Plain English Meaning

A way of dropping height quickly without speeding up. The pilot tips one wing down and pushes the opposite rudder pedal, which makes the airplane fly slightly sideways through the air. This crossed-up shape creates extra drag, so the aircraft sinks faster while still tracking toward the same point on the ground.

Full Definition

A flight maneuver in which the aircraft is flown with its longitudinal axis at an angle to the flight path, used to lose altitude rapidly without gaining airspeed. The pilot lowers one wing with aileron while applying opposite rudder, so the aircraft descends along its original ground track but with the angled across the flight path. The increased fuselage to the creates drag, steepening the .