In this lesson you'll learn about flying in an airport traffic pattern.

ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE

20 minutes

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

You should complete the Student lessons and all previous Private Pilot lessons before beginning this lesson. Reading the Ground School material before starting this lesson will help you better understand the skills being taught. Reading the "traffic pattern" article in the Learning Center may also help you understand more about an airport traffic pattern.

THE WEATHER

The sky is clear and the winds are calm.

RECOMMENDED CHARTS

None

ABOUT THE FLIGHT

You'll start the lesson on the ground, take off, follow instructions to learn about and fly around the pattern, and then land on the same runway form which you departed. This pattern will require you to fly the upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, and final legs of the traffic pattern.

KEY COMMANDS TO REMEMBER

F7 to lower the flaps in 10-degree increments.
Numpad 4 to look left and Numpad 1 to look left behind you. Be sure the Numlock light on your keyboard is lit.

FLIGHT CRITERIA

You'll be asked to maintain:

• Airspeed within 10 knots as assigned
• Power settings within 150 RPM as assigned
• Altitude within 100 feet as assigned
• Headings within 10 degrees as assigned