pilot balloon
- noun
- /ˈpaɪlət bəˈluːn/
- Specialized
:
globo piloto
- The meteorologist released a pilot balloon to measure the wind speed at different altitudes.
You have to do the the pilot balloon launch, but you also have to learn about how to handle National Weather Service balloon launches.
- You have to do the the pilot balloon launch, but you also have to learn about how to handle National Weather Service balloon launches.
Examples
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During the weather observation, they monitored the pilot balloon to see which way the wind was blowing.
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To assess the air currents, the team sent up a pilot balloon before launching the larger weather balloons.
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You have to do the the pilot balloon launch, but you also have to learn about how to handle National Weather Service balloon launches.
Synonyms
1
4.6
A small balloon that rises high into the sky to collect weather data
A balloon released to test wind and air conditions
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is partially compositional: 'pilot' (acting as a guide) + 'balloon' (a balloon) suggests a balloon used for guiding or testing, so learners can infer it is a balloon with a special purpose. However, the precise meteorological function (released to measure wind direction/currents) and the fact that it is unmanned are technical details not fully predictable from the constituents, and 'pilot' could also be misinterpreted as a person who pilots, causing possible confusion for B1 learners.
Etymology
Pilot balloon comes from the image of a small balloon that acts like a pilot, rising into the sky to show the wind's direction and speed. That's why it means 'a small unmanned balloon used to find wind direction and speed'.