The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Technically, there is no "active" runway unless it is a tower controlled airport.

Is it appropriate for pilots to announce and fly 10 or 15 mile straight in finals at busy airports?

gahorn wrote:You do NOT have the authority to interrupt existing traffic patters simply because you think you have reason to do so. IMHO

If you mean you can not choose to land in any direction you choose once you have the right of way, I do not agree. You don't have the authority to interupt others intentions if they have the right of way.

Usually communicating your intentions is enough to either gain cooperation and perhaps find the reason for the other pilots course. In any case once you have entered the pattern time your turns to put you on final after the runway is cleared. You have the right of way as a landing aircraft over anyone on the ground and anyone higher than your altitude.

"Right of Way" does not automatically equate to safe operations. Bruce and I are saying the same thing. The rule to which he refers regarding altitude, is FAR 91.113 (g) which states:

Landing. Aircraft, while on final approach to land or while landing, have the right-of-way over other aircraft in flight or operating on the surface, except that they shall not take advantage of this rule to force an aircraft off the runway surface which has already landed and is attempting to make way for an aircraft on final approach. When two or more aircraft are approaching an airport for the purpose of landing, the aircraft at the lower altitude has the right-of-way, but it shall not take advantage of this rule to cut in front of another which is on final approach to land or to overtake that aircraft. (emphasis added)

In other words,.... The aircraft on final approach has the "right of way"...and as I said earlier, if you are arriving at a busy airport you should not "bully" your way into an active traffic pattern.
If you are capable of entering a traffic pattern for a conflicting runway SAFELY placing yourself on final approach while NOT in conflict with existing traffic...then certainly you can use a different runway. But as an arriving aircraft you have the obligation to respect the traffic pattern in use, and the "active" runway in use. (Technically speaking, if you have an active control tower all runways are assigned and once assigned become active. Uncontrolled runways are "active" whenever an aircraft is on final approach to that runway.)

I'm not advocating unsafe operation. There are exceptions of course but I'm invisoning an air airport with maybe one or two airplanes operating and not a behive of activity such as found at some fly-ins. Common sense must apply. If one or two airplanes can't accomodate an airplane landing differently then they are operating in at unsafe manner. This of course doesn't help you to land on the runway or your choice. And BTW if you cave and do something you don't want to do then everone involved is operating unsafely. I can't say I've ever seen it come to the point all can't get their operation done. Yes I've been witness to folks having a few choice words with each other afterwards though.

DWOOD as for your question while not illegal to announce and fly a 10 or 15 mile straight it in most cases is really bad form.

I think the original concern was landing at a non towered airport on a runway where the winds might cause a hazard. The scenario involved other pilots landing on runway 32 when the winds were out of the south. My advice is to wait for a break in the traffic and announce your intention to enter the pattern for 14 which would be more lined up with the wind. I see this happen once in awhile at airports where airport management designates a calm wind runway (sometimes 5kts or less). Hopefully our fellow pilots will cut us some slack in situations like this. I think this is very good judgement for a pilot of a taildragger to avoid quartering tailwinds and we have every right to do so at non towered airports. It goes without saying we must observe right of way rules. We should also not hesitate to ask for such a runway at towered airports if the wind is a factor.

One other quick note for what its worth. Since straight in approaches are permitted at non towered airports, I would rather have the pilot make announcements so I have an idea where he/she is. I don't do straight ins myself very often, but I have no problem what so ever with another pilot doing so as long as they do it carefully.

My home airport has a "Calm Wind" rule 5kts or less, otherwise it's prevailing winds.
Were the planes shooting a VOR on rwy 32?
I have in the past, entered downwind, looked down at the wind sock, felt uncomfortable with the wind direction and called for a transition to a different runway. This at a non towered airport and not overly busy. I think the other choice would be to do a 360 and come back in on a different approach.

W.

voorheesh wrote:One other quick note for what its worth. Since straight in approaches are permitted at non towered airports, I would rather have the pilot make announcements so I have an idea where he/she is. I don't do straight ins myself very often, but I have no problem what so ever with another pilot doing so as long as they do it carefully.

I agree. I have many times made "straight in" approaches to airports which have no other traffic present. This is especially the case when an instrument approach is utilized and/or circling minimums are unavailable. Listening in on the CTAF before "arriving" is paramount. If other traffic is using the runway, then I enter traffic per the AIM.

Besides the letter of the law or AIM guidance there is common courtesy. I've been on long straights in approaches to airports when I thought the pattern was vacant. Then upon seeing or hearing other traffic have broken off the approach to follow traffic in.

While flying a helicopter the "official" guidance is to avoid the flow of traffic. In other words straight to a spot not in conflict with traffic, which might mean a bit of opposite traffic. I've actually entered fix wing traffic and flown the helicopter like an airplane because that would be the least confusion to the other fixed wing traffic and common courtesy.

We have 3 non towered airports in this neck of the woods with regional airline and business jet aircraft mixed with GA. The larger airplanes typically make straight in approaches and most of us smaller aircraft are happy to give way to them. It only makes sense for a BE 1900 or a Citation to get on the ground as quickly as possible thus reducing its exposure to smaller slower aircraft in a pattern. If making a downwind, a turbine powered airplane must fly a 1500' pattern and sequence in with small aircraft flying half the speed, some (possibly) without radios. The jet or jet prop will end up turning a 2 or 3 mile final anyhow which is essentially a straight in. I welcome a turbine powered pilot announcing a straight in approach and will gladly give my position/intentions in response to a request for traffic to "please advise". ( I promise George, I have never made that transmission myself!). I will also let him/her get on the ground in front of me any day.