I know this started out as a suggested pattern for FP RVs (of which I have one), but...
It?s interesting reading the comments about ?being able to reach the runway from anywhere in the pattern??
I was trained in the military in the last century and, during the piston engine phase of training, the emphasis was on making the runway from anywhere in the circuit. I still adhere to that dictum a bit when it comes to flying light aircraft, but I?m not longer anal about it.
And part of it comes from the realization that my time in the circuit is a miniscule portion of my time aloft. Like many here, I have crossed the continent several times ? in my case, north of the 49th parallel. Those crossings have included hours flying over miles of boreal forest, prairie, and mountainous terrain. And, except for the prairies, real, suitable, ?fly-the-airplane-out-again? landing sites were few and far between.
So, the question becomes: ?If my time in the circuit averages out to 5-7 minutes of every trip, why would I suddenly become focused on ensuring gliding distance from the runway in case of an emergency when it was not a consideration the other ninety percent of the time??
Given that most folks keep the downwind leg within ? mile ? 1 mile from the runway, the only problematic area would be extending the downwind and losing the ability to make the runway. However, given that the subsequent exposure to the possibility of an emergency would be minuscule, the risk become negligible?
Someone noted using 1500? AGL so that a landing can be made from anywhere during the turn in case the fan should quit. Now, consider that you?ve just arrived from a 2 hour trip from somewhere. Weather en route was 2000 foot ceiling and excellent visibility. You had a great couple of hours flying a thousand feet about ground. Would you now climb another 500 feet to get to an altitude that will let you ?reach the button in case the engine fails?
Are we unnecessarily magnifying the possibility of ?engine failure in the circuit? and the subsequent modification of our circuits to encompass what appears to be an extremely unlikely event?