Definition
The descending flight path an aircraft follows from the final approach segment down to the runway touchdown zone, typically defined by a precision approach aid such as an ILS glide slope, PAPI/VASI, or RNAV vertical guidance, and usually angled at about 3 degrees above horizontal.
Plain English
The invisible sloping line in the sky that guides an aircraft down to the runway at the correct angle for landing.
Context Anchor
You will see this term in approach and landing discussions, especially when using cockpit guidance or runway landing aids that show whether the aircraft is too high, too low, or on the correct descent path.
Derivation
A simple compound of 'glide' (to descend smoothly without engine power, from Old English glidan) and 'path' (a route or track). Together they describe the smooth descending track an aircraft follows toward the runway.
Why Pilots Care
Staying on the correct glidepath produces a stabilized approach; leaving it risks landing short, long, or too fast.
Intuition Check
Glidepath does not mean the airplane is gliding with no engine power. It means the desired downward path toward landing, whether the engine is producing power or not.
Example Sentence 1
Tower cleared us to land, and the PAPI lights showed we were right on the glidepath.
Example Sentence 2
The pilot adjusted power to recapture the glidepath after a slight high deviation on final.