Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Most pilots know how to fly a traffic pattern. But approaching an unfamiliar airport and quickly figuring out which way the pattern runs from your position can be surprisingly confusing.
In this video, I’ll show you a simple trick I use to visualize almost any traffic pattern entry using nothing more than your hands. It looks a little strange, but it gives you a quick reality check before committing to the wrong runway or pattern entry.
We’ll fly into Florence, South Carolina (KFLO), where multiple runways make this especially useful. Along the way, we’ll use the WIRE arrival brief (Weather, Instruments, Radios, Entry) to get ahead of the airplane before contacting tower.
Then we’ll see what happens when ATC gives us a completely different runway than the one we expected.
You’ll learn how to:
Visualize runway orientation from the cockpit
Quickly determine where the downwind, base, and final are
Anticipate your likely traffic pattern entry
Reorient yourself when ATC assigns a different runway
Use a simple visual check to reduce the chance of lining up with the wrong runway
Use WIRE to organize your arrival before entering the pattern
Even with moving maps and modern avionics, sometimes the simplest tools make the best cross-checks.
✈️ Become a more confident pilot with FlightInsight online ground school:
flight-insight.com
Join thousands of FlightInsight pilots training for their Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI ratings with our complete online courses and training resources.
Try the hand trick on your next flight and let me know in the comments: what do YOU use to visualize an unfamiliar traffic pattern?
Most pilots know how to fly a traffic pattern. But approaching an unfamiliar airport and quickly figuring out which way the pattern runs from your position can be surprisingly confusing.
In this video, I’ll show you a simple trick I use to visualize almost any traffic pattern entry using nothing more than your hands. It looks a little strange, but it gives you a quick reality check before committing to the wrong runway or pattern entry.
We’ll fly into Florence, South Carolina (KFLO), where multiple runways make this especially useful. Along the way, we’ll use the WIRE arrival brief (Weather, Instruments, Radios, Entry) to get ahead of the airplane before contacting tower.
Then we’ll see what happens when ATC gives us a completely different runway than the one we expected.
You’ll learn how to:
Visualize runway orientation from the cockpit
Quickly determine where the downwind, base, and final are
Anticipate your likely traffic pattern entry
Reorient yourself when ATC assigns a different runway
Use a simple visual check to reduce the chance of lining up with the wrong runway
Use WIRE to organize your arrival before entering the pattern
Even with moving maps and modern avionics, sometimes the simplest tools make the best cross-checks.
✈️ Become a more confident pilot with FlightInsight online ground school:
flight-insight.com
Join thousands of FlightInsight pilots training for their Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI ratings with our complete online courses and training resources.
Try the hand trick on your next flight and let me know in the comments: what do YOU use to visualize an unfamiliar traffic pattern?
