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Aviation glossary

Descent

Also: top of descent, TOD, continuous descent

Operations and flight

The phase in which an aircraft leaves its cruising level and loses height in a controlled way until the start of the approach to its destination.

What it is

Descent begins at a point calculated by the flight management system, the top of descent. Pilots cross-check it with the three-to-one rule: about three nautical miles of track for every 1,000 feet to lose. From 35,000 feet that means starting roughly 105 nautical miles, almost 200 kilometres, out.

In an ideal descent the engines are close to idle and the aircraft glides on its own energy, saving fuel and reducing noise. That is the idea behind continuous descent operations, which avoid level segments at low altitude. Meanwhile the pressurisation system gradually raises the cabin pressure.

If air traffic control asks for an earlier or steeper descent, the crew can deploy the spoilers as speed brakes. The arrival normally follows a published standard terminal arrival route (STAR) linking the airway to the approach, and below 10,000 feet the 250-knot limit applies again in much of the world's airspace.

Related terms

CruiseThe central and usually longest phase of a flight, in which the aircraft flies level at its most efficient height and speed between the climb and the descent. ApproachThe phase of flight in which the aircraft lines up with the runway and descends along a defined path to the point where the crew decides to land or go around. SpoilerHinged panel on the upper wing surface that rises to spoil lift and add drag, helping the aircraft descend, slow down or roll. PressurisationSystem that keeps the air pressure inside an aircraft higher than outside, so that passengers and crew can breathe normally at high altitude. Nautical mileUnit of distance used in air and sea navigation, equal to exactly 1,852 metres and corresponding approximately to one minute of arc of latitude.
Whole glossary

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Descent. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/descent

MLA

“Descent.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/descent. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Descent.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/descent.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Descent. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/descent (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_descent,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Descent}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/descent},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/descent}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/descent |title=Descent |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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