# sideslip

Pronunciation: say "SYD-slip" /ˈsaɪdˌslɪp/

## Noun

1. In flying, a maneuver in which the pilot applies rudder and aileron in opposite directions so that the aircraft moves sideways while its heading stays the same.
   - Simple: A flying move where a pilot makes the plane move sideways instead of turning.
   - _She used a gentle sideslip to hold the nose straight as the wind pushed from the left._
   - _On final approach the pilot set up a sideslip to track the centerline despite the gusting wind._
2. A flight maneuver used to rapidly lose speed or altitude while not changing the aircraft's track over the ground.
   - Simple: A flying move that quickly lowers a plane's height or speed while keeping the same path over the ground.
   - _With no spoilers fitted, the crew flew a sideslip to shed altitude before the threshold._
   - _A quick sideslip scrubbed off the extra speed without lengthening the approach over the ground._
4. A flight condition in which an aircraft's lengthwise axis is not lined up with its direction of motion through the surrounding air.
   - Simple: A flying state where a plane's body points one way but it moves through the air another way.
   - _After the gust hit, the airplane settled into a slight sideslip until the pilot corrected._
   - _Sensors detected a sideslip as the aircraft crabbed through the crosswind on approach._
5. In aviation, the angle by which an aircraft's direction of travel through the air differs from the line of its nose-to-tail axis.
   - Simple: The angle between the way a plane points and the way it really moves through the air.
   - _The flight computer keeps the sideslip near zero to maintain coordinated flight._
   - _Test pilots recorded a sideslip of several degrees as the rudder input increased during the maneuver._

## Verb

3. To perform a sideslip, or to place an aircraft into one, using opposing rudder and aileron inputs.
   - Simple: To fly a plane sideways by using the controls against each other.
   - _Experienced pilots sideslip to steepen the descent without picking up extra airspeed._
   - _He sideslipped the glider until the runway numbers slid back into view beneath the nose._

## Origin

Formed from "side" plus "slip".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sideslip (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).