Plain English Meaning
When pulling back on the controls during landing, the airplane rises back up instead of touching down — like it floated upward in a bubble.
Full Definition
An unwanted climb away from the runway during the landing round out, caused by applying too much back-elevator pressure or rounding out too aggressively, which produces excess lift and lifts the airplane back into the air rather than settling it onto the runway.
Context Anchor
Encountered during landing, especially in the last few moments before touchdown when the pilot is reducing the descent and holding the airplane just above the runway.
Derivation
From the word 'balloon' — something that rises and floats upward in the air. The term describes how the airplane behaves like a balloon: lifting back up off its expected landing path rather than settling down.
Why Pilots Care
Uncorrected ballooning can lead to a stall, a hard landing, or landing long and running out of runway.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane a few feet above the runway: the nose comes up too much, and instead of settling, the airplane rises away from the pavement.
Intuition Check
Ballooning does not mean drifting around like a balloon in the wind. In this landing context, it means the airplane unexpectedly rises during the round out or flare.
Example Sentence 1
The student pulled the yoke back too quickly during the round out and the airplane started ballooning a few feet above the runway.
Example Sentence 2
To recover from ballooning, the pilot relaxes back pressure slightly and waits for the airplane to settle back into ground effect before continuing the flare.