chandelle
Definitions
WordNet 3.0
- n. (noun) A flight maneuver consisting of a steep climbing turn executed to gain altitude while changing direction.
‘Chandelle’ translates from the French as ‘candle.’ According to Propilotguide.com, the maneuver was perfected by WWI French aviators, who described it as monter en chandelle, ‘to climb around a candle.’
Examples
“To camouflage was already in use in the United States long before the country entered the war, and such aviation terms as ace, chandelle, vrille and glissade were seldom heard outside the air-force.”
“A Chandelle is strictly a training maneuver, an exaggerated climbing turn, to show a student that smooth flying requires a high degree of muscular coordination.”
Devon Francis, 'Army Geared to Train Pilots by Thousands,' The Telegraph-Herald, July 24, 1940
“Here's something new. . .The War Ace Auto-Gyro. A thrilling new toy that will fly to record heights and do five airplane stunts. Simple adjustment of the blades makes it do altitude flying, spot landing, cross-country endurance flying and the Chandelle, a modified wing-over or floating air trick.”
