we rarely exceed 400 ft anyway...

Go watch a Pattern competition. Stand near the Judges (thy will let AMA members do that if you just ask)

The distance from flight line (where the pilot is standing... just a few feet from the judges) that the planes fly is appx 250 to 275 ft out when the aircraft is passing directly in front of the judges (where all the centered maneuvers are done.)

At 275 ft out... the plane is 388 ft from the pilot and 275 ft altitude when at a 45 deg angle upward.

Watch the angle of elevation at the maximum... its rare that anyone exceeds 50 deg... (putting the plane maybe 400 ft above ground...)

Look at how small the aircraft looks when at that distance... (pretty darn small...)

How far up did you THINK it was when it was up there? (most people, before that explaination, would have estimated the altitude at 1000 ft....)