Flying the King Air in the real world, I try to keep downwind's about 3 miles from the runway, and turn base as to set me up on about a 3-4 mile final.  1000 feet AGL is what we use for the circuit, try using 1500 feet AGL at night until you're established on slope.

Flying a heavy aircraft in the sim, I would keep it a lot further out than 2 miles... that seems pretty tight.

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I've answered a few of you posts.. it seems you're trying to go about it realistically; which like real flying, makes it a constant learning process. If you could sim realistically and not be confused now and then.. well..  that can't be done 

In the real world, even at the same airport; you'll never, ever encounter the same: traffic, winds, weather, pattern-requirement, aircraft-loading.. so EVERY pattern or approach is at least a bit of a learning experience.

If you find yourself flying solo; no baggage and a light-fuel load on a beautiful, windless day... pulling the power, bleeding airspeed to the white-arc, dumping all flaps for a diving turn to the runway abeam the threshold, as a Lear calls five-mile final..... is diifferent decision when there's a stiff X-wind, and three other people on board 

Crossfire:

Here is what I figured out with the PMDG diagram regarding the 2 mile/ 1500 feet / 2 mile final thing...

If you configure the Queen as per the diagram, her correct manuevering speed will be about 160 knots (flaps 20) when abeam of the threshold.  45 seconds later, that is precisely 2 miles.  Since the turning diameter for that configuration, at a typical wt, seems to be almost exactly 2 miles, if you begin a standard rate turn, descending at about approx. 800 fpm, you will roll out on final, aligned with the runway at 7-800 feet, at a distance of 2 miles.  All that remains is to deploy the landing flaps, and slow to Vref + 5.  No discernable Base Leg, just a continous, descending turn. I tried it several times this morning, and it worked out very well each time.

So, in other words, the diagram is obviously showing the minimum pattern that the plane is safely capable of.   I'm thinking that maybe in real life, it could possibly be easier to do it that way, in that plane, because you don't have to judge when to begin the turn to final, plus you can do it in a right hand pattern without the need for eyebrow windows.  My patterns are definitely better now.

The way I was doing it before, I was doing a distinct base leg: I only thought I was 2 miles abeam the runway, but I was actually somewhat further.  At 90% zoom factor, I now realize that 2 miles abeam the midpoint of a 10k foot runway, the arrival end and the departure end will stretch just about from one side of my monitor to the other.  And at 4 miles, it will occupy half of my monitor, so on and so forth.  (I consider this realization a breakthrough in my VFR flight simming mental tool box Yeah!)