Definition
The direction in which aircraft turn while flying the rectangular pattern around an airport runway. Standard traffic pattern direction is left turns; right turns are used only where specifically designated due to terrain, noise abatement, or airspace considerations.
Plain English
Whether you turn left or right as you fly the box-shaped path around the runway before landing. Left turns are the default everywhere unless the airport tells you otherwise.
Context Anchor
You encounter this when planning an arrival, reading airport information, looking at runway markings or signs, or receiving instructions near an airport.
Why Pilots Care
Flying the correct direction prevents conflicts with other traffic and ensures safe, predictable flow around the runway.
Intuition Check
Do not read “direction” here as the compass direction the airplane is flying. In this phrase, it means the side and turn direction of the runway pattern: left traffic or right traffic.
Example Sentence 1
The Chart Supplement showed right traffic for Runway 27, so the pilot adjusted the pattern direction before entering downwind.
Example Sentence 2
At this uncontrolled field the right traffic pattern direction applies to Runway 27 to keep arrivals clear of the nearby restricted area.