Short Final: Descent Guidance

Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 10:31 PM ET

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Sir Isaac Newton. Credit: Wikimedia

Key Takeaways:

During a busy traffic pattern, an aircraft turning base to final was noted for having excessive altitude.
Other pilots in the pattern expressed concern and questioned how the high aircraft would manage its descent.
One pilot offered a humorous reply to the altitude concern, stating, "I usually use gravity."

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Overheard on a Unicom frequency:

In a busy traffic pattern, one aircraft turns base to final with arguably excessive altitude. A couple of other aircraft in the pattern chime in:

Aircraft No. 1 – “That looks awfully high. How is he going to get down from up there?”

Aircraft No. 2 – “I usually use gravity.”