Definition
The flare is the final landing maneuver in which the pilot smoothly raises the airplane's nose just before touchdown to slow the descent rate, reduce airspeed, and place the airplane in the proper landing attitude so that the main wheels touch down first at the lowest practical speed.
Plain English
Just before the wheels touch the runway, the pilot gently pulls back on the controls to lift the nose a little. This slows the airplane's downward movement and lets it settle onto the runway softly instead of slamming down.
Context Anchor
Encountered during every normal landing, just before the airplane touches the runway.
Derivation
From the older sense of 'flare' meaning 'to spread outward' -- like the flared bottom of a trumpet. The airplane's flight path 'flares out' from a steep descent into a near-level path just above the runway.
Why Pilots Care
A properly timed flare prevents hard landings, propeller strikes, and loss of directional control on touchdown.
Grounding Statement
In the flare, the pilot is close to the runway and is smoothly changing the airplane from descending flight to touchdown.
Intuition Check
The flare is not a flash, signal, or emergency light here. In this context, it is the final nose-up landing action just before touchdown.
Example Sentence 1
As the airplane crossed the runway threshold, the student began the flare and the airplane settled gently onto the main wheels.
Example Sentence 2
An early flare caused the airplane to float down the runway before settling onto the pavement.