Definition
The airspeed flown on the base leg of the traffic pattern — the segment perpendicular to the landing runway, flown between the downwind leg and the final approach. It is typically slower than downwind speed and faster than final approach speed, sized to give a stable, controlled descent toward final while keeping a safe margin above stall.
Plain English
The speed you fly while on the short leg of the pattern that connects downwind to final. It's slower than downwind but a touch faster than your final approach speed, giving you time to set up the turn onto final without getting too slow.
Context Anchor
Encountered during landing pattern work and in the 90° power-off approach, where the pilot manages glide distance and timing without relying on engine power.
Why Pilots Care
Correct base-leg speed prevents an excessively steep or shallow descent and ensures enough energy remains to complete the final turn and flare without stalling or landing short.
Intuition Check
Do not read “base-leg speed” as a general speed for the whole approach. It means the target speed for one specific part of the landing pattern: the base leg before the turn toward the runway.
Example Sentence 1
After turning base, the pilot reduced power and let the airplane settle to base-leg speed before configuring for final.
Example Sentence 2
Maintaining proper base-leg speed allowed a stabilized turn onto final without excessive descent rate.