Definition

Noun: A heavier-than-air craft is a powered aircraft that is not buoyant in air and must use an engine or other mechanical means to generate lift and thrust to stay airborne and move. This contrasts with lighter-than-air craft, like balloons and airships, which rely on buoyancy.

Usage

The term is used to classify and describe the fundamental operating principle of most modern aircraft, distinguishing them from buoyant aircraft. - The Wright brothers' Flyer was the first successful heavier-than-air craft. - Helicopters and airplanes are both examples of heavier-than-air craft.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in technical, historical, and regulatory contexts to define a category of aviation vehicles.

Variants and Related Words

• Heavier-than-air (adjective): Describing the characteristic of such aircraft.
  • Heavier-than-air flight revolutionized transportation.
• Aircraft: The broader category that includes both heavier-than-air and lighter-than-air craft.

Synonyms

• Powered aircraft (in specific contrast to unpowered gliders, though gliders are also heavier-than-air craft)
• Non-buoyant aircraft

Related Phrases/Compounds

• Lighter-than-air craft: The direct antonym; an aircraft that gains lift through buoyancy.
  • The museum exhibit contrasted the development of heavier-than-air craft with that of lighter-than-air craft.

Noun

1. a non-buoyant aircraft that requires a source of power to hold it aloft and to propel it