Flying a Traffic Pattern | How to Land an Airplane

The humble traffic pattern is the foundation of all good flying skills. In one short, six minute routine, you combine taxi, takeoff, climb, rudder coordination, instrument cross check, power management, level offs, turns, ground references, wind corrections, energy management, descents, and landings. It's a complete meal! Here is how to fly great patterns.
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[@txkflier]

When you're abeam the numbers on downwind, you should do your GUMPS check, throttle back to approach power, fly level until you're at the proper airspeed, trim the pressure off the yoke, and turn base. Don't pull the yoke back during the turns. After each notch of flaps, retrim for the correct airspeed. Once you turn final, adjust the power to keep the numbers from moving up or down in the windscreen. Don't pull the power back to idle until you cross the fence or threshold. When the runway suddenly appears to get wider, start your round-out and flare so that you touch down in the touch down zone (white rectangles). Using landmarks and trimming for the correct airspeed will help you keep your eyes outside the airplane instead of inside fixating on the instruments.

[@mrphysics2625]

Thank you!

[@urbanturbine]

Setting visual ques is brilliant. My first instructor was an 80 year old guy and this is how we taught me. My 2nd instructor had his own way of teaching pattern work and landings and i got really thrown off and confused. Of course, he quit for another job and i was assigned a 3rd instructor, with a different method which pretty much said not to expect any procedure for pattern work as the conditions will always be different at every pattern. But my first instructor's teaching stayed in my head and when i started flying myself, i always flew that way. This instructional video was great and sort of emphasized the important of visual cues while flying. At the end of the day this is VRF and use the V as much as you can for flying a perfect pattern. Of course when you fly IFR, you have to forget all of this and bob your head inside and fly with the instruments. It is almost like learning to fly all over again :) Thank you for posting this.

[@martinszeliga4568]

Love your content, keep up the great work! I teach students to turn crosswind at 300' below pattern altitude, just to comply with AC 90-66C.

[@tomaschrapek]

I was about to point out the same.

[@dmacnet]

Thank you, this is the kind of overview of the pattern procedures I have been looking for! There are some very helpful comments too.

[@dustinengel4852]

Thank you for this! The visual was extremely helpful!

[@stevekirk8546]

Brilliantly explained and demonstrated. Thank you.

[@aviatortrucker6285]

As you become familiar with the pattern, it is much easier to profile fly. That is to establish certain parameters, like RPM, decent rate, and power for air speed. This will teach you a more stabilized approach. Once you learn how to set your power and trim for approximately a 400 ft./min. decent throughout the pattern you’ll only need to touch power to maintain the desired airspeed.

[@chasesawyer8087]

You pitch for your airspeed

[@aviatortrucker6285]

@@chasesawyer8087 yes that’s the original way it was taught but that does not work when you’re shooting an ILS. You’ll find it much easier to pitch your dissent rate and adjust air speed with power. Always set up your profile and your approaches will remain stable.

[@fishhisy]

I would fly perfect patterns with the caravan I'd set up the approach into the runway or put an extended centerline and use the HSI xtk distance to give me a perfect mile downwind and use the ground track indicator on the EHSI to fly perfect downwinds.

[@jakew9887]

Excellent video. Thanks

[@klausbellroth5451]

Excellent video. The only thing I'll ad is that I do glance at the VSI during the descend, at least on those windier days. I've had approaches at 1700 rpm, nose down and flaps partly extended and the plane descended at only 200 fpm. I agree though, for the most part it's about visual references.

[@aviatortrucker6285]

Always refer to the terminal procedures of the airport to see if there is an OCP, alternate TO minimums and or minimum altitude prior to any turn from runway heading.

[@jabri2441]

Excellent video. 🎉

[@joshuakzy7472]

This is awesome thanks

[@thomasjaszewski6898]

Great review even for us 22,000 hour pilots!

[@Posttraumaticgrowth]

Thanks!

[@franklinescobar6208]

What’s your camera setting?

[@charmeze0377]

And at which distance of the airport you do the pattern?

[@donepearce]

It seems to me that the majority of patterns are left handed. Is this an unconscious preference or is it actually preferred?

[@aviatortrucker6285]

You’ll have to ask your flight instructor if traffic patterns are really cool or are they just for squares.

[@jerryaberdeen6984]

I am looking for a good flight school near Hyattsville MD, to do my PPL and if possible my commercial can you give me some suggestions. hanks.

[@mcstumpe]

With the new rules of “departure/upwind legs in the pattern by the faa, what are your thoughts since it’s the most dangerous area of flight?

[@Stumpchunkman226]

What's the new rule?

[@Steve74783]

I wish you kept the video until landing. I felt like I watched the whole course but then it was cut short because you didn’t show the landing.

[@_Breakdown]

Awesome video! 😎🛩👍🏼 Q: About what range of speed is best when landing?

[@mfkp]

That depends on which airplane you're flying. All those numbers will be specified in the operating handbook for each aircraft though.

[@_Breakdown]

@@mfkp Cessna (smallest)? 767 (biggest)?

[@mfkp]

@@_Breakdown you can Google "v-speeds" for each model. vs0 is the stall speed in dirty configuration (flaps down). Gotta keep it above that speed to avoid stalling. I think for final approach, you want something around 1.3x your stall speed, unless otherwise specified in the handbook.

[@Stumpchunkman226]

I've never flown a rectangular pattern. All of my ground tracks are ovals. Is that normal?

[@Stumpchunkman226]

I guess not ovals, but the corners of the "rectangle" are all rounded.

[@mosasa1307]

perfactly normal@@Stumpchunkman226

[@NemoThunderbolt]

I just use heading bug )

[@mosasa1307]

what is a heading bug?

[@mosasa1307]

Never mind figured it out, had a brain fart :D

[@txkflier]

The more your eyes are looking outside the airplane, the better.

[@ArcavianX]

I go to U of Maryland lmfao

[@TheUnhappyTroll]

why take a visual bearings if you have a compass?

[@Stumpchunkman226]

I cheat and bug the runway heading so I know I'm squared off on each leg.

[@txkflier]

You should keep your eyes outside the airplane as much as possible. Landmarks help you do that. And, trimming the elevator will help you maintain the correct airspeed without having to keep an eye on the airspeed indicator.