Definition
A landing approach in which the airplane is above the normal glidepath during the final approach segment, resulting in an aim point that would carry the airplane beyond the intended touchdown point if no correction is made.
Plain English
The airplane is too high as it lines up to land. If the pilot does nothing, it will pass over the spot they were aiming for and land long.
Context Anchor
Encountered during landing practice and traffic pattern work, when judging whether the airplane is on the correct path to the runway before touchdown.
Derivation
Final comes from a Latin word meaning “last” or “at the end.” In flying, final means the last part of the landing pattern, when the airplane is lined up with the runway. Approach means moving toward something, so a final approach is the last part of moving toward the runway to land.
Why Pilots Care
A high final forces last-minute corrections that can destabilize the approach, increase landing distance, or require a go-around.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane lined up with the runway but still higher than it should be for a normal landing path.
Intuition Check
High does not just mean “has altitude.” Here it means too high for the desired landing path at that point on final approach.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor pointed out that the student was on a high final approach and coached him to reduce power and add a slip to get back on the proper glidepath.
Example Sentence 2
A wide base leg often produces a high final approach that requires aggressive correction to reach the runway.