id: 3.4-pattern-work-transitions-flight-of-xx title: 3.4 Pattern Work / Transitions / Flight of XX meta: Pattern Work, Transitions and Flight of XX rules when operating a tower facility within Infinite Flight. order: 4 #

3.4 Pattern Work / Transitions / Flight of XX #

Pattern Work #

3.4.1 #

The pattern altitude is 1000ft AAL (above aerodrome level) for props and 1500ft AAL for jets (see 3.4.1.1 below). Controllers are encouraged to fly at the airport they intend on controlling at, before opening. Controllers must{.red} assess the suitability for pattern work by using the following three conditions:

• Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) must{.red} exist for pattern work to be allowed – for IF only purposes, this is a MINIMUM of 3 statute miles (approx. 5000 meters) visibility
• Aircraft must{.red} be able to reasonably fly a standard pattern, if this is not possible due to terrain (such as at KASE, LOWI, NZQN etc), then pattern work must{.red} be denied
• If CURRENT traffic levels increase to a level that prevents Controllers from providing an adequate service, pattern work should{.red} be turned off TEMPORARILY - as soon as traffic levels are manageable, Controllers must{.red} resume pattern work

Transitions #

3.4.2 #

Aircraft must{.red} request a transition if passing through the airspace of the Tower Controller unless the aircraft is with the radar facility of that airport. For Infinite Flight, Tower airspace is defined as the most immediate ring/boundary surrounding the airport and up to 5000ft AAL (therefore if the elevation of the airport is 1000ft, the tower’s airspace would be 1000ft – 6000ft).

3.4.3 #

A transition must{.red} only be approved within tower’s airspace (so in the example above, no higher than 6000ft). Separation must{.red} be applied if the Tower Controller has aircraft in the pattern.

3.4.4 #

Using the above example, if the Tower Controller has 2 jet aircraft in the pattern, with an airport elevation of 1000ft, they would be expected to fly the pattern at 2500ft, therefore a transition for another aircraft must{.red} be given that still allows it to stay within the tower’s airspace (up to 6000ft) but also gives separation to those that are in the pattern. 3000ft would be the minimum altitude that could be used to provide 500ft separation between VFR aircraft, however 1000ft or more is recommended to satisfy IFR separation rules (see 6.2 below).

Flight of XX #

3.4.5 #

When controlling aircraft using the “Flight of XX” callsign, you must{.red} only send commands to the lead aircraft and treat the flight of xx as one aircraft. Separation is the pilot’s responsibility and it is likely that they will be within ½ mile separation of each other during the approach and landing.