The Pattern, Step by Step
Runway 10 at a non-towered field with standard left traffic. Use Next, or pick a step, to fly the airplane around the pattern. Each step shows where you are, what you are doing and, where one is due, the call you make on the CTAF.
45° Entry
Be level at pattern altitude before you join; AC 90-66C says entering while descending creates a collision hazard. Fly a 45° angle to downwind, timed to reach it abeam the midpoint of the runway.
CTAF call: “Millville traffic, Skyhawk Seven Three Two Alpha Bravo, entering left downwind Runway One Zero, Millville.”
The Legs
AIM 4-3-2 names each part of the rectangle around the runway. You will hear these words in every radio call and on the checkride.
Straight ahead along the extended centerline after takeoff, for traffic leaving the pattern. The climb continues to at least 1/2 mile beyond the departure end and within 300 feet of pattern altitude.
The same straight-ahead path along the extended centerline, for traffic staying in the pattern.
At a right angle to the runway, off its takeoff end.
Parallel to the runway, opposite the direction of landing, at pattern altitude. The long leg, and where arriving traffic joins.
At a right angle to the runway, off its approach end, from downwind to the extended centerline.
Along the extended centerline in the direction of landing, from base to the runway.
The AIM redefined upwind in August 2025. It used to mean a path parallel to the runway in the direction of landing; it is now the straight-ahead extension of the takeoff path. AC 90-66C, from 2023, still carries the old definition, so expect to see both.
Pattern Altitude
The FAA’s AC 90-66C and AIM 4-3-3 set 1,000 feet AGL for propeller-driven aircraft, and not less than 1,500 feet AGL (or 500 feet above the established pattern altitude) for large and turbine-powered airplanes. Ultralights fly no higher than 500 feet below the powered pattern, and helicopters lower and closer in. All of that applies unless the Chart Supplement publishes a different pattern altitude for the field.
You fly an altimeter, so add the field elevation. A field at 1,180 feet with a standard pattern means 2,180 feet MSL on downwind. Hold it until at least abeam the approach end of the runway.
Every FlightKit airport page gives the pattern altitude in MSL and AGL, says whether it is standard or published, and lists any runway with right traffic and the CTAF, from FAA airport data.
Entering the Pattern
Join on a 45° angle to the downwind leg, abeam the midpoint of the runway, in level flight at pattern altitude. Get down to pattern altitude well clear of the pattern first: AC 90-66C says entering while descending creates a collision hazard and should be avoided.
Arriving from the upwind side, the AC’s preferred entry is to overfly the airport 500 feet above pattern altitude, fly clear of the pattern (about 2 miles), descend to pattern altitude, then turn back and join midfield downwind on the 45°, yielding to downwind traffic. Its alternate is to cross midfield at pattern altitude and turn straight onto downwind, yielding to traffic on the 45° and on downwind. Skip that one when the pattern is busy.
Straight-in approaches are legal but discouraged. The FAA regulates pattern flow, not pattern entry, and does not recommend a straight-in when others are in the pattern. If you fly one, it gets no priority, must not disrupt the flow of traffic, and should be announced 8 to 10 miles out.
The landing aircraft has the right of way. When two or more are approaching to land, the lower one has it, but 14 CFR 91.113(g) forbids using that to cut in front of someone on final or to overtake them.
Left or Right Traffic
At an airport in Class G airspace, 14 CFR 91.126 requires pilots of powered fixed-wing aircraft to make all turns to the left unless the airport displays approved light signals or visual markings indicating right turns. Other powered aircraft, helicopters included, must avoid that flow. 14 CFR 91.127 carries the rule into Class E.
Two places tell you a runway has right traffic. At the field, traffic pattern indicators beside the segmented circle (or near the runway end, where there is no circle) show the direction of turns. On the sectional chart, the bottom of the airport data block reads RP and the runway numbers, such as RP 9, 18, 22R. An *RP means special conditions apply, so read the Chart Supplement. No RP means a left pattern.
Sectionals do not show right traffic at airports with full-time control towers. There you fly the pattern and the entry the tower assigns.
Departing the Pattern
After takeoff, continue straight ahead until you are beyond the departure end of the runway. From there, the AIM gives two choices:
- Staying in the pattern: turn crosswind beyond the departure end and within 300 feet of pattern altitude, then turn downwind and level off.
- Leaving the pattern: go straight out, or make a 45° turn in the direction of the pattern (left for left traffic, right for right traffic) after reaching pattern altitude.
Radio Calls on the CTAF
At a non-towered field there is no one to ask. You announce where you are and what you are doing on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF), naming the airport at the start and end of each call because several airports can share one frequency. AIM 4-1-9 lists the inbound calls: 10 miles out, entering downwind, base, final, and leaving the runway.
“Millville traffic, Skyhawk Seven Three Two Alpha Bravo, one zero miles west, two thousand five hundred, Runway One Zero full stop, Millville.”
“Millville traffic, Skyhawk Seven Three Two Alpha Bravo, entering left downwind Runway One Zero, Millville.”
“Millville traffic, Skyhawk Seven Three Two Alpha Bravo, left base Runway One Zero, Millville.”
“Millville traffic, Skyhawk Seven Three Two Alpha Bravo, final Runway One Zero, Millville.”
“Millville traffic, Skyhawk Seven Three Two Alpha Bravo, clear of Runway One Zero, Millville.”
Skip “any traffic in the area, please advise”: the AIM says it is not a recognized phrase. Airplanes without radios may legally fly the pattern, so a quiet frequency never means an empty sky. Practice the phrasing out loud in ATC Comms.
Know the Pattern Before You Get There
Pattern altitude, right-traffic runways and the CTAF for any US airport, from FAA data, on one page. Check it at home, not on downwind.
Keep Learning
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard traffic pattern altitude?
Unless the Chart Supplement publishes another one, propeller-driven aircraft fly the pattern at 1,000 feet AGL, and large and turbine-powered airplanes at not less than 1,500 feet AGL or 500 feet above the established pattern altitude. Add the field elevation to get the MSL number you set on the altimeter.
Is the traffic pattern always left-hand?
Left is the default. 14 CFR 91.126 requires pilots of powered fixed-wing aircraft to make all turns to the left unless the airport displays approved light signals or visual markings indicating right turns, and 91.127 carries that into Class E. Right traffic shows up as traffic pattern indicators at the field and as RP plus the runway numbers in the sectional data block. If no RP is noted, assume a left pattern.
How do you enter the traffic pattern at a non-towered airport?
Fly a 45° angle to the downwind leg, level at pattern altitude, and join abeam the midpoint of the runway. Descend to pattern altitude well clear of the pattern first, since AC 90-66C says entering while descending creates a collision hazard. Announce on the CTAF about 10 miles out and again as you enter downwind.
Are straight-in approaches allowed at non-towered airports?
They are legal but discouraged. The FAA regulates pattern flow, not pattern entry, and AC 90-66C does not recommend a straight-in when other aircraft are in the pattern. A straight-in gets no priority, must not disrupt the flow of traffic, and should be announced 8 to 10 miles out.
When should I turn crosswind after takeoff?
Not until you are beyond the departure end of the runway and within 300 feet of pattern altitude, per the AIM. If you are leaving the pattern instead, go straight out or make a 45° turn in the direction of the pattern after reaching pattern altitude.
Who has the right of way in the traffic pattern?
Aircraft on final approach or landing have the right of way. When two or more are approaching to land, 14 CFR 91.113(g) gives it to the one at the lower altitude, which may not use that to cut in front of an aircraft on final or to overtake it. A straight-in arrival gets no special priority.
Sources
- AIM 4-3-2 to 4-3-4 — Pattern Legs, Altitudes, Entry, Departure and the Segmented Circle
- AIM 4-1-9 — Traffic Advisory Practices at Non-Towered Airports
- AC 90-66C — Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations (2023)
- 14 CFR §91.126 — Direction of Turns in Class G
- 14 CFR §91.127 — The Same Rule in Class E
- 14 CFR §91.113 — Right of Way When Landing, Paragraph (g)
This guide is written for study. The AIM, the AC and the regulations are the authority — check the current text before you fly.