Definition
A landing made by an aircraft that approaches the runway directly on final, without first flying the standard rectangular traffic pattern (upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, final).
Plain English
Lining up with the runway from a long way out and flying straight in to land, instead of circling around the airport in the normal pattern first.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument approach procedures, approach clearances, and discussions of whether an approach may lead directly to landing on a specific runway.
Why Pilots Care
A straight-in landing can reduce flight time and fuel use when traffic and weather allow, but it requires ATC approval at controlled fields and clear visibility of the runway environment to remain safe.
Intuition Check
Straight-in does not simply mean “fly straight toward the airport from far away.” In this FAA use, it means the approach course is close enough to the runway direction—within 30 degrees—to continue directly to landing.
Example Sentence 1
Cessna 12345 is ten miles north, inbound for a straight-in landing runway 18.
Example Sentence 2
Straight-in landings are often used at busy airports when ATC can sequence the aircraft without a full pattern entry.