And this is what a correct threshold base 04 looks like from the cockpit. Altitude is about 200 feet at this stage.
It’s easy to get a “rushed” feeling if you turn final with the runway already below you. But you’ve got to remember that the 04/22 is about 2km in length. If you fly a normal circuit to land on a 1km runway, the point where you turn final is about 1km from the runway threshold, or 2km from the runway end. You’re in the exact same position now. So even if you touch down 3/4 down the runway, you still have half a km available to stop.
That looks fun.
BackPacker wrote:
And this is what a correct threshold base 04 looks like from the cockpit. Altitude is about 200 feet at this stage…..It’s easy to get a “rushed” feeling if you turn final with the runway already below you. But you’ve got to remember that the 04/22 is about 2km in length. If you fly a normal circuit to land on a 1km runway, the point where you turn final is about 1km from the runway threshold, or 2km from the runway end. You’re in the exact same position now. So even if you touch down 3/4 down the runway, you still have half a km available to stop.
I agree, but 200 ft sounds awfully low for the base-to-final turn.
Airborne_Again wrote:
I agree, but 200 ft sounds awfully low for the base-to-final turn.
There’s no set height for this turn. Fly it at whatever height feels comfortable. But it’s not too bad. Just think about the situation where you’re flying a regular circuit at a small GA field with a circuit height of 700 feet. You start your descent there in the base turn, and half of your circuit height is probably lost before the turn to final. That makes the turn to final happen at about 350 feet. Which is also perfectly OK at EHAM.
BackPacker wrote:
Just think about the situation where you’re flying a regular circuit at a small GA field with a circuit height of 700 feet. You start your descent there in the base turn, and half of your circuit height is probably lost before the turn to final. That makes the turn to final happen at about 350 feet. Which is also perfectly OK
That’s exactly the situation at my home field (circuit height about 740 AGL). I virtually never go below 500 AGL before the turn to final. Of course the descent on final is pretty steep (c:a 0.9 NM final). If you want a standard 3° glideslope on final the turn must be done at about 350 ft as you say.
GA_Pete wrote:
That looks fun.
Mid-runway base for runway 22, with a 777 on short final for 27, is even way more fun :-) No pictures, sorry.
It is also fun to hear the big airliner reporting ‘traffic in sight’ when the tower advises them off the little SEP doing its thing on the neighbouring runway.
Airborne_Again wrote:
Training for a type rating in a 747 would be part-NCC (and not part-CAT), would it not?
You’re right. Base training as NCC. At least mine was.
Base to final at 200’ or thereabouts is standard practice here for “circuits a bas hauteur” low level circuits which we do a lot of in PPL training.
You also get that rushed feeling that @Backpacker wrote of when coming out of the clag at minima 200’ and being able to just see the approach lights below you, through the most. One good reason to get an IR.
gallois wrote:
Base to final at 200’ or thereabouts is standard practice here for “circuits a bas hauteur” low level circuits which we do a lot of in PPL training
While I agree it’s part of good handling skills on sunny days, they are pretty much useless in practice for anything else (ignoring low pass at 10ft or 50ft to inspect surface for precautionary landing)
One of argument for “low level circling” is bad weather, while this may sound as last resort for PPL holders as there are no other choices 
for someone who is IFR rated they need to be out of their out of their depth to do “circuits a bas hauteur” or “bad weather circuit” under low cloud-base or low visibility: you just climb above MSA, have a cup of tea and biscuits, then come back to land in stable IFR approach to some official IAP (or even straight-in on GPS to your VFR airfield )
Apparently, no one does circling bellow 400ft cloud-base, even god can’t do it ? first, it’s illegal under IFR and illegal under VFR and second, way too reckless to my taste: I would personally opt for safe climb straight into soft clouds before coming back on straight-in to land in a controlled fashion, way safer than freestyle circling bellow 400ft !
PS: UK does teach “bad weather circuit” for PPL holders and IMCR holders as defense if they get caught in weather, these may involve circling bellow IFR MVL/CTL height !! (if such thing exist or published), UK also allow one to descend bellow circling MVL/CTL minima on straight-in down to M/DH minima along runway axis before climbing back to MVL/CTL minima for circling to the opposite runway….
