have a vector back to final?

Maybe you could have done some shallow S-turns to keep you from getting so far away. Just a thought.

 

[e.pie]

Same thing happened to me on Thursday. I figure they forgot about me as there wasn't much traffic. I got about 4-5 miles out and finally asked the tower if I could turn base yet. I received a sheepish "turn base, cleared to land" - so I think he felt bad about forgetting me. I wasn't mad though. The scenery over downtown Madison is nice

It happens, if you're getting awkwardly far or it's been an unusually long time it never hurts to ask, especially if the radio has been pretty quiet for the runway you're on.


Depending where I am on the downwind I will generally put in some flaps and bring my airspeed down a bit when they say they'll call my base, since all you're really trying to do is burn time for any aircraft that are ahead of you.

 

[fiveoboy01]

I actually ended up climbing back to 3000 because I didn't feel too safe about being over a couple of large lakes surrounded by dense city at pattern altitude. I had plenty of time to descend on final anyways

 

[darthnomster]

I actually ended up climbing back to 3000 because I didn't feel too safe about being over a couple of large lakes surrounded by dense city at pattern altitude. I had plenty of time to descend on final anyways

I've never been in this situation, (really low time PPL). Is it appropriate to climb above pattern altitude when technically "in the pattern" and under tower control? My understanding is that part of the benefit of establishing a pattern altitude is to allow pilots to have predictable places to expect traffic, esp at eye level. In addition to this, you might have climbed into the published pattern altitude for higher performance aircraft, which isn't really expected in your slow trainer.

 

[fiveoboy01]

Interesting question. My instructor said it was fine, but you raise some good points. I am low time as well.

 

[JeffDG]

I'd say you're find unless the controller gives you an altitude restriction. At the Class C where I fly, if I take off for pattern work, they generally say "At or below 2,000'" (field is 1,000, so that's TPA), and in that case, I'd not go above without asking. But if there's no restriction, you're VFR, and altitude is the pilot's discretion.

 

[spdracer888]

I think I heard you on the Radio yesterday. I was on my way back from NYC around 5 and at the outter shoreline and I heard someone asking the tower when to turn base for 19 south of the stacks.

Btw, did the tower ask you to maintain pattern altitude of 1,600 ft instead of the typical 1,100?

 

[fiveoboy01]

Haha. This was Wisconsin, not NY.

You have a Madison in the area? I know it's not an uncommon city name.

 

[Shepherd]

So there I was, feeling pretty good about passing my FAA PPL written yesterday when I decided to get the 3rd and final "supervised" solo out of the way.
When I finally landed....I asked my CFI if I was cleared to leave the pattern on my "unsupervised" solos since I was able to find my way back from California....



I am ready to get this thing going but it seems like the school is dragging the little things out- thoughts? Anyone ever had the same expierence? I feel I am ready to at least explore the local area a bit more on my own.

Is this a school rule, or just your instructor? I recently ran into this sort of thing at my local FBO. A bunch of us were going to fly out for breakfast, and one of the students couldn't go because his instructor "hadn't cleared him for that airport" (even though they had flown there 7 or 8 times).

 

[Z06_Mir]

My first out of the pattern solo was my second solo. CFI and I went to practice area the day after my solo and then he said we were gonna come back for landing work again. He got out instead and told me to go get comfortable out there do some steep turns and come back. After that I didn't have anymore "supervised" solos.

 

[fiveoboy01]

Yeah that seems odd. My first solo was at a non towered airport. Second was a few touch and goes at the home airport with my instructor and then he got out but kept me in the pattern(class c)... 3rd was solo out to one of the practice areas. I'd think its fairly normal to leave the pattern on your 2nd or 3rd solo.

 

[eetrojan]

Same thing happened to me on Thursday. I figure they forgot about me as there wasn't much traffic. I got about 4-5 miles out and finally asked the tower if I could turn base yet. I received a sheepish "turn base, cleared to land" - so I think he felt bad about forgetting me. I wasn't mad though. The scenery over downtown Madison is nice

Per my instructor's lead, I sometimes ask tower if its ok if I make a right 360 when asked to extend. That way, I stay closer to the airport.

 

[TommyG]

Technically you didn't leave the pattern. Very common at FRG to turn base at the north shore, or the south shore. So as long as the tower had you continuing downwind. You were still in the pattern.

Best way to find 19 from that far up is locate 110 and follow. When its hazy it can be tough to find the airport. Just have to learn the landmarks.

 

[Owad1971]

I think I heard you on the Radio yesterday. I was on my way back from NYC around 5 and at the outter shoreline and I heard someone asking the tower when to turn base for 19 south of the stacks.

Btw, did the tower ask you to maintain pattern altitude of 1,600 ft instead of the typical 1,100?

That wasn't me...But I was on the West side of rt.110. Another 40 seconds and the stacks would have been abeam my right wing (although wayyy off in the distance).