Dan, I think you will like the high pattern. The recommendation to stay high until the controller calls you down could be a big improvement. I did not see that in the notam, did anybody see it? Here is a note from last October when this came up. I never liked the merge after Fisk. The controller says “slow to 90 kt, lower your gear, and descend to 1800 feet”, a good formula for dropping in on a Cessna. I keep the gear and speed up, descending slowly into the low pattern, passing slower aircraft on the outside. This way if you are on a collision course with a slow aircraft in the low pattern it will be visible over the nose, not buried under it. Once at the lower altitude slow to a comfortable speed, 120-130 mph with flaps 10 deg from full up, 1600 rpm, gives a comfortable quiet ride with good visibility over the nose and low
engine temps. Continue passing till ½ mile base, lower the gear. If there are no planes between me and the runway make short approach and land long to minimize taxi (on 36). If there is a plane close ahead, widen out for a longer final, rock wings slowly to look for traffic and to make myself more visible, keep away from the parallel runway extended centerline. If the tower has not spotted you by short final, make a brief call to get landing clearance, “White Lancair, 36 left, short final”. Be prepared to go around if it gets uncomfortable. The controllers are good about working
go arounds back in, in contrast to the Sun N Fun controllers who talk a lot and miss a lot of what is going on. On the plus side the traffic splits at Fisk (no-wind conditions), and there are two north south runways, so the traffic splits again on the turn to final. Riding down to Fisk from Rippon you can listen to the planes being directed to 36 and have an idea of how many are in front of you, high wing, low wing, color etc., and get an idea of where the holes are. Things might get worse if
LSA become numerous.
BILL HANNAHAN
WFHANNAHAN@YAHOO.COM
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