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Glite Dictionary
to test-fly

to test-fly

1 7.7
To fly a new aircraft to check how it works and how safe it is
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈtɛstˌflaɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : volar de prueba
  • So this is in Yuma, AZ, which is where one of the places the Blue Angels go and test fly and train.

Examples

  • It might take a while, but sooner or later he's going to use you to test-fly the fusion drive.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Afterwards, Stachel will test-fly the new monoplane!

    The Blue Max (1966)

  • We'll be talking about test flying the shuttle and hopefully by then I'll have the schedule for the presentations next Tuesday.

  • And he designed personally designed instruments for aircraft and then he would fly them, test fly them in the plane and he would be the pilot.

  • He says he wants me to test-fly the fusion drive once it's built, but it might be years before that happens.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "Our prototype fusion drive has been assembled in lunar orbit and test-flown successfully."

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The US and Russia have test-flown commercial airliners with jet engines modified to burn hydrogen.

    Academic text (2004)

  • When the U.S. military wanted to test-fly the bomber at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in the late 1940s, the German oxygen system and radios were replaced with American models they wanted to evaluate.

    Academic text (2006)

  • All during the weeks that Rodriguez had been test-flying the rocketplane, taking it out on jaunts that started with a simple circle around their base camp and gradually extended as far as Olympus Mons and back again, never once did Stacy ask to fly the plane.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • In August, he plans to test-fly the Skycar prototype at Moller International's headquarters in Davis.

Synonyms

to try out
vsto test-fly
229 2.8

To test something to see how it works

is about operating aircraft to evaluate systems under experimental conditions
to take for a spin
vsto test-fly
  • Informal
23 4.2

To test a car or gadget by using it for a short time

is about formal aircraft evaluation rather than a brief casual trial

How Much Control

command
  • Formal
∞ 4.9
to test-fly
  • Specialized
1 7.7
to aviate
1 8.7
co-pilot
  • UK
3.4
assist
33 1.8
ride
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

test-fly infinitive
test-flying present participle
test-flies third person singular
test-flew past
test-flown past participle

Morphology

test-fly = test + fly (transparent) = test + fly

The meaning is directly derived from the combination of 'test' and 'fly', indicating the action of flying to evaluate performance.

Etymology

Test-fly comes from the two simple words test, meaning 'a trial or check', and fly, meaning 'to move through the air'. It literally means to 'try flying' a plane to see how it works, so to test-fly is to fly an aircraft to check its performance and safety.