glide slope

noun

, Aeronautics.

1. the angle that the glidepath of an aircraft or spacecraft makes with the horizontal.

Word History and Origins

Origin of glide slope¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Degginger also wants to change the glide slope and reduce the number of cargo aircraft flying at night.

From Seattle Times

The airspeed and altitude varied widely over the prescribed glide slope and the plane’s landing gear and tail hit the concrete sea wall at the far edge of the runway.

From Los Angeles Times

The rosy forecasts of reduced jet noise in the northern suburbs promised by “Greener Skies Over Seattle” sprang from onboard technology that enables planes to follow a satellite-guided precision turn onto the glide slope.

From Seattle Times

“You’ve got a very steep glide slope coming down the hill. It’s very tight.”

From Los Angeles Times

Pilots said so-called glide slope technology in modern airliners also should have helped the crew find the runway unless they failed to set it up as they approached the airport.

From Los Angeles Times