Talk:Overhead join

I'm not sure where the overhead join is the normal VFR pattern entry procedure, but in the United States, the overhead join is considered a military maneuver and not generally considered safe for GA use. The problem is that you may T-bone a departing aircraft.


 * It's the default unless otherwise notified in many European and Commonwealth countries at smaller VFR-only fields; especially uncontrolled ones. As for hitting departing aircraft: they're not expected to climb above 500' AAL before the upwind end of the runway - remembering that this maneouvre tends to be performed at shorter strips only.BaseTurnComplete 19:12, 3 January 2006 (UTC)


 * For the first poster. In the US I would use the US proceedure no problem.


 * Maybe the first poster is getting an overhead join mixed up with a military run-and-break? They're very different things - in a run-and-break the join happens at low level aligned with the runway and there is a risk of hitting a departing aircraft (hence the presence of full ATC at fields where this is routine).  With an overhead join, the initial part of the join happens from any direction and takes place at least at 1,500ft AAL, usually at 2,000ft AGL (contrary to the graphic which for some reason says 1,200ft AGL).BaseTurnComplete 10:41, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Your statement is about the risk of collision incorrect:

1. Entering the circuit at 2000' (Unless otherwised notified). 2. You then decend deadside to circuit height after you are across the centre line of the active runway (look at the picture). 3. You then enter the circuit over the end of the active runway at circuit height. This is typically 1000' (Picture is incorrect as it should show the track of the aircraft going straight over the end of the active runway at a 90 degree angle.) 4. You then join about a quarter of the way down the downwind leg, keeping a good lookout for aircraft turning downwind. (This isn't difficult as you just flew straight over the end of the active runway). 5. Make a late downwind call.

The only risk of collision is when joining downwind. Do it all the time, no problem :)

Misleading graphic
I've removed the graphic. It's misleading because it contains two inaccuracies: firstly, the initial level for an overhead join is 2,000ft AAL, not 1,200ft. Secondly, with no traffic present, after descending deadside the aircraft should fly crosswind across the upwind threshold of the runway and turn downwind, not at the position where an aircraft climbing out but remaining in the circuit turns crosswind. Varying this is only necessary to fit into other traffic.BaseTurnComplete 10:51, 7 August 2006 (UTC)