blind landing
1
7.0
- noun
- Archaic
:
aterrizaje por instrumentos
- Bad weather forced the crew to attempt a blind landing at the airport.
Examples
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Advances in technology have made blind landings much safer than in the past.
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During a blind landing, the instruments are crucial for safety.
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The pilot performed a blind landing after heavy fog covered the runway.
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The pilot successfully completed a blind landing in thick fog.
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The pilot successfully completed a blind landing during the thick fog.
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Due to the storm, the airplane had to perform a blind landing using only its instruments.
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The instructor taught the trainees how to handle a blind landing in low visibility conditions.
Synonyms
1
6.2
To land a plane using only instruments when the pilot cannot see the runway
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a landing performed without visual references' is directly and compositionally derived from 'blind' (without sight) + 'landing' (the act of descending), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it describes a landing done without visual cues. While it is an aviation technical term (instrument-only), the modifier-to-noun logic is straightforward and cross-linguistically familiar, making the phrase transparent.
Etymology
Blind landing comes from early pilots who had to make a landing when they could not see the runway because of fog or clouds. They used instruments only, so blind landing now means 'a landing made using only instruments'.