SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/drone-midfield-left-downwind-position

A pilot radios 'midfield left downwind, runway 18.' Where is that plane relative to the runway?

East of the runway, flying north, opposite the landing direction.

  1. East of the runway ✔
  2. West of the runway
  3. North of the runway

Why: Runway 18 lands toward the south. Downwind runs the opposite way, north. In a left pattern the runway is on the pilot's left, which is west, so the plane is east of it.

Huh, didn't know that: In the FAA's sample radio call, the pilot says the airport name at both the start and the end, like 'Town and Country traffic.'

The dad joke
Why does the pilot love the downwind leg? It's the only time going the wrong way is the right way.
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Sources

  1. Aeronautical Information Manual 4-3 https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap4_section_3.html
  2. FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22), Ch. 7 https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf

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