The traffic pattern
Legs, altitudes, entries, and right of way.
12 min read · Airport operations and procedures
After this lesson you can
- Name the five pattern legs in order, with the altitude and turn point for each.
- Fly the recommended 45-degree entry, and the safe way to join from the opposite side of the pattern.
- Apply the 91.113 right-of-way rules to a converging, head-on, and overtaking encounter.
- Respond correctly to light gun signals after a radio failure.
The traffic pattern is a convention: a standardized rectangle that lets airplanes that may never speak to each other know roughly where everyone else is. Its entire value comes from predictability, and predictability comes from every pilot flying the same shape the same way.
It is also where most general aviation midair collisions happen, precisely because everyone converges there at low altitude and low speed. A nonstandard entry is a surprise, and a surprise in the pattern is a hazard.
The rest of this lesson
- 1.The five legs
- 2.Entering and leaving the pattern
- 3.Parallel runway operations
- 4.The 91.113 right-of-way rules
- 5.No radio: the light gun signals
- 6.Attention in the pattern, leg by leg
These 6 sections, their figures, the checks along the way and the end-of-lesson quiz come with the PPL track. Paid once, yours for good.
Key terms
Try to recall each definition before turning the card.