downwash

American  

[doun-wosh, -wawsh] / ˈdaʊnˌwɒʃ, -ˌwɔʃ /

noun

Aeronautics.

1. a deflection of air downward relative to an airfoil that causes the deflection.

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downwash British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌwɒʃ /

noun

1. the downward deflection of an airflow, esp one caused by an aircraft wing

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Etymology

Origin of downwash

First recorded in 1910–15; down ¹ + wash

Example Sentences

The condition causes a helicopter to descend in the downwash of its rotor blades and makes it vulnerable to “uncommanded pitch and roll oscillations.”

From Washington Times • May 14, 2020

Each time I tried to set down on the paper target, the downwash from the drone blew it away, even when we tried weighing the target down with stones.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2016

At times, Burtynsky leaned out the side of the helicopter, his body extending so far beyond the doorframe that the downwash flattened his hair against his skull.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 11, 2016

It's so firmly autostabilized that on a hot day small children will gather under it to get the cool downwash from its rotors.

From Time • Jan. 31, 2013

The gas spread toward the Americans even though the downwash of the chopper blades was pushing it away.

From Time Magazine Archive