What is Descent?

• A. The portion of flight where altitude is increased
• B. The portion of flight where altitude decreases and prepares for landing
• C. The final step of landing
• D. The take-off phase

Answer: (B)

Descent is the part of flight where the aircraft lowers its altitude toward the destination. After cruising, pilots reduce altitude to reach the approach path and set up for landing, carefully managing how fast you descend, your airspeed, and the aircraft’s configuration (like flap and gear settings) to follow the correct vertical path. This phase continues until you intercept the instrument approach (localizer/glideslope) and transition into the final approach and landing. It isn’t the climb or takeoff, and it isn’t the actual landing itself, which is why this option correctly describes the descent.