volplane

English

Etymology

From French vol plané (“gliding flight”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɒlpleɪn/

Noun

volplane (plural volplanes)

1. A steep, controlled dive, especially by an aircraft with the engine off.

Verb

volplane (third-person singular simple present volplanes, present participle volplaning, simple past and past participle volplaned)

1. To perform a volplane.
   • 1916, Wilfred Percy ("Billie") Nevill, letter, in 1991, Ruth Elwin Harris (editor), Billie: The Nevill Letters, 1914-1916, Julia Macrae, page 143,

     […] when well over the bosche^{[sic – meaning Boche]} lines & he volplaned home, just skimmed over our & the Bosche trenches, they all fired at him like sin, of course, and landed about 1000 yards back on a hill.

   • 1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow:

     Curtains of vapor drift back to reveal the Americans, volplaning along well inside ten meters and only a little faster than the balloon.

2. (of a bird or gliding animal) To glide.