Definition 1 of 2
Definition
An unwanted upward arc of an aircraft during the landing flare, caused by excessive airspeed, over-rotation, or pulling back on the controls too aggressively. The aircraft gains altitude above the runway instead of settling onto it, and may then descend hard if the pilot does not correct the situation.
Plain English
When you flare too much or too fast on landing, the airplane lifts back up into the air instead of touching down. That climb-and-float behavior just above the runway is called ballooning.
Context Anchor
Encountered during landing practice, especially while learning the flare just before touchdown.
Derivation
From the everyday word balloon — something that rises into the air. The term describes how the aircraft floats upward off the runway during a mishandled flare, similar to a balloon lifting off.
Why Pilots Care
Uncorrected ballooning can result in a bounced landing or loss of directional control on the runway.
Analogy
Similar to skipping a stone across water where it bounces up instead of sinking in.
Intuition Check
Ballooning does not mean flying a balloon. In airplane landing, it means the airplane rises or floats upward when it should be settling onto the runway.
Example Sentence 1
The student flared too aggressively and the aircraft began ballooning a few feet above the runway.
Example Sentence 2
Reducing approach speed helped eliminate ballooning on final approach.