free flight

American  

noun

1. unassisted or unconstrained flight, as the flight of a rocket or missile without guidance or after fuel exhaustion or motor cutoff.

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free flight British  

noun

1. the flight of a rocket, missile, etc, when its engine has ceased to produce thrust

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Etymology

Origin of free flight

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

As well as the presents, Jet2 sent the family free flight vouchers and thanked them for "showing the utmost compassion and kindness and care".

From BBC • May 5, 2026

JetBlue didn’t appear to respond on a woman’s post claiming it had failed to deliver a promised free flight to Italy after her original booking was canceled, even as comments like “ewwww” accumulated.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

This is the first study relating to the behavior of blood in free flight.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2024

The practice has its critics, who argue that free flight exposes pet birds to dangers including predators, power lines and bad weather.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2023

I didn’t know how long I had been concerned with the hawks free flight.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya