Short Final: Descent Guidance

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

Verified

Sir Isaac Newton. Credit: Wikimedia

Key Takeaways:

An aircraft in a busy traffic pattern was observed making a base-to-final turn at an unusually high altitude.
Other pilots in the pattern commented on the aircraft's excessive height, questioning how it would descend.
One pilot responded humorously, suggesting the use of "gravity" to resolve the high approach.

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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.”