Updated October 2026
A traffic pattern is the rectangular path airplanes fly around a runway so that takeoffs and landings follow one orderly flow: departure, crosswind, downwind, base and final. Turns are to the left unless the airport says otherwise, and the AIM recommends a pattern altitude of 1,000 feet above the ground for propeller airplanes unless the Chart Supplement publishes a different figure.
Final approach is the last leg, lined up with the runway, and it is where most of a landing is decided. The go-around is the planned answer to a final that is not working. Traffic patterns, landings and go-arounds are all among the 15 items 14 CFR 61.87(d) requires before a first solo. They return on the checkride in Area IV of the Private Pilot ACS.
At Van Nuys you learn them on parallel runways under a busy tower, which changes a few details and none of the principles.
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The Five Legs Of The Traffic Pattern
The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C, chapter 8) names five legs. It also describes an upwind leg, flown parallel to the runway on the upwind side, which you meet at towered airports and after a go-around.
| Leg | Where It Is | What You Do |
|---|---|---|
| Departure | Straight out along the runway heading after takeoff | Climb at the POH climb speed. To stay in the pattern, turn crosswind within 300 feet of pattern altitude. |
| Crosswind | At right angles to the runway, beyond the departure end | Finish the climb to pattern altitude and correct for drift. |
| Downwind | Parallel to the runway, flying the opposite way, about half a mile to a mile out | Level at pattern altitude and run the before-landing checklist. Reduce power and start down once at least abeam the approach end. |
| Base | At right angles again, beyond the approach end | Continue the descent, set flaps per the POH, and check final for traffic before turning. |
| Final | Lined up with the runway centerline | Fly a stabilized approach to the aim point, or go around. |
The handbook puts the turn to base at roughly 45 degrees from the approach end, in a medium bank. Downwind spacing is what students get wrong first. Too close and the base turn becomes a steep, slow bank onto final, which is the classic setup for a stall in a turn. Too wide and you fly a long, low, dragged-in final. Find a reference on the airplane, such as a wing strut or a point on the wingtip, and keep the runway on it.
Pattern Altitude, Entries And Spacing
AIM 4-3-3 recommends 1,000 feet above ground level for propeller airplanes, and at least 1,500 feet AGL or 500 feet above the established pattern altitude for large and turbine-powered aircraft. Plenty of airports publish their own figure, and the Chart Supplement entry for the airport is the number you fly. We do not print the Van Nuys pattern altitudes here. Read them in the current Chart Supplement and go through them with your instructor.
Direction comes from regulation. In Class G, 14 CFR 91.126(b)(1) has airplanes make all turns to the left unless markings or light signals show right-hand traffic. In Class D, 91.129(f) has airplanes circle the airport to the left unless ATC says otherwise, and at a towered field ATC often does.
Entries depend on the airport. At a non-towered field the handbook describes joining on a 45-degree course to the downwind leg at midfield, at pattern altitude. The FAA's AC 90-66C on non-towered operations covers the same ground in more detail. At a towered field the tower can assign any entry, including a straight-in, a base entry or a right downwind. In every case, descend to pattern altitude before you join, not while joining.
Traffic is the reason for all of it. The handbook reminds you that high-wing airplanes hide what is above them and low-wing airplanes hide what is below, and the worst pairing is a low-wing airplane above a high-wing one. On our ramp that is a Warrior or a DA20 descending onto a Cessna 162. Under 14 CFR 91.113(g), the lower aircraft on final has the right-of-way, but it may not use that to cut in front of or overtake an airplane already on final.
Final Approach: Stabilized Approach Criteria And Aim Point
The handbook's stabilized approach has seven elements. Among them are a constant glide path of about 3 degrees and an airspeed within +10/-5 knots of the recommended landing speed. The descent rate is generally 500 to 1,000 feet per minute in a light airplane, with the airplane configured, on heading and the checklist done. If you are not stable by 500 feet above the airport in visual conditions, go around. For a light piston airplane in the pattern, the handbook calls for an immediate go-around if the approach becomes unstable below 300 feet AGL.
The aim point is what makes a stable final possible. On a steady glide path, the spot you are going to hit is the one that stays still in the windshield. If your chosen spot drifts up the windshield you are getting low and will land short of it; if it slides down toward the nose you will land long. Pitch holds the spot still, power holds the speed.
Approach speed comes from the POH. Where the manufacturer publishes none, the handbook and the ACS use 1.3 VSO, and in gusty air the handbook adds half the gust factor. The checkride standard for a normal landing is a touchdown within 400 feet beyond or on the specified point, with no side drift.
