Simviation Forums

Ok sorry people, one day I'll be able to help anwser questions rather than just ask them.  Lot to learn.
When ATC says cleared to land runway 34 enter left traffic what is the refrence to whats left or right, the tower the end of the runway.

It is in reference to your traffic pattern.  That means the runway will be off your left wing.

Left crosswind ->
Left downwind ->
Left base ->
final.

right down wind is the opposite, which sometimes occurs at airports as well, for example our school airport has a right hand traffic pattern certain times of the year for special occasions, others do it to avoid having an airplane flying over a school for example every day....isntead the right traffic pattern goes out over empty land, sometimes..:-)

The airport I fly out of for my GA activities has a right traffic pattern on one runway to keep us out of the Dallas Class B airspace since it cuts the airport in half. Basically it dictates which way your turns will be, in a right pattern you make nothing but right turns, in a left pattern you will make nothing but left turns.

Pattern around the runway are in rectangular course.
So after takeoff the first leg will be called

1.upwind for 36, etc
2.turning left crosswind 36      or right
3.turning left downwind 36     or right
4.turning left base 36              or right
5.turning left final 36               or right


If ATC tells you to make right traffic well then make right turns  ;D

It refers also to the direction of the turns you would be making in the pattern.  In a left pattern, all your turns would be left turns, and all right turns in a right pattern.

I also learned that you don't say the direction your turning for final, just "turning final for 36", but that is just me, it's probably just personal preference.

...For left pattern keep the airfield/runway on YOUR left, for a right pattern keep it on YOUR right...(apart from the final leg..then keep it in front of you  ;D).....when an airfield has left and right runways operating together it keeps the traffic out of each others hair..(or air maybe )...commoner