B1103 FLIGHT 1.0 hours simulator

VFR Civilian Pattern and Communications

OBJECTIVE

Train participants to safely execute Visual Flight Rules (VFR) civilian traffic patterns in a virtual simulator, incorporating proper entry, maneuvering, and radio communications at both towered and non-towered airports.

CONTENT

Pattern Entry and Legs

  • • Standard left-hand pattern: Enter at 45° to downwind at 1,500 ft AGL, maintain rectangular shape with coordinated turns.
  • • Legs sequence: Downwind (abeam touchdown point), base (perpendicular to runway), final (aligned with centerline).

CIVILIAN PATTERN LEGS

45° Entry → Downwind → Base → Final

Communications at Towered Airports

  • • Contact tower for instructions.
  • • Position reports: "Entering left downwind," "Left base," "Final"; read back clearances.

EXAMPLE TOWER CALL

"Tower, BULLY54, 20 miles north, option runway 13."

Communications at Non-Towered Airports

  • • Self-announce on CTAF.
  • • Monitor for other aircraft announcements; announce intentions like "Departing runway" or "Clear of active."

EXAMPLE CTAF CALL

"XXXX Traffic, BULLY, entering 45 to downwind runway 22, XXXX traffic."

Maneuver Execution

  • • Airspeed control: 90 knots downwind, reduce on base/final; power adjustments for descent.
  • • Touch-and-go/full-stop: Flare, touchdown, then power up or stop; practice 3-5 circuits.

Error Handling and Safety

  • • Spacing issues: Extend downwind or go-around; wake turbulence avoidance.
  • • ATC Communication: Communicate with ATC for navigation clearances and pattern entry. Use intra-flight brevity codes.

SORTIE TASKS

No controller required — but flying to a towered airport is strongly encouraged. No instructor required. Fly on VATSIM IAW VATSIM regulations.

Pre-Sortie

  1. 1Select a practice airport — a towered field with an active controller is encouraged but not required
  2. 2File a VFR flight plan on VATSIM and connect; note active runway and CTAF/tower frequency
  3. 3If ATC is online, obtain ATIS and contact Ground/Tower; if not, depart via CTAF self-announce

Sortie

  1. 4Transit to practice airport; contact tower or self-announce inbound on CTAF
  2. 5Enter 45° to downwind at 1,500 ft AGL with correct position call to tower or CTAF
  3. 6Fly at least 5 touch-and-go circuits; make proper position and intention calls on every lap
  4. 7Full-stop landing on the final circuit; clear the runway and contact ground or self-announce

Post-Sortie

  1. 8Return to home field; contact tower or self-announce and land full-stop
  2. 9Log the sortie in the vTAC flight log system

Approved Callsigns

EURO · ENJEP · RAMA — if transiting to another airport not listed
JAVET — if practice airport is KTIK (Tinker)
ARCAS — if practice airport is KDYS (Dyess)
BURNY — if practice airport is KLBB (Lubbock)
FIDO — if practice airport is KAFW / NAS Fort Worth

COMPLETION STANDARDS

Trainees will perform civilian VFR patterns in the simulator independently. Trainees must:

  • • Complete at least five patterns with accurate communications
  • • Maintain tolerances (±500 ft altitude, ±20 knots airspeed)
  • • Execute one go-around correctly

Completion: Demonstrate proficiency with instructor sign-off

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