Definition
The path flown by an aircraft as it joins the standard airport traffic pattern, typically at a 45-degree angle to the downwind leg at pattern altitude.
Plain English
The flight path you fly to merge into the traffic pattern around an airport before turning to fly alongside the runway.
Context Anchor
Used when approaching an airport and deciding how to merge with other aircraft already flying the traffic pattern.
Derivation
Entry comes from the idea of going in or joining. Leg, in travel, means one section of a route. Together, entry leg means the route section that lets the airplane join the traffic pattern.
Why Pilots Care
A correct entry leg keeps the aircraft at a safe distance and angle from traffic already in the pattern, reducing collision risk and maintaining orderly flow.
Intuition Check
Do not think of an entry leg as just any path toward the runway. In this context, it means a planned way to join the traffic pattern safely and predictably.
Example Sentence 1
He announced on the radio that he was on the entry leg for runway 27 at a thousand feet above the field.
Example Sentence 2
From the entry leg the student pilot scanned for traffic already established on downwind before turning to follow them.