wingover

[ wing-oh-ver ]

noun

, Aeronautics.

1. an airplane maneuver involving a steep, climbing turn to a near stall, then a sharp drop of the nose, a removal of bank, and a final leveling off in the opposite direction.

wingover

/ ˈwɪŋˌəʊvə /

noun

1. a manoeuvre in which the direction of flight of an aircraft is reversed by putting it into a climbing turn until nearly stalled, the nose then being allowed to fall while continuing the turn

Word History and Origins

Origin of wingover¹

First recorded in 1925–30; wing + over

Example Sentences

Falconer Frederick Ottoway, president of the bird-abatement company WingOver Inc, said in an interview that the black birds have swiped at pedestrians because they are territorial and defending their nests.

From Washington Times

Back home in South Dakota after the war, rugged, curly-haired Joe Foss, the Marine Corps' top South Pacific air ace, found politicking almost as simple as a wingover and just as much fun.

From Time Magazine Archive

This baby is flying at less than 700 feet and he just did a wingover.

From Time Magazine Archive

He flipped the plane into a wingover that sent the would-be jumper sprawling to the floor, kept him there by repeated wingovers until he got back to port.

From Time Magazine Archive

He "punched the plane into a sharp wingover at 120 m. p. h. and came out underneath the dirigible."

From Time Magazine Archive