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dive brake

dive brake

1 8.6
A small hinged flap or parachute on an aircraft that increases drag to slow descent
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : freno de picado
  • Using the dive brake, he managed to reduce speed effectively before landing.

Examples

  • The pilot deployed the dive brake to slow down the aircraft during the steep descent.

  • You can tell due to the 4 X 20mm in the wings, but mainly the tiny dive brakes you can see as panels on the upper wing surface.

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  • JIM: Drop your dive brakes.

  • The A-36 had visible dive brakes in the wings and six machine guns, not cannon!

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  • You can tell by the four 20mm cannons in the wings and the lack of dive brakes.

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  • An A-36 would have dive brakes and I don't have them on this Mustang.

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  • The Apache carried 6 .50 cal guns, underwing racks, and dive brakes.

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  • The design of this aircraft includes a dive brake that helps increase drag in high-speed maneuvers.

Synonyms

parachute
vsdive brake
119 2.0

A large piece of strong cloth that fills with air and slows a person's fall

is designed to reduce aircraft speed by drag especially during steep descents
airbrake
vsdive brake
  • Specialized
7.0

A device like a small parachute or flap that slows an aircraft while flying

is used mainly to slow during steep descents rather than general speed control

How Effective

canopy
  • Specialized
4 5.5
drogue
  • Specialized
1 9.9
dive brake
  • Specialized
1 8.6

Surface Forms

dive brake singular
dive brakes plural

Morphology

dive + brake

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'dive' (a steep descent) with 'brake' (a device to slow or stop motion): a device used to slow a dive or reduce speed during descent. Although it's a technical aeronautical term, the noun-noun compounding follows ordinary English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Dive brake comes from a simple image: a device that opens like a small parachute or flap while a plane is in a steep dive, and the air pushing on it works like a brake to slow the plane. That's why a dive brake is a part used to 'reduce speed' during steep descents.