drift angle

American  

noun

Nautical.

1. the angle made by the path of a drifting vessel with its heading.

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Etymology

Origin of drift angle

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Working with direction, ground speed, drift angle and flight time from a known point of departure, the pilot's computer becomes an accurate navigator.

From Time Magazine Archive

In that case, the amount of antenna swing is also fed into the computer, which then cranks the drift angle into its computations.

From Time Magazine Archive