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illustration Volplane

Volplane

[VAHL-playn]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, early 20th century

1.

A controlled dive or downward flight at a steep angle, especially by an airplane with the engine shut off.

Examples of Volplane in a sentence

"The pilots successfully attempted a daring volplane at the airshow."

"To reduce altitude quickly, the plane tilted into a volplane."

About Volplane

The noun “volplane” comes directly from the French “vol plané,” literally meaning “glided flight.” It was a phrase originally used to describe the downward flight of birds.

Did you Know?

Volplane” can be a noun or a verb. As a verb it refers specifically to an airplane — “to make a controlled dive or downward flight, especially with the engine shut off.” For example, “we watched the jumbo jets volplane in.” As a noun, it is the action that occurs.

illustration Volplane

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