Going Up and Down
board
Verb
to get onto an airplane
are boarding
The passengers are boarding the aircraft -- up the airstairs and a small step onto the plane.
taxi
Verb
(of an aircraft) move slowly along the ground before takeoff or after landing
is slowly taxiing
Our plane is slowly taxiing down the runway. With a line like this it could be 30 minutes until we take off!
take off
Verb
leave the ground and begin to fly
is taking off
Finally the plane is taking off. It isn't raining yet and liftoff goes smoothly.
ascent
Noun
the act of rising or moving up
ascent
The plane begins its ascent -- amazing how quickly it climbs above the clouds.
descent
Noun
the act of going from a higher to a lower place or level
descent
Now the flight is almost over and the plane is in its descent. I think we're going down too quickly!
clearance
Noun
official authorization for something to proceed
clearance
The captain gets clearance for landing. We will be on the ground in a just a few minutes.
touch down
Phrase
when an incoming plane makes contact with the ground
touch down
Touch down! Brakes and reverse engines slow the plane down quickly on this short runway.
disembark
Verb
to leave an airplane
disembarking
Finally the plane has arrived. Passengers are disembarking -- only a few steps to the terminal.
See Other Stories
We're sorry but BraveSpeaking doesn't work properly without JavaScript enabled. Please enable it to continue.