Interesting story mazex. I had a similar thing happen to me on a glider flight. The instructor had me convinced that we were going to release at 2000ft, but right after we passed 200ft he pulled the release on me. He didn't say a word, just sat back and rode along. I put the nose down a little to maintain speed as the tow plane peeled away and I made a right-hand turn into the wind, which was by his earlier instruction, and I did a 180 back to the field for a 'down wind' landing. It was more of a cross-wind down- wind landing. After we came to a stop, he got out and said "Its all yours, take it up" and I was off on my first solo. Just had to get it golfcart-towed to the tow-plane again. What a day.
But I always thought that the left pattern was most common from the traditional stick and rudder planes of the old days and becasue most people are right handed and its just more natural to turn left with your right had on the stick and the other controls are normally on the left side anyway with that setup. But I am right handed and I don't mind right-patterns or right-turns, it doesnt seem to bther me that much.
Intersting thread.
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