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

Other records may feel less significant: The flight path will hit a maximum distance of 252,760 miles from Earth, breaking Apollo 13’s record by about 4,000 miles, which doesn’t sound like much.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

Though the flight path out of Whiteman doesn’t directly cross with either Van Nuys or Burbank, “everybody has had concerns,” Sanders said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 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

An Indian rocket hit a snag during its launch Monday, forcing a deviation in flight path as it carried an Earth observation satellite and commercial payloads, the country's space agency said.

From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026

Buzz was checking with our computer, which indicated we were on the right flight path.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins