Definition
The specified altitude, measured above ground level, at which aircraft fly the rectangular circuit around an airport when arriving or departing. It is typically 1,000 feet AGL for propeller-driven airplanes, though it may differ at specific airports as published in the Chart Supplement.
Plain English
The set height above the ground that pilots fly when circling the airport to land or after taking off. For most small airplanes this is 1,000 feet above the runway.
Context Anchor
You encounter this term when planning an arrival, departing an airport, or flying the airport traffic pattern.
Derivation
Altitude comes from the Latin word altus, meaning high. That helps here because the term is about the standard height used in the airport pattern, not the ground path or shape of the pattern.
Why Pilots Care
Flying at the correct traffic pattern altitude keeps all aircraft at the same height, reducing collision risk and creating predictable paths for safe sequencing.
Intuition Check
Do not read traffic pattern altitude as just any altitude near the airport. It means the expected or published height for flying the airport traffic pattern.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot climbed to traffic pattern altitude on the crosswind leg before turning downwind.
Example Sentence 2
Because of nearby terrain, this airport uses a traffic pattern altitude of 800 feet above the field.