The final approach fix is a different thing. The FAA's Pilot/Controller Glossary defines it as the fix from which the final approach of an IFR approach is executed, the start of the instrument final segment, and it is marked on approach charts. In the VFR pattern, final simply means lined up with the runway. You meet the fix in our instrument rating course.
The Crosswind Component On Final
Most finals carry some crosswind, and the component is a two-line sum. Crosswind = wind speed × the sine of the angle between the wind and the runway, and headwind = wind speed × the cosine of the same angle. Worked example: runway 16L points roughly 160 degrees magnetic, and the tower gives the wind as 200 at 15 knots. The angle is 40 degrees. The sine of 40 degrees is about 0.64, so the crosswind is about 9.6 knots. The cosine is about 0.77, so the headwind is about 11.5 knots. Run it again with the gust value, because the gust is what you will be holding off in the flare. Enter the runway heading and the wind below to get both components.
Then compare the answer with the maximum demonstrated crosswind in your POH and the limit your instructor wrote in your logbook. The wing-low technique, the crab and the forward slip are in our guide to crosswind landings and forward slips.
The Round-Out And Flare
In a normal approach the round-out starts about 10 to 20 feet above the runway, according to the handbook. You raise the nose progressively to slow the descent, keep raising it as the airplane slows, and let it settle onto the main wheels at or just above stalling speed. Then lower the nosewheel gently.
Where you look matters. The handbook suggests a shallow downward angle of about 10 to 15 degrees ahead, toward the far end of the runway, rather than straight over the nose. Look too close and the flare goes jerky.
Each of our trainers flares a little differently. The Warrior sits low in ground effect and floats if you arrive fast; ten extra knots on final in a Warrior uses a lot of runway. The DA20's long wing floats even more readily. The Cessna 162 is light, so it reacts quickly to a gust in the flare. Fly the POH speed on final and all three settle predictably. Short-field and soft-field touchdowns have their own technique, covered in short-field and soft-field landings.
Go-Arounds: When And How
The handbook treats the go-around as an expected, practiced maneuver, because any approach or landing may end in one. Go around when the approach is not stable by your gate, when the tower or traffic says so, or when something is on the runway. Go around when the landing is not going the way you want and you are still flying. ACS task IV-N asks for a timely decision. Late is the problem. Early is never wrong.
- Apply full power smoothly and without hesitation.
- Raise the nose to the climb attitude and no higher, holding right rudder against the left-turning tendency. With flaps down, expect a strong nose-up push from the trim; hold forward pressure and retrim.
- Retract the flaps in increments as the POH directs, once you are climbing. Dumping them all at once close to the ground lets the airplane sink.
- Climb at Vy, move to the side of the runway if there is traffic below you, and tell the tower.
The go-around also decides first solo. Our first solo flight page explains why instructors will not sign the endorsement until it is automatic. At a field as busy as Van Nuys, a go-around is a normal part of the traffic flow, not a failure.
Touch-And-Go Vs Full Stop
A touch-and-go is a landing followed by an immediate takeoff from the same roll. It packs more landings into an hour, which is why pattern lessons use it. A full stop means landing, slowing to taxi speed and clearing the runway before the next takeoff.
The roll on a touch-and-go is busy. Keep the airplane straight on the centerline. Flaps up or to the POH takeoff setting, trim back to takeoff, carburetor heat off in the Warrior and the 162. Then full power and a normal takeoff. If any of that is not done when you planned, make it a full stop.
Two rules shape it at Van Nuys. Touch-and-go operations are prohibited between 9 PM and 7 AM, so evening circuits after 9 PM are flown as full stops. And under 14 CFR 61.57(b), carrying passengers at night requires three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop in the preceding 90 days, flown between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise. The airport rule and the regulation point the same way.
The Van Nuys Pattern: Parallel Runways, Noise Abatement And Tower Instructions
Van Nuys has two parallel runways, 16R/34L at 8,001 feet and 16L/34R at 4,000 feet. It is a Class D airport under the Los Angeles Class B shelf. The long runway takes the business jets. Most light aircraft and the training pattern use the short one.
Under 14 CFR 91.129(c) you hold two-way radio contact with the tower inside the Class D, and under 91.129(i) you need a clearance to take off, land or operate on a runway. The tower assigns the runway, the direction of traffic and the sequence. Expect "make right traffic", "extend your downwind, I'll call your base" and "number two, follow the Cessna on a two-mile final". Read it back, then fly it. Our guide to radio calls for student pilots at Van Nuys covers the phraseology.
