Definition
A signal or instruction directing a pilot to discontinue an approach or landing and go around for another attempt. On aircraft carriers, a waveoff is a mandatory order from the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) that the pilot must obey immediately, regardless of how the approach appears from the cockpit.
Plain English
An order telling a pilot to stop the landing and fly around to try again.
Context Anchor
Used during landing, especially when a controller, instructor, or landing signal officer sees that continuing to land is unsafe.
Derivation
From the practice of physically waving the aircraft off the approach path. On early aircraft carriers, the Landing Signal Officer used handheld paddles and a sweeping wave-off motion to send the pilot around. The name stuck even after paddles were replaced by lights and radio calls.
Why Pilots Care
It prevents accidents by forcing an immediate abort of an unsafe or unstable approach.
Intuition Check
A waveoff is not a greeting or a casual suggestion. In aviation, it is a clear instruction or signal to stop the landing attempt.
Example Sentence 1
The LSO gave the pilot a waveoff when the approaching jet drifted left of the centerline.
Example Sentence 2
After the waveoff the pilot added full power and climbed back into the pattern.