I hear a LOT of newer pilots and CFI's erroneously referring to the Departure leg of the traffic pattern as the Upwind. Ref. A.I.M. Sec 4-3-2. Actually had a Tower controller tell me "I'll call your turn from Upwind" I was clearly on Departure...just left the runway on runway heading. I called back "1234x is on Departure, sir" No reaction. Thank you.
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3$\begingroup$ Someone posted a letter from the FAA responding to inconsistencies in documentation on this topic. sportysnetwork.com/airfacts/files/2017/03/… $\endgroup$– BowlOfRedCommented Apr 6, 2018 at 2:25
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2$\begingroup$ Worth noting some countries outside the US (eg Australia) have the upwind leg only and don't define a departure leg. $\endgroup$– Glenn WatsonCommented Apr 29, 2022 at 23:08
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2$\begingroup$ In a closed traffic pattern I have never heard the term “departure” used in place of upwind. Departure is appropriate if you are leaving the vicinity of the airfield, otherwise it is out of context relative to a box pattern. $\endgroup$– Michael HallCommented May 1, 2022 at 14:24
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$\begingroup$ @BowlOfRed web.archive.org/web/20180406055605/http://sportysnetwork.com/… $\endgroup$– randomheadCommented May 2, 2022 at 21:21
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2 Answers
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Your Question:
Why is the Departure leg of the traffic pattern being mistaught as Upwind?
It is quite common to use the term "Upwind" when flying the "Departure Leg" because when doing so, you are probably flying "upwind." If you look at the Pilot/Controller Glossary in both the AIM and ATC Handbook (same P/C glossary), the term "Departure" leg is not even mentioned. It only shows in the body of the AIM.
Here is what the Pilot/Controller Glossary defines for a "Traffic Pattern:"
(emphasis mine)
TRAFFIC PATTERN − The traffic flow that is prescribed for aircraft landing at, taxiing on, or taking off from an airport. The components of a typical traffic pattern are upwind leg, crosswind leg, downwind leg, base leg, and final approach.
I'm not suggesting that the segment in the pattern you are referring to is not the "Departure leg," just that it is quite common to refer to this segment of the pattern while you are flying it as "upwind" (without the use of the word "leg"). The actual "Upwind leg" (as I'm certain you know) in a traffic pattern is flown parallel to the runway on the opposite side of the "Downwind leg".
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From an ATC perspective: the 7110.65 Chapter 3 Section 8 "Spacing and Sequencing" does not mention any "upwind." Instead it includes such phraseology as "MAKE SHORT APPROACH," "GO AROUND," or "EXTEND DOWNWIND."
As @757toga points out, the P/CG definition of "traffic pattern" does not mention a "departure" leg at all. It does define the "upwind" leg as being "parallel to the landing runway in the direction of landing." This begs the question: Is a line parallel to itself? If a line (or leg) can be parallel to itself, then the given definition for "upwind leg" is consistent with both a path that is offset from the runway and a path that is in line with the runway. Unfortunately there is no single answer to that question, as the top answer explains; different schools of thought define parallelism to apply to a single line, or not.
However, there is a clear reason why you will hear a controller tell you to "EXTEND UPWIND" upon departing a runway. This phraseology, despite not appearing in the .65, is taught at the FAA Academy in OKC as correct phraseology and an acceptable technique. Indeed, the voice recognition software used in the tower simulators there will recognize "EXTEND UPWIND" as a valid instruction. So controllers who have been trained at the FAA Academy are sent out into the field armed with this tool in their toolchests and they are ready to use it.