Parallel runways add one habit: confirm the letter every time. Lining up on 16R after a clearance for 16L is an easy mistake on parallels, and the readback is where you catch it. If light signals are all you have left, AIM 4-3-13 gives the meanings, and our page on emergency procedures covers radio failure.
Noise rules are part of the pattern here. Departing 16R or 16L, climb straight out over the Sepulveda Basin before turning. Departing 34R or 34L, climb to 1,800 feet before any turn. Touch-and-goes stop at 9 PM. Fly the published pattern altitude accurately, because a pattern flown low is louder on the ground and a hazard to other traffic. Our noise abatement page has LAWA's published rules in full.
The Van Nuys pattern altitudes and frequencies are in the current Chart Supplement, not on this page. Your instructor goes through them before your first solo, because the pre-solo knowledge test asks about them.
Common Student Errors (Ballooning, Bouncing, Porpoising)
Ballooning is a climb in the flare, usually from raising the nose too far or too fast, sometimes from a gust. Suddenly the airplane is higher and slower than it should be. If the balloon is small, hold the attitude, let the airplane settle and finish the flare, adding a little power if it sinks quickly. If it is large, or you are not sure, go around.
A bounce follows a touchdown that was too firm or at the wrong attitude. For a small one, hold a normal landing attitude and let the airplane settle, with a touch of power to cushion the next contact. For a big one, full power and go around. Never push the nose down to force the airplane back onto the runway.
Porpoising is the dangerous one. The nosewheel touches first, the airplane bounces, the pilot pushes, it lands nosewheel first again, and each cycle is worse than the one before. It nearly always starts with too much speed and no real flare. Do not try to chase it. Go around and fly the next approach at the right speed.
Floating is the Warrior and DA20 specialty. The handbook ties it directly to excess airspeed on approach, which carries the airplane past the touchdown point. Fly the book speed and most of the float disappears.
Related Reading
- Crosswind landings and forward slips — wing-low, crab and the crosswind component in detail.
- Short-field and soft-field landings — the other four Area IV tasks.
- Radio calls for student pilots at Van Nuys — what to say to ground and tower.
- Noise abatement at Van Nuys — the curfew, the departure procedures and why they exist.
- Your first solo flight — the 61.87 requirements and what solo day looks like.
- Flying out of Van Nuys Airport — runways, airspace and the traffic mix.
- Right-of-way rules — 91.113 and the minimum safe altitudes of 91.119.
- Wake turbulence at Van Nuys — wingtip vortices and departing or landing behind a jet.
Traffic Pattern FAQ
What Are The Five Legs Of A Traffic Pattern?
Departure, crosswind, downwind, base and final. At towered airports and after a go-around you may also fly an upwind leg, parallel to the runway on the upwind side.
What Is The Standard Traffic Pattern Altitude?
AIM 4-3-3 recommends 1,000 feet above ground level for propeller airplanes and at least 1,500 feet AGL for large and turbine aircraft, unless the Chart Supplement publishes a different altitude for that airport.
Are Traffic Patterns Always Left-Hand?
Left turns are the default under 14 CFR 91.126 in Class G and 91.129 in Class D. Airports can publish right-hand patterns for particular runways, and a control tower can assign either direction.
What Is A Final Approach Fix?
An instrument approach term. The FAA's Pilot/Controller Glossary defines it as the fix from which the final approach (IFR) to an airport is executed. In the VFR traffic pattern, final simply means lined up with the runway.
Can You Take Off With Landing Flaps?
Only if the POH allows it. Most trainer handbooks give a specific takeoff flap setting, and full flaps add drag that hurts the climb. On a go-around with full flaps down, the Airplane Flying Handbook says to retract them in increments.
When Should You Go Around?
When the approach is not stabilized by about 500 feet above the airport in visual conditions, or becomes unstable below 300 feet. Also any time the runway, the traffic or the landing does not look right. Early is never wrong.
Are Touch-And-Goes Allowed At Night At Van Nuys?
Not between 9 PM and 7 AM. Van Nuys prohibits touch-and-go operations in those hours, so evening pattern work after 9 PM is flown as full-stop landings.
Fly The Pattern With Us At Van Nuys
Pattern work is where most students first feel the airplane is theirs. A 60-minute discovery flight from Van Nuys is $229, you fly it from the left seat with an instructor, and it is credited in full toward training if you enroll within 24 hours. Our private pilot course starts at $10,400 and takes you through first solo and on to the checkride. To plan it around your week, book a free consultation or call (818) 330-1318, 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days.
Book A Discovery Flight — $229 Book A Free Consultation Call (818) 330-1318
