flight path

American  

noun

1. the trajectory of a moving aircraft or spacecraft relative to a fixed reference.

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flight path British  

noun

1. the course through the air of an aircraft, rocket, or projectile Compare approach glide path

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Etymology

Origin of flight path

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Department of Transportation mandated that air traffic controllers rely on radar to manage aircraft flight paths, barring them from instructing pilots to avoid aircraft based on sight.

From Los Angeles Times

Rankin explained many of his constituents live under the Heathrow flight path and were worried about aircraft noise as well as traffic congestion.

From BBC

“They’re back on their flight path with still some turbulence in the air,” Ives said.

From Los Angeles Times

Though the flight path out of Whiteman doesn’t directly cross with either Van Nuys or Burbank, “everybody has had concerns,” Sanders said.

From Los Angeles Times

Planes continually rumble overhead in Walter Thompson-Hernández’s “If I Go Will They Miss Me,” shot on location at Nickerson Gardens in Watts under the flight path to LAX.

From Los Angeles Times