Plain English Meaning

A descent slope calculated by the aircraft's computer that the pilot follows down from cruise to the runway, hitting the required altitudes along the way smoothly instead of stepping down in chunks.

Full Definition

A computed vertical descent path defined by the flight management system (FMS) that connects altitude constraints along an instrument procedure, providing a continuous, stabilized descent profile typically at a fixed flight path angle (commonly around 3 degrees). The aircraft follows this path using vertical guidance from the FMS, either or to the , depending on equipment and procedure .