traffic pattern > define
noun
- The path that is prescribed for an airplane that is preparing to land at an airport.
- usage: "the traffic patterns around O'Hare are very crowded"; "they stayed in the pattern until the fog lifted"
- synonyms: approach pattern, pattern
by WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
(DoD) The traffic flow that is prescribed for aircraft landing at, taxiing on, and taking off from an airport. The usual components of a traffic pattern are upwind leg, crosswind leg, downwind leg, base leg, and final approach.
by Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. 31 January 2011.