Plain English Meaning

When you turn an airplane, the nose, wings, and rudder all need to work together. If they don't, the aircraft slides sideways through the air instead of carving a clean turn. A slip is sliding toward the inside of the turn; a skid is sliding toward the outside. The little ball on the instrument panel shows you which one is happening — if it's off-center, you're not flying a clean turn.

Full Definition

Uncoordinated flight conditions in a turn, indicated by the inclinometer ball being off-center. A slip occurs when the aircraft's bank angle is too steep for the rate of turn, causing the ball to fall to the inside (low) side of the turn. A skid occurs when the rate of turn is too fast for the bank angle, causing the ball to slide to the outside () side of the turn. result from a mismatch between , rudder input, and , and both indicate that the aircraft is not flying .