A PVT PLT ALLOWS A STUDENT PLT TO FLY HIS ACFT WHILE APCHING BUF ARPT. THE 'TEAM' TURNS TO THE WRONG HEADING WHILE TRYING TO FLY A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 23. THE ACFT IS FLOWN ACROSS RWY 23 DEP END WHEN STUDENT PLT ATTEMPTS A R DOWNWIND LEG.

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I WAS FLYING INTO BUFFALO INTL ARPT AT XA00 AM SUNDAY FOR A FLY-IN. THE WX CALLED FOR 10 MI VISIBILITY WITH 2500 FT SCATTERED AND LIGHT RAIN. I WAS IN THE R SEAT AS TO ALLOW MY FRIEND TO ACQUIRE EXPERIENCE FLYING IN AN ARSA ENVIRONMENT (HE IS A 50 HR STUDENT). WE HAD JUST COME OUT OF LIGHT RAIN STILL IN VFR CONDITIONS ON A 100 DEG HDG. THE ARPT WAS 5 MI IN OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS. BUFFALO APCH HAD HANDED US OVER TO BUFFALO TWR. THE TWR HAD CLRED US FOR A L-HAND PATTERN TO RWY 23. WE WERE TO NOTIFY THEM WHEN WE WERE READY TO TURN BASE. MISTAKE #1 IS THAT I HAD MISREAD THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE TO FIND RWY HEADING; AND TURNED L FORM OUR COURSE INSTEAD OF R TO 050 DEGS FOR L DOWNWIND. AT THIS POINT I HAD CROSSED THE RWY HEADINGS IN MY HEAD AND PROCEEDED AROUND THE ARPT TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE APCH SIDE TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 23. IN REALITY I WAS XING THE DEP END OF RWY 23 AND HEADING FOR A R DOWNWIND TO RWY 23. HAD I BEEN IN THE L SEAT I WOULD HAVE NOTICED THAT MY TURN TO DOWNWIND WAS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION; BUT DID NOT CATCH THE ERROR UNTIL BUFFALO TWR INFORMED US THAT WE WERE XING THE DEP END. MISTAKE #2; BEING SO PREOCCUPIED LOOKING FOR TFC WHILE XING DEP RWY 23; IT DID NOT OCCUR TO ME TO MAKE A R TURN TO 050 DEGS DOWNWIND BEFORE XING DEP RWY 23 (REMEMBER THAT I WAS ALREADY CLRED TO TURN FOR L DOWNWIND). I ALSO SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE TO CONFIRM HEADING AFTER BUFFALO INFORMED ME OF MY XING THE DEP END. IN CLOSING; I FAILED TO INTERPRET THE ACFT INSTS CORRECTLY DUE TO MY SEATING AND DUE TO OTHER DISTRACTIONS; WATCHING THE WX AND THE RADIO WORK. THIS SIT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED IF I WERE IN THE L SEAT. IN ANY EVENT I THINK A COMPLETE REFRESHER ON BASIC INSTRUMENTATION AND LNDG AT CTLED AIRFIELDS IS IN ORDER. AND I'LL LEAVE THE INSTRUCTION TO PROFESSIONALS.