Plain English Meaning

It is the up-and-down path the airplane traces as it flies — how it climbs, holds altitude, or descends along the way.

Full Definition

The path an airplane follows through the air in the vertical plane — that is, its track of climb, level flight, and descent over time, described by changes in altitude rather than direction across the ground.

Context Anchor

Pilots meet this term when discussing climbs, descents, approaches, landings, and how to keep the airplane on the intended path to or from the runway.

Derivation

‘Vertical’ comes from Latin verticalis, meaning ‘overhead’ or ‘upright’. ‘Flightpath’ is the path the airplane actually flies through the air. Put together, it is the up-and-down portion of the airplane’s path through the sky.