volplane

American  

[vol-pleyn] / ˈvɒlˌpleɪn /

verb (used without object)

volplaned, volplaning

1. to glide toward the earth in an airplane, with no motor power or with the power shut off.

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noun

1. a glide in an airplane.

Other Word Forms

• volplanist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of volplane

1905–10; < French vol plané glided flight, equivalent to vol flight (noun derivative of voler < Latin volāre to fly) + plané, past participle of planer to glide ( see plane ¹)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

volplane volplaned volplaning

Meanwhile Sir Alan Cobham had been forced by a faulty spark plug to volplane to earth near Nuneaton.

From Time Magazine Archive

But to volplane here would mean certain death.

From The Boy Scouts of the Air in Indian Land by Gordon Stuart

A narrow, flat, ten-foot object, like a wingless volplane.

From Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930 by Harry Bates

It was the evening before when the Bolo airman, who had dropped two small bombs at the Americans at Obozerskaya, was obliged to volplane to earth on the railroad near the 464 outguard.

From The History of the American Expedition Fighting the Bolsheviki Campaigning in North Russia 1918-1919 by Lewis E. Jahns

They were then at an altitude of a mile, and inability to start the motor made it necessary for them to volplane to the earth.

From The Boy Volunteers with the French Airman by Kenneth Ward

Gladwin volplaned to earth, climbed out of his sky chariot and was back in the midst of his art treasures again.

From Officer 666 by Barton Wood Currie

Smaller and smaller grew the circles, as with engine shut off he volplaned.

From The Radio Boys on the Mexican Border by Gerald Breckenridge

It was dawn, but white dawn only, Under the reign of Leucothea, As we volplaned, so it seemed, from the lake Past the lighthouse into the river.

From Toward the Gulf by Edgar Lee Masters

Once he shut off the engines and volplaned down a thousand feet or more.

From Air Service Boys Over The Enemy's Lines The German Spy's Secret by Charles Amory Beach

Having made certain that the monitor had gauged the required distance the sea-plane volplaned to within a thousand feet of the ground.

From Rounding up the Raider A Naval Story of the Great War by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman

We have the devotees of St. Vitus' dance called Jazz . . . volplaning down the descending scale.

From Time Magazine Archive

Suddenly we saw three Boche planes volplaning down from away up above.

From A Yankee in the Trenches by Robert Derby Holmes

He should be able to tell by ear, when volplaning, whether or not he is maintaining sufficient speed to hold it in the air.

From Opportunities in Aviation by Arthur Sweetser

Day and night I couldn't think of anything but monoplanes, cylinders, drag brakes, propellers, guy wires, wing-tips, levers, barographs, barometers, searchlights, volplaning and all such stuff.

From The Boy Scouts of the Flying Squadron by Robert Shaler

The airmen were volplaning to earth as fast and as silently as they could.

From L.P.M. : the end of the Great War by J. Stewart (John Stewart) Barney