Definition
PAT is the FAA contraction for 'pattern,' most commonly referring to the traffic pattern: the standard rectangular flight path flown around an airport for landing and takeoff, consisting of upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, and final legs. The term may also refer more generally to any defined flight path or arrangement of routes used for traffic flow.
Plain English
A short way of writing 'pattern' in FAA documents, charts, and NOTAMs. It usually means the standard rectangular path airplanes fly around an airport when arriving or departing.
Context Anchor
Seen in NOTAM contractions, airport information, flight training, and radio calls about aircraft operating near a runway.
Derivation
Pattern' comes from the Old French 'patron,' meaning a model or example to follow. In aviation, the pattern is the standard model flight path everyone follows around an airport, so traffic flows predictably.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing what PAT means lets a pilot quickly understand instructions or advisories about how to safely join or fly the airport traffic pattern.
Intuition Check
Pattern does not mean a design printed on something here. In airport operations, it means the expected flight path aircraft follow around a runway.
Example Sentence 1
The NOTAM used PAT to indicate that the traffic pattern at the field was temporarily right-hand for runway 27.
Example Sentence 2
The controller cleared the aircraft to enter the PAT on the downwind leg.