volplane
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Meanwhile Sir Alan Cobham had been forced by a faulty spark plug to volplane to earth near Nuneaton.
From Time Magazine Archive
After a few vain attacks, they turned and we followed, each of us took one and soon forced them to volplane to earth.
From An Aviator's Field Book Being the field reports of Oswald Bölcke, from August 1, 1914 to October 28, 1916 by Boelcke, Oswald
The A.P. began to reel in the trailing length of wireless aerial, while the pilot, shutting off the motor, began a spiral volplane towards the surface of the water.
From Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. A story of the Great War by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
The force catapulted me across the space of the room like a volplane.
From Astounding Stories of Super-Science, March 1930 by Bates, Harry
Then he would volplane downward at dazzling speed, to resume a horizontal flight when close to the earth.
From The Airplane Boys among the Clouds or, Young Aviators in a Wreck by Langworthy, John Luther
Smaller and smaller grew the circles, as with engine shut off he volplaned.
From The Radio Boys on the Mexican Border by Breckenridge, Gerald
That is, he volplaned, banked as much as he thought wise, and flattened out and yelled, "I'm a rider of the sky!" just as he had planned.
From Skyrider by Fischer, Anton Otto
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 Beach, Charles Amory
Going past and turning, Reade volplaned gracefully earthward, landing just beyond the blazing gasoline.
From Uncle Sam's Boys with Pershing's Troops Dick Prescott at Grips with the Boche by Hancock, H. Irving (Harrie Irving)
When he had to come down he found he was right near our airdrome, so he volplaned right down on our field.
From The Brighton Boys with the Flying Corps by Driscoll, James R. [pseud.]
We have the devotees of St. Vitus' dance called Jazz . . . volplaning down the descending scale.
From Time Magazine Archive
Suddenly, the rear bird shot downward, volplaning and looping the loop with as much abandon as if he were in an exhibition park.
From S.O.S. Stand to! by Grant, Reginald
The sea was running high, and, although Dr. Perkins had brought his craft upon a level keel by skillful volplaning, before it struck the waves, the situation was extremely serious.
From The Boy Aviators' Flight for a Fortune by Goldfrap, John Henry
Bob switched off the power, switched it on again, and repeated the maneuver again and again while volplaning to preserve their momentum.
From The Brighton Boys with the Flying Corps by Driscoll, James R. [pseud.]
When we tired of straight flying, we went in for circus stunts; such as spiral turning, volplaning, upside-down flying and looping the loop.
From The Sequel What the Great War will mean to Australia by Taylor, George A. (George Augustine)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
