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flight path

flight path

19 3.9
The route a plane or rocket follows through the sky
  • noun
  • /flaɪt pæθ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : trayectoria de vuelo
  • We observed the airplane's flight path as it gracefully ascended into the sky.

But on a Flat Earth map, look what's right on that flight path, right?

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Examples

  • And so this actual flight path and movie that we see here was actually flown live.

  • The only way to travel to the others is by designated flight paths.

  • And we knew the flight path and we never found them.

  • Like Mike said, my opinion was they were directly in the flight path of anything coming off of that bridge, anything.

  • It's right in its flight path.

  • I'm telling you, it's moving in our flight path.

  • I always wondered why they were so interested in the exact flight path.

    Blog text (20)
  • And in the back of the airline magazines, they show the flight path the flight is taking.

  • The only clear flight path is almost due south, skirting Japanese territory but over mostly open sea.

    Blog text (28)
  • We are conveniently located in the flight path of airplanes right by LAX airport.

Synonyms

course
vsflight path
2.0

The path something moves along, for example a plane or a river

is specific to moving through the air rather than any movement route
route
vsflight path
1.0

A road or path people use to travel between places

restricts this idea to movement through the air rather than land routes
path
vsflight path
969 1.0

A way or track that people and things move along for travel

focuses specifically on aerial movement rather than walking or cycling paths
trajectory
vsflight path
  • Specialized
141 7.0

A curved path a moving object like a ball or rocket follows through the sky

is broader, applying to aircraft and other airborne vehicles regardless of curvature
flight
vsflight path
  • Specialized
53 3.0

The path an object follows through the air

limits this to routes used by aircraft and similar systems rather than all objects
airway
vsflight path
  • Specialized
2 3.8

A route in the sky that planes follow between airports

is broader, covering any aircraft path not only officially designated corridors
skyway
vsflight path
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A route in the sky that airplanes use between airports

is the more general term for any path an aircraft may take
line of flight
vsflight path
  • Specialized
1 7.0

The path something moves along through the air

is the same idea but used for aircraft and similar vehicles specifically
air lane
vsflight path
  • Specialized
1 4.3

A route that airplanes follow between airports

covers general aircraft paths as well as these official assigned routes

How Direct

beeline
11 4.2
flight path
  • Specialized
19 3.9

Surface Forms

flight path singular
flight paths plural

Morphology

flight + path

The noun 'flight' (the act or journey of flying) combined with 'path' (a route) composes directly to mean the route taken through the air; the overall sense is fully predictable from the parts. This composition is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'trayectoria de vuelo'), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Flight path comes from the clear image of a flight (a plane or bird flying) following a path (a road) through the sky. So the phrase means the 'route' a plane, rocket, or other object follows as it moves through the air.