Unicom
October 2004 Issue
Unicom: 10/04
Right-Of-Way?
Your July 2004 article, “Five Pattern Sins,” includes the statement, “The classic conflict is the straight-in approach that T-Bones an airplane on base leg which, technically, has the right of way.” I don’t think the FARs agree.
While the lower aircraft is usually the one with the right-of-way, an aircraft on final approach has the right-of-way over all other aircraft in flight. This means downwind, base and anywhere other than on final.
“Final approach” is not defined in the regulations; the AIM attempts to define as the leg of the pattern between base and the runway along the runway centerline, but it’s not a comonly accepted definition. The Pilot/Controll...
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