Short Final: Descent Guidance

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

Verified

Sir Isaac Newton. Credit: Wikimedia

Key Takeaways:

During a busy traffic pattern, an aircraft was observed making its base-to-final turn at an arguably excessive altitude.
Another pilot questioned how the high aircraft intended to descend from that position.
A third pilot humorously responded that they typically "use gravity" for descent, implying it's a fundamental aspect of flight.

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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.”