Definition
A term used by Air Traffic Control in traffic management programs to indicate the time an aircraft is expected to land at the destination airport. It is either the originally estimated landing time or a later, revised landing time assigned by ATC to meter the flow of arrivals into a busy airport.
Plain English
The time ATC has worked out for your aircraft to touch down at the destination, used to space arrivals so the airport doesn't get overwhelmed.
Context Anchor
Seen in air traffic flow planning, arrival management, and FAA traffic management discussions.
Derivation
Calculated comes from a Latin word for a small stone used in counting. That helps here because the time is not just a guess; it is produced by a planning process using flight and traffic information.
Why Pilots Care
Helps pilots adjust speed or routing early so they meet the assigned time without unnecessary holding or rushed descents.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as the exact moment the wheels will touch the runway. In FAA use, it means the system-planned landing time used for managing traffic flow.
Example Sentence 1
Departure was held on the ramp for twelve minutes to meet the Calculated Landing Time issued by the arrival airport's traffic management unit.
Example Sentence 2
Our calculated landing time allowed us to plan a continuous descent without entering a hold.