On Nov 6, 9:47 am, Gene Kearns
wrote:
On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:01:07 -0000, penned the
following well considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

Hey Gene, I heard the local radio guy talking about delays at ATL, and
he's a pilot with a commercial rating. Well, in talking about delays
he said the time would grow today because of crosswind landings. In
that statement he said that the traffic pattern gets spread out
(larger) when there is cross winds. Why? Unless it's just because of
ground tracking on the windward side, or just to get lined up out
farther?

ATL is a TCA, so I doubt they are going to help anybody out by letting
them get lined up any farther out.

Imagine on takeoff you are told to maintain runway heading..... you
are watching your DG or compass and holding that heading... but the
wind is blowing you sideways (although your A/C is pointing in the
right direction) and causing you to crab "off course." This works
because everybody is blowing about the same amount.

Imagine the same thing, but on approach. Everybody is being pushed
sideways by the wind until they are established on the localizer or
GPS approach. It makes things messy, but predictable.

I'm not sure I buy it, though. ATL's METAR is:

KATL 061140Z 061212 29015G21KT P6SM SCT025 BKN045
TEMPO 1214 BKN025 OVC045
FM1500 31017G27KT P6SM SKC
FM2300 32012G18KT P6SM SKC
FM0500 33010KT P6SM SKC=

Thus, after about 10AM there is about a 40 degree crosswind at 17kt
gusting to 27kt, but the sky is clear with 6 miles of visibility. Most
pilots will be able to cancel IFR and line up on the runway visually.
Any aircraft with a demonstrated crosswind component of 15kt should
have no trouble negotiating the conditions..... except for that
adrenalin soaked last few feet of getting in (and staying in) the
center of the runway with gusting winds. For a larger aircraft this is
pretty much a non-event. Puddle jumpers will be affected.

--

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepagehttp://pamandgene.idleplay.net/

Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguidehttp://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats

I understand what you are saying about the approach, but this
particular pilot and radio guy was saying that the pattern itself gets
"larger". That I don't understand, unless it's just the windward leg
because of ground tracking.