VFR straight-in approach???

[snippyfsxer]

Nobody does this in the real world, right?  At an uncontrolled airport, Let us say I'm coming in from the south to land visual RW 35.  It is good practice to enter the pattern upwind, rather than just announce you are landing straight in, right?
Can I also infer that at a controlled airport they would tell you to enter the pattern and fly a circuit, at least typically, unlike FS where the controller frequently tells you to fly straight in?

[-Crossfire-]

At a controlled airport, ATC will often clear you straight in, traffic and weather(wind) permitting.  Of course it depends where you are relative to the active runway.

At an aiport with a FSS, ATC will give you the wind, so a straight in is an option if you want to do it.

Uncontrolled, it's good practice to follow normal circuit entry procedures. 

[beaky]

It's not unheard-of in RL, but it is not recommended.
Officially, it is not recommended because it does not provide adequate assurance of separation from other aircraft, particularly if two aircraft are both on straight-ins at the same time.

[Brett_Henderson]

These are good discussions.. and there are many variables.

I've adopted the methodology that the less time you spend in a pattern, the lesser chance that you'll end up having to share it... and unless there's good reason to not (crowded pattern; about to be crowded pattern (two or more people announcing inbound intentions still a few miles out).. I'll enter a pattern leg that's nearest my inbound course.. even if it's straight in... it gives you a good view of the pattern, with no vision obstructing turns.

Working your way around to the 45-downwind entry, can create as many problems as it solves. For example.. you're 5 miles out on a straight-in.. someone is five miles from entering the downwind.. and a guy flying closed traffic, just reported turning downwind. I'd report that I plan to follow the closed traffic guy.. intending to land behind him AFTER confirming him visually. It's really in noone's best interest to work your way over to a downwind entry.

No matter how you do it... most important is to piece together a mental image based on position reports, and visual confirmations.. even asking someone to re-report.. just to be sure... and then making a decision (and accurately reporting your position/intentions).

[beaky]

I knew you'd chime in here, and I knew you'd say this... ;)

I've adopted the methodology that the less time you spend in a pattern, the lesser chance that you'll end up having to share it... and unless there's good reason to not (crowded pattern; about to be crowded pattern (two or more people announcing inbound intentions still a few miles out)..
No matter how you do it... most important is to piece together a mental image based on position reports, and visual confirmations.. even asking someone to re-report.. just to be sure... and then making a decision (and accurately reporting your position/intentions).

I'd forgotten to mention the "minimal time in the pattern" thing; it is an important part of my decision-making process when arriving. 
And of course, the Big Picture includes aircraft near the pattern area, whether arriving or departing; if I hear but don't see someone out there, I'll also make numerous inquiries/reports.

But I am not happy if I don't see them... you can't trust some of these folks, like the Bo driver who called "three miles", no entry intentions specified, then appeared less than a minute later, dropping onto the base leg from above TPA, right in front of me!!  :o   >:(  I've gotten more and more in the habit of glancing at the runway only a few times when entering and flying the pattern, looking outside 95% of the time... not the other way around!

Funny thing about that: in FS9, the AI traffic tends to fly wide patterns, and of course they ignore your position reports and can't be interrogated for updates... but at least they tend to fly predictable, courteous entries! 

[Brett_Henderson]

Yeah..  LOL ..  MSFS AI will go out of their way to fly a pattern (a BIG pattern).

I have a traffic.bgl for the area I fly.. I like to crowd it with GA traffic flying to/from all the Islands. One of routes is the mere, five miles between 83D  and  KMCD. A MSFS AI will takeoff, fly some 10-15 miles out of the way, in order to enter on a downwind 

RE: real patterns.. one thing rarely talked about, is to be at TPA as early as possible. You can spot pattern traffic much easier from there, and they you.

Another method I'll use at a crowded airport; is to enter the downind past where a base leg would be.. and report that I'll fly an extended downwind until its safe to turn inbound.

[Andy Hughes]

It's much better to just approach a couple miles on the downwind side, then either enter a 45 or a base. There are several reasons for this, one of the biggest is that unless you are flying at pattern altitude you will miss seeing MOST aircraft in the pattern. If you're above, they blend into the ground, and if you're below, well, you shouldn't be below pattern altitude approaching the airport....

Just because you have and use a radio to announce where you are does not mean that everyone else there has one, uses it, or knows where you mean when you say 5 mile final... what's five mile final? I've seen people say "short final" when they're 15 miles out, and I've seen people say "five mile final" when they're within one runway length (typically 4000' or LESS than a mile)

I don't fly a "pattern" because I want people to know where I am as much as I fly because I want to be sure I know where THEY are.

[olderndirt]

At an aiport with a FSS, ATC will give you the wind

FSS is not ATC, it's Flight Service which advises rather than controls.

[beaky]

At an aiport with a FSS, ATC will give you the wind

FSS is not ATC, it's Flight Service which advises rather than controls.

I think he means "the voice on the radio" in FS, also known as "ATC".   ;)