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Nontowered airports
Pilot-controlled (i.e., nontow- ered) airports are where the risks of straight-in approaches have the potential to outweigh their advan- tages. There are ways to mitigate the risk and safely mix with the normal pattern traffic—as long as you f ly predictably, see and be seen, and follow the rules for right-of-way. How do you do that?
First, flying a straight-in approach at a non-towered airport is not illegal. The FAA “discourages” it but then provides suggestions on how it should be done. What does the FAA say?
Advisory Circular 90-66C, Non- Towered Airport Flight Operations, was updated in June 2023 (figure 2). In that update, the FAA specifi- cally added recommendations about straight-in approaches. First, the AC
notes that “The FAA does not regulate traffic pattern entry, only traffic pat- tern flow.” Except in 14 CFR 91.126, where regulations require complying with the direction of marked traf- fic patterns when a traffic pattern is flown, it’s up to the pilot-in-command to decide how to approach a runway.
The AC continues to say, “To miti- gate the risk of a midair collision at a non-towered airport in other than instrument conditions, the FAA does not recommend that the pilot execute a straight-in approach for landing, when there are other aircraft in the traffic pattern. The straight-in ap- proach may cause a conflict with aircraft in the traffic pattern and on base to final and increase the risk of a midair collision.” But it then states, “However, if a pilot chooses to execute a straight-in approach for landing without entering the air- port traffic pattern, the pilot should self-announce their position on the
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