The Piper M600 SLS - Flying the Pattern with Dick Rochfort

Dick Rochfort is a Master Certified Flight Instructor providing excellent training, pre-purchase consulting, aircraft relocation and expert witness services to owners, pilots and instructors of the Piper PA46 aircraft. He holds ATP, Commercial and Gold Seal Flight Instructor Certificates with SEL, SES, MEL, CFII, MEI, and CE-525S ratings. He has been a full-time flight instructor working exclusively in PA46 aircraft (all variants) since 1992 and has over 10,000 hours in Make/Model.

[@davefernandez2989]

Dick, can you share a little more insight on placing the bug on the crosswind. Also wing tip aligned with runway.

[@RWRPilotTraining]

Hi Dave, certainly. The bug I am talking about is the magenta diamond on the CDI bezel. It sits at the top of the white dashed line. Those two items represent the ground track of the aircraft. My idea there is to use this information to parallel the runway. Putting the wing tip on the runway puts the aircraft on a downwind wider than slower airplanes, and gives the pilot a better view of the overall situation. It also allows for a wider turn consistent with a slightly higher airspeed in the pattern. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR