The Base Leg is described as orientation relative to the direction of landing?

The Base Leg is described as orientation relative to the direction of landing?

• A. Right angle to the direction of landing and downwind of the approach
• B. Aligned with the runway
• C. 30 degrees to the runway
• D. 150 degrees from landing

Answer: (A)

The base leg is the segment of a standard traffic pattern that sits on the downwind side of the runway and is oriented at about a 90-degree angle to the direction of landing. This perpendicular orientation lets you smoothly transition from the crosswind to the final approach: you turn from the crosswind onto base, then turn onto final to align with the runway for landing. So thinking in terms of directions, base is perpendicular to the landing direction and located downwind relative to that approach path. The other options place you along or offset from the runway in ways that aren’t how the base leg is defined.

The base leg is the segment of a standard traffic pattern that sits on the downwind side of the runway and is oriented at about a 90-degree angle to the direction of landing. This perpendicular orientation lets you smoothly transition from the crosswind to the final approach: you turn from the crosswind onto base, then turn onto final to align with the runway for landing. So thinking in terms of directions, base is perpendicular to the landing direction and located downwind relative to that approach path. The other options place you along or offset from the runway in ways that aren’t how the base leg is defined.