Plan and follow a flightpath to the selected landing area considering altitude, wind, t...

Bottom line

The pilot may use any combination of normal gliding maneuvers, from wings level to spirals to eventually arrive at the normal key position at a normal traffic pattern altitude for the selected landing area. All pilots should learn to determine the wind direction and estimate its speed from the windsock at the airport, smoke from factories or houses, dust, brush fires, wind farms, or patterns displayed on nearby bodies of water. Ground topography and large buildings can break up the flow of the wind and create wind gusts that change rapidly in direction and speed.