Thanks in advance to anyone who can clear up my confusion with this one:
Often when approaching controlled airports with parallel runways I’ll be given assignment to “fly left base” to a R runway when I’m basically flying what would be a right base heading already. Here’s an example from KBMG to KCVG where I’m coming in nearly straight East, given this instruction, and if I fly in what I would call “right base,” I’m given landing clearance. Am I supposed to fly left traffic all the way around the airport and cross in front of 18L and 18C here to actually “fly left base” or what do I have wrong? If ATC assigns a L runway it makes sense as the call is still “fly left base,” but I get this often on R runways coming in like this.
It’s another thing that should be addressed in the ATC problems category.
It would be an unlikely instruction in real life. Yeah, maybe if 18L and 18C were not in use and they needed spacing between you and traffic on final for 18R but I’d still expect further clarification such as “enter crosswind for left downwind runway 18R” or “overfly the field at or above 2000 ft. and enter left traffic for runway 18R”.
Technically, yes. But like you said, they’ll still clear you to land from the right base. Whatever you do, stay vigilant for traffic!!! 
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Given this instruction I would overfly the airfield at pattern altitude and then turn to left downwind then left base directly.
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Yep, it’s a kind of clearance that break the immersion and exist since release.
On the positive side, it’s a good test for me, detecting immediately that there’s something wrong: the ATC is mixing his right and left. If I don’t detect the weird clearance and start acting as the ATC is requesting, it’s that my situation awareness is not at the right level
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