CASA are, in their infinite wisdom :rolleyes: changing the rules for non-towered airports, i.e. CTAFs, here in Oz.
Currently the procedure I follow is as, err, follows;
15 miles out, dial up CTAF freq and listen.
10 miles out, make an inbound call and listen.
If I hear no traffic I am still in the dark as to which runway I need to use. I can make an educated guess on the basis of the winds I’ve observed in transit, but as I am still clueless, I enter the circuit at circuit height +500 feet, check the windsock, determine the preferred runway, descend to circuit height on the deadside, join crosswind midfield, etc etc.
After 24th November, overflying CTAFs will be firmly discouraged. This is, we are told, the present state of play in the USA.
If that is correct, then how do you guys and gals determine the runway to use if you’re the first one there and you aren’t supposed to be overflying?
We can call the AWOS or ASOS automated report frequency, or call the Unicom frequency (same as CTAF normally) and ask the ground operator. If those aren’t available, we *do * overfly (>500 feet over pattern altitude, or normally >1500 feet AGL is recommended) and observe any available wind indicator. The airport may have a preferred calm-wind runway, which can be found on AirNav.
Firmly discouraged sounds different from prohibited . . . that’s the approach I’d use if landing at a non-towered airport with no automated weather reporting and nobody in the traffic pattern and no nearby airfield where prevailing surface wind information can be obtained no certain indication from a forecast as to which runway to use. A quick scan of the AIM doesn’t indicate that overflying the pattern at such an airport is discouraged in the US.
Definitely not prohibited, but discouraged. Reasoning? Jet aircraft circuit height is 1500 AGL. Potential for conflict. AWOS is rare - I’ve only ever heard it at one aerodrome.
Usually I’m aware of the wind during cruise and assume based on that, then verify with an overflight.
