PilotEdge Forums

Hello All,

I've got a question about determining traffic pattern direction from the sectional.

When the sectional calls out a traffic pattern for a specific runway, how do you determine the pattern direction when the opposite runway is in use?
eg: Borrego Valley as seen here: http://skyvector.com/?ll=33.25091207261 ... =24&zoom=1

The chart says right pattern for runway 08, but does that always mean that runway 26 is also right pattern?

Right pattern for 08 means the traffic is to the South of the runway. When landing/departing from 26, do you keep the traffic in the same geographic location - South of runway - so left pattern? Or, do you keep the same pattern direction (right) thus moving the traffic to the North of the runway.

Hope that's clear, thanks!

The traffic pattern is left unless otherwise stated. So in Borrego valley, 26 is left traffic.

Thanks Pieces.
So it seems that opposite runways from those listed on the sectional are always left, since I've never seen more than 1 runway with a traffic pattern listed. Does that happen?

Generally the goal with a non-standard pattern is to keep aircraft away from something, whether that is for obstacle avoidance or noise or whatever reason. Having one end of the runway be right traffic and the other left means the pattern is one one side of the runway regardless of the end in use.

Airports with parallel runways will often have multiple runways with non-standard patterns, like Brown County. There you can see that the patterns are setup so aircraft on the south runway (26L - 8R) stay south of the field while traffic on the north (26R - 8L) stays to the north. It wouldn't make sense to have both 26R - 8L be right traffic because then 8L traffic would interfere with the other runway.

Got it! Thanks for the info, that was very helpful.