homesick angel
n. Pilot's term for an airplane that climbs faster than expected.
Examples
1997
On the transcript, a comment from TWA Captain Steven Snyder six minutes before the explosion appeared intriguing and a little eerie. "Seems like a homesick angel here," Capt. Snyder said, using pilot lingo to say the plane was climbing faster than normal.
—Pat Milton, “Flight 800 climbed like a 'homesick angel',” The Associated Press, December 08, 1997
1989
Tim said getting the plane up was a great accomplishment and that Brad had been babying the balky airplane for days. It's now flying like a homesick angel, to quote that marvelous line known to all flyers.
—Zan Thompson, “Los Coyotes: Beauty to howl about,” Los Angeles Times, October 22, 1989
1970 (earliest)
Others flew with full down trim on the transmitter, and about half forward stick, but was at a disadvantage for the turn sometimes required not "up" but "down" and when pressure was relaxed on the forward stick, the glider would climb like a "homesick angel", thus killing the forward speed.
—“Let's go to the (glider) races,” Zephyr, May 01, 1970
Filed Under