Definition
The final segments of a flight in which the airplane descends toward the runway environment, transitions to a stabilized descent path aligned with the runway, and touches down. The approach phase begins when the airplane leaves cruise or pattern altitude to set up for landing and ends at the flare; the landing phase covers the flare, touchdown, and rollout.
Plain English
The part of the flight where the airplane is being brought in to land. The approach is the descent and lineup with the runway. The landing is the flare, touchdown on the runway, and slowing down on the ground.
Context Anchor
Seen in slow flight, stall awareness, and aircraft control discussions involving flight close to the runway.
Derivation
Approach comes from an old word meaning “to come nearer.” Landing comes from land, meaning the ground, and in aviation it means bringing the airplane onto the ground. Phase means a stage or part of a process, so this phrase points to the runway-focused stages near the end of a flight.
Why Pilots Care
Most accidents occur during these phases, making precise speed, configuration, and energy management essential for safety.
Intuition Check
Approach does not just mean any time you get closer to something, and landing does not mean only the instant the wheels touch. In this context, the phrase covers the whole slow, runway-focused part of flight leading to and including landing.
Example Sentence 1
Pilots practice slow flight to build the skills needed during the approach and landing phases of flight, where the airplane is operating at reduced airspeeds.
Example Sentence 2
After touchdown the student maintained directional control with rudder throughout the landing phase until clear of the runway.