The segmented circle at a non-towered airport indicates:

The segmented circle is a ground marking near the centre of a non-towered airport that tells arriving pilots how to fly the pattern without radio contact. Around it are traffic pattern indicators — L-shaped extensions positioned to show the direction of turns for each runway — so a pilot overflying the field can read directly whether a given runway uses standard left traffic or non-standard right traffic. At its centre sits a wind indicator, usually a wind sock or a tetrahedron, giving wind direction and rough speed, so the two pieces of information a pilot needs to join the pattern are presented together. For a remote pilot the value is in predicting where manned aircraft will actually be: right traffic on a particular runway puts the pattern on the opposite side of the field from where the standard convention would suggest, which can place descending aircraft directly over a site that seemed clear.

Traffic pattern indicators arranged around the segmented circle show the direction of turns for each runway, with a wind indicator at the centre.

The segmented circle at a non-towered airport houses a wind indicator and traffic pattern indicators showing the direction of turns for each runway, allowing arriving pilots to determine the pattern visually.

Wind in the Middle, Pattern Around It. Everything a pilot needs to join the circuit without a radio.

Chart supplements also note right traffic runways with 'RP' followed by the runway number. Check both sources when planning near a field.

• •Assuming all patterns are left traffic
• •Confusing the segmented circle with runway or taxiway markings
• •Checking the wind indicator without reading the pattern indicators