Athene Airheart's definitions

spin

A rather uncomfortable aeronautical maneuver. When in an airplane, if you fly too slow and the wing gets to the wrong angle in relation to the relative wind, you will stall. If the rudder is moved in the wrong way during that stall, the airplane will turn and go into a spin.

Part of a pilot's training is to learn how to get out of stalls and spins, as they can be deadly if not stopped.

Man, I'm gonna hurl. I did eight spins today and I'm really getting dizzy. Can we go do some other maneuver next time?

by Athene Airheart May 15, 2004

doughboy

An old term for soldier, dating from the WWI era or possibly even earlier.

"Here come the doughboys, marching over the hill to save us."

by Athene Airheart March 20, 2004

Corolla

An affordable, low maintainance sedan built by Toyota. A popular first car. They will run forever. Also available in hatch back or sport coupe.

My personal favorite is the vintage 1979 2 door sedan. Rear wheel drive, 1.6 liter engine, bought it for $400 and it's still running strong.

Corollas rule!

I am glad I bought my Corolla, but I wish parts were easier to find for it.

by Athene Airheart March 19, 2004

empennage

The tail section of an airplane, including the elevator and rudder.

From a French word meaning "feathers" or "tail feathers."

The empennage of my airplane is painted white and brown and has the registration number on it.

by Athene Airheart May 15, 2004

Make hay while the sun shines

To take advantage of a brief opportunity while it is still there. To not waste time.

The saying comes from farming communities. There would often be only a short time in which the hay would be ready to cut- reap too soon, and the hay would be too green. Reap too late, and you run the risk of rain ruining it all. Still very good advice.

I just got a good job for the summer- I don't know if I'll have one this fall, but I'll make hay while the sun shines and save up for the winter.

by Athene Airheart May 16, 2004

Snorf

To eat very quickly and messily. Like snort, except involving food.

"She snorfed the last piece of pie."

Or,

"I snorf the slarf and then I horf."

by Athene Airheart March 14, 2004

bounce-and-go

Humerous version of touch-and-go. Sometimes used when the pilot is having a bad day practicing landings.

"Wow! James really did a lot of bounce-and-goes! Are those landing gear still okay? Better check the inflation on that nose gear strut."

by Athene Airheart March 19, 2004