Definition
The order in which aircraft are positioned by air traffic control to land at an airport.
Plain English
The line-up of aircraft for landing, set by the controller, telling each pilot whether they are first, second, third, and so on to touch down.
Context Anchor
You will hear or use this term when several aircraft are arriving at the same airport and the controller is organizing them for landing.
Derivation
Landing comes from the idea of coming down onto land. Sequence comes from a Latin word meaning “to follow.” Together, the term points to aircraft following one another in an assigned landing order.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing your place in the sequence lets you plan your speed, descent, and spacing to avoid wake turbulence and delays.
Intuition Check
Do not read “landing sequence” as just a normal series of events during landing. In this context, it means the assigned order of aircraft landing at the airport.
Example Sentence 1
Tower told us we were number three in the landing sequence, behind a Cessna on a two-mile final.
Example Sentence 2
We slowed to final approach speed to maintain proper spacing while following the aircraft ahead in the landing sequence.