Definition
A brief, unintended bounce or hop of the airplane along the runway during landing, caused by touching down with excess speed or in an improper attitude, so the wheels make contact and momentarily leave the surface again before settling.
Plain English
When the airplane touches the runway but bounces back into the air for a moment instead of staying down. It usually happens because the airplane was going too fast or the nose was at the wrong angle when it touched down.
Context Anchor
Used when discussing landing technique, especially tailwheel three-point landings and what happens just after touchdown.
Derivation
From the everyday sense of 'skip' — to bounce lightly across a surface, like a stone skipping on water. The aviation use keeps that exact image: the airplane bounces lightly off the runway instead of staying planted.
Why Pilots Care
An uncorrected skip can develop into a more severe bounce, loss of directional control, or runway excursion.
Grounding Statement
Picture the wheels touching the runway, the airplane getting light again for a moment, and then touching down again.
Intuition Check
Do not think of “skip” here as something intentional or harmless, like skipping a step. In landing, a skip means the airplane did not settle properly after touchdown.
Example Sentence 1
The airplane skipped once down the runway because the pilot leveled off too high and let it touch down with too much speed.
Example Sentence 2
Excess approach speed often produces a skip on touchdown in a three-point landing.