Help with SOHR-J PLEASE!????
Join Date: Dec 1999
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I think what many find confusing is that most diagrams show the SORJ starting from a point that is on the live side at 90 degrees to the R/W and are confused when they come in from another direction this does no actually matter, once overhead you can keep turning at 2,000' until you are in the right place as long as you are turning in the right direction and keep a good lookout.
Start by putting the airfield on the side of the aircraft that is the same as the circuit direction (If non radio and you do not know this then assume LH until you have checked the signal square) you should normally here be at 2,000' QFE. On reaching the airfield turn in the circuit direction until you cross the runway threshold, this should put you onto the 'dead' side and at this point you start a descending turn so that you cross over the top of the upwind end of the runway level at 1,000' this is the crosswind leg and you are now in the circuit.
Start by putting the airfield on the side of the aircraft that is the same as the circuit direction (If non radio and you do not know this then assume LH until you have checked the signal square) you should normally here be at 2,000' QFE. On reaching the airfield turn in the circuit direction until you cross the runway threshold, this should put you onto the 'dead' side and at this point you start a descending turn so that you cross over the top of the upwind end of the runway level at 1,000' this is the crosswind leg and you are now in the circuit.
What fooled me when I was learning is that you may have to turn up to 360 degrees even before joining the circuit. The figure on p16 of the VFR guide shows the plane joining from the live side, and you have to turn 180 degrees while descending on the dead side before joining the circuit (at circuit height) at the crosswind point.
If you are coming from the dead side, you should be overhead at 2000 feet as before, turn 180 back to the dead side (remaining at 2000 feet), and then descend to circuit on the dead side as shown in the figure, turning another 180. If you ask ATC nicely (if there is one) they may say you can descend to circuit height while approaching on the dead side, without first crossing the overhead at 2000 feet. However, this is not an overhead join.
If it says SOHJ then you should cross the airfield overhead at 2000 feet unless you've asked before, or you are confident that it's OK to join some other way. Obviously, at many airfields, if it's not busy and there aren't other reasons to insist on SOHJ (noise or whatever), then it may be OK to join crosswind, downwind, base, straight in or whatever. However, if there's a radio, I think it's always smart to ask first (or self-announce).
If you are coming from the dead side, you should be overhead at 2000 feet as before, turn 180 back to the dead side (remaining at 2000 feet), and then descend to circuit on the dead side as shown in the figure, turning another 180. If you ask ATC nicely (if there is one) they may say you can descend to circuit height while approaching on the dead side, without first crossing the overhead at 2000 feet. However, this is not an overhead join.
If it says SOHJ then you should cross the airfield overhead at 2000 feet unless you've asked before, or you are confident that it's OK to join some other way. Obviously, at many airfields, if it's not busy and there aren't other reasons to insist on SOHJ (noise or whatever), then it may be OK to join crosswind, downwind, base, straight in or whatever. However, if there's a radio, I think it's always smart to ask first (or self-announce).
Pompey till I die
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Strange
I thought if you came in dead side then you started your descent before the airfield so that you came in and still hit the circuit at the right point.
Rather than coming in and turning 360 degrees later on. At least, that's what I do.
Rather than coming in and turning 360 degrees later on. At least, that's what I do.
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I thought if you came in dead side then you started your descent before the airfield so that you came in and still hit the circuit at the right point.
FREDAcheck - I think you will find that is exactly what I said in my first post.
Sorry foxmoth, I had read your post, but I just wanted to emphasise the need for the 360. When I was learning, even having read descriptions of OHJ, I had assumed you do what PompeyPaul said, and descend dead-side before getting there. As you say, that's a crosswind join not an OHJ.
