Definition
The visual signals a pilot uses during the final moments of a landing to judge when to begin and how to control the flare — the gentle nose-up pitch change that arrests the descent just before touchdown. These cues come primarily from how the runway, ground texture, and surrounding terrain change in apparent size, motion, and angle as the airplane approaches the surface.
Plain English
The visual signs that tell a pilot they're getting close to the ground and it's time to ease the nose up for landing. They come from watching how the runway and ground appear to grow and rush past as the airplane gets lower.
Context Anchor
Encountered during landing practice, especially while learning to judge height and movement just above the runway.
Derivation
Flare comes from the same root as the spreading shape of a flame or a flared skirt — something that opens outward. In aviation it describes the airplane opening its pitch attitude upward just before touchdown. Cues simply means the signals or hints the pilot picks up on. Together: the visual hints that prompt the flare.
Why Pilots Care
Using flare cues correctly produces a smooth touchdown and prevents hard landings or floating down the runway.
Grounding Statement
As the runway edges seem to move outward faster and the far end of the runway rises in your view, those visual changes help tell you that the airplane is getting close to the surface.
Intuition Check
“Flare” here does not mean a bright signal light or an emergency device. It means the final landing action where the pilot smoothly raises the nose to reduce the descent before touchdown.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor told the student to look toward the far end of the runway during landing so the flare cues would be easier to pick up.
Example Sentence 2
With good flare cues the airplane settled onto the runway without a bounce.