vertical bank

9.9

A very steep turn in an airplane that makes the wings nearly vertical

noun

Specialized

: banco vertical

During the airshow, the pilot executed a vertical bank to impress the crowd.

Examples

A sharp vertical bank can put significant stress on an airplane's structure.
He lost altitude quickly after entering a vertical bank at high speed.
The pilot executed a perfect vertical bank during the airshow.
During the maneuver, the aircraft entered a steep vertical bank.
The pilot executed a perfect vertical bank during the airshow.
During the airshow, the pilot executed a vertical bank to impress the crowd.
He lost altitude quickly after entering a vertical bank at high speed.

How Steep

vertical bank

Specialized

9.9

to bank

6 6.4

Surface Forms

vertical bank singular

vertical banks plural

Morphology

vertical + bank

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'vertical' (nearly upright) modifies 'bank' (an aircraft roll), so a learner who knows both words can infer a steep or nearly upright banking maneuver. This is a literal, compositional construction common across languages and aviation registers, making the meaning predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Vertical bank The noun vertical bank names a very steep turn when a plane tilts so far that its body is almost vertical to the ground. Here vertical means up-and-down and bank is a turn where the plane leans on its side, so the phrase describes a near-vertical, high-stress 'turn' that can put strong force on the plane.