tail-heavy

American  

[teyl-hev-ee] / ˈteɪlˌhɛv i /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a craft or vehicle that is too heavy in the rear, from overloading or poor design.

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tail-heavy British  

adjective

1. (of an aircraft) having too much weight at the rear because of overloading or poor design

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Etymology

Origin of tail-heavy

First recorded in 1915–20; tail ¹ ( def. ) + heavy ( def. )

Example Sentences

Shifting freight can make the plane either nose-heavy or tail-heavy, and the pilot has no way of knowing whether that has happened until after the plane is airborne, when it may be too late.

From Slate • May 1, 2013

Twice I helped the co-pilot herd the sheep out of the plane's tail after they had jumped the rear fence of their bamboo corral and made the plane tail-heavy.

From Time Magazine Archive

If a mistake is made and the measurement taken along the wrong line, it may result in a difference of perhaps 1/4 will, in flight, be nose-heavy or tail-heavy.

From The Aeroplane Speaks by Barber, H. (Horatio)

She seems to have a tendency to become tail-heavy, but this may be due to bad trimming.

From The Diary of a U-boat Commander With an Introduction and Explanatory Notes by Etienne by King-Hall, Stephen, Sir