13.traffic-pattern-operations. Traffic Pattern Operations
The traffic pattern is a standardized rectangular flight path flown around an airport during takeoff and landing. It provides predictable spacing and sequencing of aircraft, helps pilots avoid mid-air collisions, and gives a known reference for arrivals and departures, especially at non-towered airports where pilots self-announce position and intentions on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF).
Standard Pattern and Altitude
Unless otherwise published, traffic patterns are flown with left-hand turns. Right-hand patterns are used when terrain, noise abatement, or airspace requires it, and are indicated in the Chart Supplement, on segmented circles, and by traffic pattern indicators near the wind indicator.
Standard traffic pattern altitude (TPA) for propeller-driven aircraft is 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL). Large and turbine aircraft typically fly the pattern at 1,500 feet AGL. Always verify TPA in the Chart Supplement, as some airports publish nonstandard altitudes due to terrain or surrounding airspace.
The Five Legs
The rectangular pattern consists of five named legs:
- Upwind (Departure) leg — flown parallel to the landing runway in the direction of takeoff. The departure leg is the climb-out path after takeoff.
- Crosswind leg — a 90° left (or right) turn from the upwind, flown perpendicular to the runway. Initiated only after reaching at least 300 feet below TPA and beyond the departure end of the runway.
- Downwind leg — flown parallel to the landing runway in the opposite direction of landing, at TPA, typically 1/2 to 1 mile out from the runway. The before-landing checklist is normally completed here.
- Base leg — perpendicular to the landing runway, between downwind and final. Begin descent and configure for landing.
- Final approach — aligned with the runway centerline, descending to land. Final should be long enough to allow stabilization but not extend so far that another aircraft on a proper pattern would conflict.
Entry and Departure Procedures
The FAA-recommended entry at non-towered airports is a 45° entry to the midpoint of the downwind at pattern altitude. An alternative published in AC 90-66 is the midfield crosswind entry: overfly the airport at least 500 feet above TPA (typically 1,500 AGL for piston aircraft), proceed well clear of the pattern, then descend to TPA on the upwind side and enter on a midfield crosswind, giving way to aircraft already established.
Departures from a non-towered airport are made either straight out off the upwind, or with a 45° turn in the direction of the pattern (left turn for a left-hand pattern) after reaching pattern altitude.
Communications at Non-Towered Airports
Advisory Circular 90-66 recommends position reports on CTAF:
- 10 miles out, announcing position, altitude, and intentions
- Entering downwind, base, and final
- Clear of the active runway
Format: airport name, aircraft type and N-number, position, intention, airport name. Example: "Lincoln traffic, Cessna 1234X, 10 miles south, inbound, will enter left downwind runway 17, Lincoln."
Towered Airport Operations
At towered airports, the controller assigns sequencing and pattern entries — pilots may be cleared to enter on any leg or instructed to make a straight-in approach. ATIS provides the active runway and pattern information. Pilots must obtain a clearance to taxi, takeoff, land, and (in Class B, C, and D airspace) two-way radio communications must be established before entering the surface area.
Wind, Speed, and Spacing
A proper rectangular ground track requires wind correction. With a tailwind on downwind and a headwind on final, pilots must crab into the wind on crosswind and base to prevent the pattern from drifting wide or tight. A common error is allowing the base-to-final turn to overshoot the centerline due to a tailwind on base, leading to the dangerous tendency to steepen the bank or use uncoordinated rudder — a primary cause of stall/spin accidents.
Maintain pattern airspeeds appropriate for the aircraft (typically 70-90 KIAS on downwind in light singles, slowing to 1.3 V_SO on final). Adjust spacing using turn timing rather than excessive speed changes; if too close to the aircraft ahead, extend the downwind or perform 360° turns only with ATC approval (or, at non-towered fields, by exiting the pattern entirely and re-entering).
Right-of-Way and Collision Avoidance
Under 14 CFR 91.113, aircraft on final approach or landing have right-of-way over those in the air. When two aircraft are approaching to land at the same time, the lower aircraft has right-of-way — but a pilot must not use this rule to cut in front of another aircraft on final. Maintain a continuous visual scan, especially during base-to-final turns, and use position reports to build situational awareness of all traffic.