Normal Approach Sequence

This first photo is on about a mile final from the runway. Approach to runway 32 at Lawrence MA (LWM) is over a lake... Airspeed at this point is about 50 knots.

The next photo shows us on about 1/4 mile final, airspeed is down to about 35 knots at this point. Notice that the numbers of the runway are in about the same place as on the previous picture (only bigger). This says the pilot is holding a steady approach angle. The little bit it dropped is due to the nose being slightly higher because we are now in a slight decelerating attitude.

Another interesting thing in both this pictures is that you can tell the pilot is doing a good job of holding centerline, because if you extend the white dashed centerline down to the bottom of the picture, it seems to go directly through your body.

This picture shows us on short final. Airspeed about 25 knots. Again, the runway numbers have not moved up or down substantially because the pilot is holding the approach angle constant. You can see where the old "32" was painted on the runway, and that there is now a big yellow arrow pointing to the new numbers. This is a displaced threshold, meaning you are supposed to land past the yellow arrow and white "^" arrows. This is done to runways for a number of reasons, but if you look back in the previous picture you can see that there is a building with wires and lamp posts just before the end of the runway. The runway has been displaced to have the airplanes higher as they cross those obstacles.

Here we are, hovering over the numbers.

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