flight control

American  

noun

1. the direction of airplane movements, especially takeoffs and landings, by messages from the ground.

2. the system by which this direction is done.

3. the office from which this direction is done.

4. the system by which the pilot of an airplane controls the movement of the airplane.

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Etymology

Origin of flight control

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Starliner slipped into that category, which includes Space Shuttle tragedies, because of a loss of flight control and other factors.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

The company also provides software for flight control and edge computing, and last July acquired Atlas Space Operations to improve its offerings on that front.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 28, 2026

Writing on X, Zelensky said "microcomputers for drone flight control are produced in the United Kingdom".

From BBC • Oct. 6, 2025

A laser cutter was poised halfway through carving out a flight control unit.

From New York Times • May 4, 2024

Both crashes — killing 189 people in Indonesia in October 2018 and 157 people in Ethiopia four months later — were caused by flawed flight control software on the then-new jet.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2024