Academy › Landing pattern & traffic

Landing pattern & traffic

Downwind, base and final, left- or right-hand, wind drift on each leg, sharing the pattern with faster and slower canopies, adjusting the plan and reading a drop-zone briefing — with an interactive planner and a traffic scene.

Practise every drill high and only with your coach and S&TA's agreement. Nothing here is a turn height, a technique to try near the ground, or permission to progress. There is no requirement for any skydiver to swoop.

The landing pattern

Downwind, base and final, left- or right-hand, and what the wind does to each leg. Set the wind and the hand; the planner draws the legs over the landing area and where holding a heading would drift you.

Airspeed from wing loading 1.00 lb/ft²: 47 km/h. The wind sits 20° off the published final — that becomes a crosswind on final.
landing areaHP area (where briefed)holding area (as briefed)DownwindBaseFinalwind from N 14 km/hN ↑Top-down · solid = flying to a point (crab) · dashed = holding the leg's heading · no scale on purpose
LegTrack over the groundHeading to flyCrabOver the groundHolding the heading instead
Downwind180° S174°6° nose left60 km/hdrifts 8% of the leg's length off the line
Base90° E73°17° nose left40 km/hdrifts 34% of the leg's length off the line
Final0° N6°6° nose right33 km/hdrifts 15% of the leg's length off the line
The three legs and the hand

Downwind runs with the wind behind you, parallel to the final and off to one side. Base crosses the wind. Final points into the wind, toward the landing area. The hand names the turn direction: in a left-hand pattern both turns go left, so seen from above the pattern runs anticlockwise; a right-hand pattern mirrors it.

A pattern per wind direction means everyone in the air turns the same way and arrives from the same side; the briefing says which one applies today. When the wind sits between two published directions, part of it becomes a crosswind on final — move the wind off the axis and watch the crab appear.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
Flying to a point vs. flying the leg

Each leg is a line over the ground. To stay on it with a crosswind you point the nose into the wind — the crab angle on the little canopy — and the ground track stays where you planned it. Holding the leg's compass heading instead lets the wind carry you off the line: the dashed tracks show where the same time would put you.

On downwind the wind adds to your ground speed, so that leg is over quickly; on final it subtracts; on base it mostly pushes you sideways. The holding area is where you wait, with the wind, until it is your turn to enter the downwind leg — out of the pattern and out of the HP area. Where it sits on your DZ is a briefing fact, not a rule of thumb.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Traffic in the same pattern

Three canopies, three wing loadings, one pattern. Press play and watch the spacing — then read what is commonly taught about sharing the air.

wind 11 km/h0.9 lb/ft²landing areaConceptual · no height or distance scale on purpose · drag to rotate
Wing loading 0.9
Downwind
airspeed 44 km/h · descends 1.00× the lightest wing
Wing loading 1.3
waiting to enter
airspeed 53 km/h · descends 1.20× the lightest wing
Wing loading 1.8
waiting to enter
airspeed 63 km/h · descends 1.41× the lightest wing

1.3 behind 0.9: the gap closes — at touchdown it is 63% of what it was at entry.

1.8 behind 1.3: the gap closes — at touchdown it is 74% of what it was at entry.

What's happening

A more heavily loaded wing flies faster through the air and descends faster. Over the same legs it covers the ground sooner and arrives at each turn earlier, so when it is behind a lighter wing the spacing shrinks along the pattern. The lighter wing in front cannot see what is behind and below it.

With the same loading the spacing simply holds; with the heavier wing ahead it opens. Heights here are relative — each canopy enters at whatever height its own descent uses over its own pattern — so the picture is about order and spacing, not altitudes.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
What is commonly taught
  • The faster wing adjusts early and visibly — a wider pattern, a longer downwind, or the alternate area — rather than following closely and hoping.
  • Spacing is built before the pattern: opening order, holding with the wind, and entering the downwind leg one at a time.
  • The lower canopy is commonly taught to have right of way, because it cannot see above and behind; your DZ's rules apply.
  • Measure it in your own data: ground speed and descent on each leg, compared with a jump on a different wing or day. Pattern map
SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Sharing the pattern: what is commonly taught

Spacing, right of way, predictable flight, looking before turning, the high-performance area and clearing the landing area. Conventions — your DZ's rules apply.

Spacing and order

Opening order usually sets landing order: exit groups open at different times and places, and the pattern is entered one at a time from the holding area. A canopy that is much faster or much slower than the one ahead changes the plan early rather than catching up in the pattern.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
Right of way

The lower canopy is widely taught to have right of way — it cannot see above and behind — and the canopy on final to have priority over everyone still turning. Commonly taught; your DZ's rules apply.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
Wing loading differences

Heavier wings descend faster and cover ground faster. In the traffic scene above, a heavier wing behind a lighter one closes the gap on every leg. Many DZs separate faster canopies by opening order, by a different pattern entry or by a separate landing area.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
Predictable flight

Others plan around where you are going. On final near other canopies the commonly taught picture is a straight line: no S-turns, no spirals, no late changes of direction. Height is lost on the downwind and base legs, by widening or lengthening them, before anyone is committed to a final.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
Look before you turn

Every turn in the pattern starts with a look: in the direction of the turn, above, below and behind — then the turn. The canopies that matter most are the ones you cannot see from under your own wing.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
Collision avoidance

Two canopies head-on: turning right is the convention taught at many DZs, so both turn the same way — check what yours briefs. Converging from the side: the canopy that sees the other gives way early, with a clear change of direction that the other can read.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
The high-performance area

USPA SIM 5-9 describes separate landing areas and traffic patterns for high-performance landings so that fast, turning canopies and the standard pattern do not share the same air. Pilots not flying an HP approach keep out of it, and HP pilots stay in it — both as briefed.

Source: USPA SIM 5-9 — Canopy Piloting ↗
Landing off the line

Landing beside the line of traffic — into wind, not across it — leaves the people behind the lane they planned for. A crosswind landing with a level wing is a trade many pilots accept over a low turn into wind near others.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source
After touchdown

Collapse the canopy, look up for traffic, and clear the landing area the way the briefing asks — usually by the shortest route off the line of approach. The next canopy on final is planning around the space you leave.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Every point here is a convention taught at many drop zones; the briefing on the day and your DZ's own rules decide what applies where you jump.

Adjusting the pattern

Long or short on downwind, flattening the glide, taking the alternate early and landing out as a planned decision.

Long on downwind — more height than the plan uses

Extend the downwind leg or widen the whole pattern: the legs stay parallel to the planned ones and the final line does not move. Part brakes on downwind slow you over the ground, at the cost of being less predictable to the people behind you.

In your data: Downwind-leg length and ground speed on the pattern map, jump by jump.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Short — not enough to fly the whole pattern

Cut the corner: a shorter downwind and an earlier base keep the final into wind and the turns the same hand. If even that does not add up, a straight-in into wind or the alternate area, decided early, keeps the pattern predictable for everyone.

In your data: Where the base turn happened relative to the landing area, compared with your usual jumps.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Flattening with brakes or rear risers

Light rear risers or part brakes reduce the descent rate and change the ground speed, which stretches a leg. The trade is airspeed — the flare's power — so it is something to measure up high on your own canopy, with your coach, not to discover on final.

In your data: Descent rate and horizontal speed per leg; compare with full flight.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Accepting an alternate area early

An alternate is a plan, not a failure. Chosen early it gets its own normal pattern into the wind, clear of the main traffic. Briefings name the alternates — the Skytime pack lists open fields and the beach.

In your data: Touchdown point on the map and the heading of the final.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Landing out as a planned decision

Commonly taught priorities for an off-field landing: an open area, into wind if the space allows, clear of wires, water, roads and obstacles, a level wing and a flare as usual, ready to PLF. Then let the DZ know. The decision is made while the options are still open.

In your data: Where you opened and where you landed, with the wind that day.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Slower traffic ahead

Widen early — a bigger offset on downwind or a longer leg — so the spacing is rebuilt before base. Following closely and then S-turning on final is the pattern others cannot read.

In your data: Spacing in time between your touchdown and the previous canopy's, when both are in your data.

SkyLara explanation — general, widely taught content; not from a single published source

Related: Opened far away — how do I get back? · Wind & landings

Reading a drop-zone briefing

What to take from a briefing before the jump, with the Skytime practice pack as the worked example.

  1. Which pattern applies today. Briefings usually publish one pattern per wind direction, named by the landing direction. The Skytime pack has four — north, east, south and west — and picks the one whose final points into the wind you enter.
  2. The hand of that pattern. Each published pattern has a hand. In the Skytime pack the hand changes with the pattern, so the same drop zone can be left-hand in the morning and right-hand after the wind swings.
  3. Where the HP area is and its rule. A separate high-performance area with its own rule per pattern — in the Skytime pack the rule is written on each pattern slide. Everyone else keeps out of it.
  4. Main, HP and alternate landing areas. The briefing colours them: main, high-performance and alternatives, with notes such as the beach rule (parallel to the coastline). Knowing the alternates before the jump is what makes an early decision possible.
  5. Hazards and obstacles. The runway, hangars, canal and the beach are all on the Skytime slides. Obstacles upwind of a landing area also mean turbulence downwind of them.
  6. Holding area and pattern entry. Where to hold and from which side to enter the downwind leg — if the briefing does not show it, ask at the briefing.
  7. Who decides. The briefing on the day and the drop zone's staff. Everything in the practice pack is read from briefing slides and is not verified by Skytime — it is for practising the reading, not a substitute.
Open the Skytime practice packSkytime briefing flashcardsDrop zone directory

Pattern & traffic quiz

Twelve questions, each answer explained. Also available as a flashcard deck.

Question 1 of 12 · score 0

The three legs of a standard landing pattern, in the order they are flown?

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Safety notice: This tool is for data review only. It does not replace canopy coaching, DZ rules, traffic awareness, S&TA guidance, or manufacturer guidance. Everything here is information for learning — not advice or a recommendation about any canopy, wing loading, turn or decision. Your decisions are your own. See the Terms of Service.