Definition
A speed value, set by air traffic control automation, at which an arriving aircraft's predicted landing sequence becomes locked in. Once the aircraft slows to this speed during its approach, the automation stops recalculating its arrival order and time, treating the sequence as fixed for metering purposes.
Plain English
The speed at which the computer stops adjusting an aircraft's place in the landing line and locks it in. Below this speed, the aircraft's arrival slot is treated as final.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA glossary and traffic-management discussions involving automated arrival planning.
Derivation
Freeze' here means 'lock in place' or 'stop changing,' the same sense used when a computer screen freezes. The parameter is the speed value that triggers this freezing of the arrival sequence.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing this parameter helps pilots adjust speed or activate ice protection early enough to maintain safe handling and avoid performance loss.
Intuition Check
“Freeze” does not mean ice or cold here. It means the automated plan stops changing. “Parameter” does not mean a pilot-selected speed; it is a preset value used by the traffic-management system.
Example Sentence 1
Once the arrival slowed through the freeze speed parameter, the automation locked its landing sequence and the controller worked the spacing manually from that point.
Example Sentence 2
With the freeze speed parameter at 180 knots, the pilot maintained 200 knots to reduce the chance of ice accumulating on the leading edges.