On a left downwind at midfield, the airport ūshould be close enough to clearly see a wind- ūsock and other aircraft.

Here’s a guaranteed eye glazer: Start a sentence with the phrase “back when I was learning to fly...” then insert the pearl of aeronautical wisdom of your choice. (Never mind that you learned to fly in 1999, you can always add color to fortify any lack of experience.)

But really, no kidding, back when I learned to fly (circa-1968) I distinctly recall one part of the training that was quite different from what contemporary pilots seem to be learning: the art of flying an efficient traffic pattern. …