flight path

American  

noun

1. the trajectory of a moving aircraft or spacecraft relative to a fixed reference.

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flight path British  

noun

1. the course through the air of an aircraft, rocket, or projectile Compare approach glide path

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Etymology

Origin of flight path

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Rankin explained many of his constituents live under the Heathrow flight path and were worried about aircraft noise as well as traffic congestion.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

To say growing up under the LAX flight path is a complicated experience, there’s so much truth in that.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026

Along the shortest flight path between Moscow and Washington, D.C.—an arc known as the great-circle distance—Greenland sits midway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

"Subsequently, there is a deviation observed in the vehicle flight path."

From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026

In my mind, I’ll just reverse the flight path.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes