Make right base?

....what does that mean? I got that message from atc, but have no clue what to do...

I am not certain but, base is the last manouvre in a traffic pattern before final approach. So when atc requests right base it means make a right turn towards the runway to final approach.

In FS9 this is one of the instructions a tower controller can give you when you request to land in VFR flight.
Right Base in this case is where the tower wants you to enter the traffic pattern.

It is the base leg of the runway that requires you to make a (90 degree) right turn on to final.

There are four parts to a visual traffic pattern; crosswind, downwind, base, and final. A VFR pattern is flown in a box pattern with downwind being opposite direction and parallel to the runway. A crosswind is when you depart the runway and make a 90 degree turn from runway heading (normally patterns are flown to the left unless posted otherwise). Downwind as I stated earlier is when you turn 90 degrees from the crosswind heading (you would now be flying parallel but in an opposite direction to your landing runway). A base turn is when you make your 90 degree turn from downwind (thanks for the correction Ed) which is also putting you 90 degrees to the landing runway. In your case, the call to make a right base meant you were instructed to make a right hand pattern to whatever the landing runway was. You normally begin your descent from pattern altitude then initiating your base turn (this point is often called the perch in military aviation). The last leg is the final approach which is when you turn your last 90 degrees to line up with the landing runway.

Prozac919 wrote:

There are four parts to a visual traffic pattern; crosswind, downwind, base, and final. A VFR pattern is flown in a box pattern with downwind being opposite direction and parallel to the runway. A crosswind is when you depart the runway and make a 90 degree turn from runway heading (normally patterns are flown to the left unless posted otherwise). Downwind as I stated earlier is when you turn 90 degrees from the crosswind heading (you would now be flying parallel but in an opposite direction to your landing runway). A base turn is when you make your 90 degree turn from crosswind which is also putting you 90 degrees to the landing runway. In your case, the call to make a right base meant you were instructed to make a right hand pattern to whatever the landing runway was. You normally begin your descent from pattern altitude then initiating your base turn (this point is often called the perch in military aviation). The last leg is the final approach which is when you turn your last 90 degrees to line up with the landing runway.

Thanks a lot man!!

Go to page 21 of the linked document for the basics of traffic patterns.

http://www.stantaleykis.com/DATA/PTmanual.pdf

Prozac919 wrote:

A base turn is when you make your 90 degree turn from crosswind which is also putting you 90 degrees to the landing runway.

Prozac919, that was an excellent explanation, but I think you meant to say that "A base turn is when you make your 90 degree turn from DOWNWIND," not from crosswind. Right?

Ed

By stating "Right" base you should be making a right hand turn from downwind on to base. Therefore "Left" base would imply a left hand turn onto base.

Tartanaviation,

I think you missed my point, or maybe you didn't read it-- you would never turn directly from crosswind to base. You turn from crosswind to downwind to base.

I'm sure you know that, I was only correcting Prozac's statement to make sure we didn't confuse the original poster.

Anyhow, this has nothing to do with the poster's original question. I think Odyssey said it most simply. Just make a right turn to final.

Ed

Sorry sorry, general error, late late late night.