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.
