Spins

[zero.one.victor]

It's real tempting sometimes when you're downwind abeam & in close,to just go ahead & fly a tight pattern & land ahead of the guy who called "turning left base" about 2 miles from (& barely in sight of) the airport. I rarely do it,but that guy probably wouldn't even notice you if ya did,except for the radio calls. Then it'd be "hey,you cut me off!" Sometimes radio silence is the best policy.
I can see why a CFI trying to coach a student thru his first landings has them fly a big pattern,but it's a shame that more of them don't teach the student to tighten that pattern up once he has his landings more or less squared away.

Eric

[moffet]

Then there is always doing the "practice emergency engine out" and landing on the intersecting runway (assuming you can land short of the main runway that is, safety always comes first...)

And it's good practice

[superpilot_75965]

As an Instructor of a few years, with primary students, I teach power off precision landings until solo time. This way patterns stay tight and a every landing is a practice force landing. Power to idle opposite the numbers and base pattern accordingly. Works every time.

[4-Shipp]

REcently I followed my hangar neighbor around the pattern a few times on a quiet evening - just he and I in the pattern. He offered to let me pass him on downwind so I wouldn't have to follow his bomber patterns. I declined as I was only planning one more and told him I would keep my last one tight, turn inside him and would probably be clear before he turned final.

I was about half a mile behind him on final and after my last touch and go I kept it tight, cut inside his pattern and made my quitter. Not only was I clear, but I had my plane back in the hangar before he mad his next touchdown! Now that was a big pattern!

[rudymantel]

Bruce, you're a man after my own heart- there's nothing nicer than doing touch & go's on a quiet evening...
Rudy

[Dave Clark]

Short approaches.

It's the Tower guys when they get to know your capabilities that make it fun. A good pilot will be aware of the traffic before calling up the tower and plan accordingly to make their job easier. The same before taxi for takeoff. Many times I've asked for a short approach at BLI and have been given it because they know I'll get down and off before any conflict. Many other things could be listed that helps them and us but that's for a different topic.