Plain English Meaning

The moment when a tire is about to start sliding instead of rolling during braking, but hasn't quite started sliding yet. It's the warning point — back off the brakes a touch and the tire keeps gripping.

Full Definition

The earliest stage of a tire skid, in which a wheel has just begun to lose its rolling grip on the runway and is on the verge of locking up under braking, but has not yet fully skidded. At this point, the pilot can still recover full braking effectiveness by easing brake pressure before the tire breaks free into a full skid.

Context Anchor

Encountered during landing roll discussions, especially short-field landings where the pilot uses firm braking to stop in the shortest safe distance.