Definition
The final phase of a flight, in which the airplane is maneuvered from the traffic pattern or instrument approach path down to the runway and brought to a controlled touchdown and rollout. The approach is the descending, configuring, and aligning portion; the landing is the transition from flight to ground contact and the rollout that follows.
Plain English
The part of a flight where the pilot lines up with the runway, slows down and descends toward it, then touches the wheels down and rolls out safely.
Context Anchor
Seen in training for traffic patterns, final approach, touchdown, and rollout.
Derivation
Approach comes from older French and Latin words meaning “to come nearer.” Landing comes from land, meaning the ground. Together, the phrase points to the full sequence of coming near the runway and putting the airplane safely onto it.
Why Pilots Care
Landing is statistically one of the highest-risk phases of flight; precise approaches and landings directly reduce runway excursions, hard landings, and loss-of-control events.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as just “getting close to the airport and then being on the ground.” In flight training, approaches and landings means a specific controlled sequence: descend, align with the runway, touch down, and keep control during the rollout.
Example Sentence 1
Chapter 9 of the Airplane Flying Handbook covers approaches and landings in detail, from the traffic pattern through touchdown.
Example Sentence 2
Strong crosswinds required the pilot to adjust technique during the final approach and landing.